One of the biggest trends in books right now is literary retellings of Greek mythology for adults. From the origin stories of the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus to the epic heroic tales of Virgil, Homer, Sophocles, and Appolonius, writers are giving new voices to old stories, often looking at the tales with a feminist lens. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best retellings of Greek mythology for adults, and since they are so popular, we’ve included some alternates in case of a long hold list.
Stone Blind
By Natalie Haynes
Adult Fiction
The name “Medusa” evokes terrifying images of the woman with snakes for hair, whose gaze will turn anyone to stone. Stone Blind tells the story of the person behind the monstrous myth, exposing the cruelty of the gods as we come to understand Medusa’s rage.
While you wait:
Helen of Troy by Margaret George
Was Helen of Sparta—the most beautiful woman of the ancient world —a temptress or a woman victimized by a misogynistic society? Or simply the plaything of goddesses? This fictional biography of Helen gives us an understanding of the character underneath the stereotypes.
Lovely War
By Julie Berry
Adult Fiction
At the onset of World War II, Aphrodite, along with her husband Ares and lover Hephaestus, tries to understand why war and love are inextricably entwined by examining a tale of mortals from World War I. The framing of Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette’s story within the goddess’s perspective reveals love as a possible counterbalance to the deep impacts of violence, prejudice, and misogyny.
Gods Behaving Badly
By Marie Phillips
Adult Fiction
As their powers have waned over the past 300 years, the Greek Pantheon has been living together in a crowded London flat, trying to figure out life in the modern world while continuing their pursuits of tricking each other. A witty imagining of modernizing the gods, the story follows two very perplexed humans who get caught in a spat between Aphrodite and Apollo.
A Thousand Ships
By Natalie Haynes
Adult Fiction
Sure: the male soldiers fought and died in the war they instigated. But the impacts of the Trojan War on the story’s women run deep. In this Greek retelling, the focus is on the female characters, including Helen, Cassandra, Hecuba, Penthesilea, Briseis, Penelope, Iphigenia, and dozens more. As their sorrows, triumphs, losses, and revenge play across the scope of the war, they come to feel like the most vivid and important parts of the ancient narrative.
While you wait:
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
In Virgil’s Aeneid, a war is fought over who will wed the briefly-mentioned woman named Lavinia. Part fantasy, part history, Le Guin’s masterful story imagines the life Lavinia might have lived in ancient Italy. Like the literature of antiquities she takes her spark from, Le Guin raises issues that still resonate today.
Atalanta
By Jennifer Saint
Adult Fiction
Saved by the goddess Artemis after her father abandons her as a baby, Atalanta grows into a fierce, strong, independent huntress who knows nothing of interacting with people. When the Argonauts set out on their quest for the golden fleece, Artemis sends Atalanta to join them. Examining the often-questionable motivations and actions of male heroes, Atalanta turns the traditional hero’s quest tale into a study of women’s courage.
While you wait:
Circe by Madeline Miller
Shortlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize Award, Circe by Madeline Miller is one of the books fueling the Greek-retelling trend. The goddess who first turned all of Odysseus’s men into pigs and then convinced him to stay on her island, Circe’s story is much larger than the one told in Homer’s tale.
Psyche and Eros
By Luna McNamara
Adult Fiction
The tale of Psyche and Eros is one of Greek mythology’s most romantic, a story of lovers challenged and foiled by the gods who nevertheless persist in their relationship. Set just before the start of the Trojan War, Pscyhe and Eros imagines a Psyche who has been trained her entire life to be strong enough to destroy the monster she was prophesied to kill.
While you wait:
Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
Retold through the perspective of Orual, Psyche’s imagined older sister, Lewis’s classic tale is both an accusation against and an explanation of the gods’ interactions with humans.
Written by Amy S. (Outreach)
