Wilson, a classicist at the University of Pennsylvania who previously published a well-received Odyssey in 2017, writes the Iliad in blank verse, with each line a steady iambic pentameter. The diction is modern and plain. She uses contemporary phrases like "colluding with the Trojans" and "Do not hold back," and calls Ares "that shapeshifter" rather than reaching for older epic vocabulary. She cuts the Greek down rather than expanding it: the famous leaves passage in Book 6 strips out Glaucus's opening question and runs the simile in six tight lines. The pentameter gives the verse a regular pulse without sounding ornamental, and the short clauses keep the pace fast. This version suits readers who want a clean, readable Iliad in metered English and do not mind losing some of Homer's formulaic repetitions.
Goddess, sing of the cataclysmic wrath
of great Achilles, son of Peleus,
which caused the Greeks immeasurable pain
and sent so many noble souls of heroes
to Hades, and made men the spoils of dogs,
a banquet for the birds, and so the plan
of Zeus unfolded—starting with the conflict
between great Agamemnon, lord of men,
and glorious Achilles.