What was Odysseus trying to do in The Odyssey?

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus is trying to get home to Ithaca after the 10 year Trojan war.

He has one hell of a journey back home. It takes him another 10 years!

It's not just bad weather that delays him and his men on their ship; there are monsters, witches, battles, etc...

And The Odyssey is all about how Odysseus manages to get away from these dangerous situations.

Oh, and while he's doing all this, the God Poseidon is trying to get him killed.

Poor guy.

Isn't it fantastic that one of the first ever books written is an adventure book?