If you've recently watched The Odyssey and are needing something to read (other than the actual epic, of course) you're in luck! The world of Greek retellings is ripe with so many incredible books, some very well known and others that flew a bit under the radar. Our team has compiled a list of our favorites, most focusing on the characters and stories that appear or surround the classic Greek tale.
Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller
These are probably the most well known of the retellings, so we're listing them as a single rec here. If you haven't read either of these incredible books yet, this is your sign to do so immediately. These two are absolute masterpieces. And, mothing had us crying harder than the end of Song of Achilles.
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
Jennifer Saint is another author with tons of different retellings to choose from, but Elektra is one of our favorites. Elektra follows the perspective of three of the lesser known women of The Iliad and The Odyssey–Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra. These three women are cursed with a generational cycle of violence, and this is a story of bloodshed and destiny.
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
This is a true retelling of the famous epic poems, but told with the women as the center. A Thousand Ships tells the story not of one woman, but of them all: the Trojan women now at the mercy of the Greeks, the Amazon princess who fought Achilles, Penelope awaiting Odysseus's return, and the goddesses whose feud ignited it all.
The Songs of Penelope Trilogy by Claire North
This completed trilogy focuses specifically on Penelope's story as she waits for Odysseus to return to Ithaca from Troy. Set seventeen years after Odysseus sailed for Troy, it follows Penelope as she rules Ithaca alone, fending off suitors while keeping the faith that her husband will return.
Sweetbitter Song by Rosie Hewlett
Sweetbitter Song is another retelling with Penelope at it's center, but this time it's sapphic! In Sparta, slave girl Melantho and princess Penelope are torn apart by betrayal, but years later they reunite on Ithaca. Here, Melantho finds love, freedom, and family with Penelope, a bond both women must fight to protect when Odysseus returns from Troy.
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
Clytemnestra is by far one of the most misunderstood (or, perhaps, misrepresented) women in Greek myth, and this book focuses specifically on reclaiming her narrative. After her tyrant husband sacrifices their child, Clytemnestra plots ruthless vengeance, becoming the legendary queen who took power no one would give her.
I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
While Medusa is not specifically named in either The Iliad or The Odyssey, her gorgon presence looms as a threat many times. And, since I, Medusa is a staff favorite retelling from one of our all-time favorite authors (yay for Arkansas authors!) we had to include it in this list. After leaving her family's island to train as Athena's favored priestess in Athens, Meddy's promising future is shattered when Poseidon's attention leads to her unjust transformation into Medusa and unjustly painting her as the villain of her story.
Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim
Okay, this one may seem completely out of left field, but this book is very openly a reimagining of The Odyssey! You can read an interview with the author here, if you'd like us to prove it! Anyway, Sublimation is a speculative novel that tells a modern story of immigration through a modern interpretation of Odysseus' trials. It's an incredible novel that absolutely deserves its spot on this list.
Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara
This story has very, very little to do with The Odyssey, unless you want to talk about how Aphrodite was constantly screwing things up for other people and constantly just being the absolute worst. But, this is one of our favorite Greek retellings, and one of the few happy(ish?) love stories in Greek myth, so we're including it anyway.When Eros accidentally curses himself with the arrow meant to punish headstrong Psyche, the god of desire finds himself yearning for a mortal woman he can never have, and together they must discover whether their bond is strong enough to defy the will of Olympus.
