Five Captivating Novels Set in Ancient Greece

Francis Oliver Finch (1802-1862). Classical Landscape with Figures, watercolor painting. Credit: Yale Center for British Art, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Recently, much and much overseas authors person been turning to ancient Greece to get inspiration for their novels. Contemporary writers, chiefly British and American, gully connected Greek mythology to adhd extent to their stories.

And who tin blasted them? With its beauteous past mounting and affluent mythological and spiritual themes, ancient Greece makes for an perfect backdrop to a novel.

The entreaty of past Greece arsenic a mounting for novels

The inclination of mounting novels successful past Greece began successful the mediate of the 20th period successful the 1960s. Ancient Greece has remained a fashionable prime for authors. Apart from the breathtaking scenery it offers, afloat of gorges and temples, past Greece’s affluent past and mythology adhd thrilling elements to immoderate story, transporting the scholar successful what, for some, is the top epoch of each time.

By penning novels acceptable successful past Greece, authors tin prime and take retired of a affluent excavation of myths and legends, specified arsenic vengeful oregon benevolent gods, epic heroes, and mythical beasts. These marque for a bully respite from melodramatic events similar the Trojan War oregon fights betwixt formidable city-states specified arsenic Athens and Sparta.

In caller years, authors person besides begun exploring lesser-known myths and figures, including those of Theseus, Penelope (Odysseus’ faithful wife), and the sorceress Circe.

The authors of the pursuing 5 novels acceptable successful past Greece bring the play to beingness done their words, and 1 tin expect to beryllium swept distant into a satellite of gods, monsters, and unforgettable heroes and heroines.

Five breathtaking novels acceptable successful past Greece

1. The King Must Die, by Mary Renault

The King Must Die is 1 of the 2 novels successful the Theseus series by British writer Mary Renault, published successful 1958. It is simply a vivid reimagining of the myth of Theseus that traces his communicative from a noble younker to a legendary leader done his epic battles with the Minotaur and his struggles to support his throne, which is threatened by usurpers.

The caller is acceptable connected Minoan Crete, with its splendid palaces and rich, vibrant culture. Whether you’re a Greek past connoisseur oregon not, the communicative volition gully you into a satellite of ceremony, the intricacies of past Greek politics, and the labyrinth wherever Theseus battles 1 of Greek mythology’s astir celebrated monsters.

2. The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles is Madeline Miller‘s debut caller and victor of the Orange Prize for Fiction successful 2012. As per its title, it is astir 1 of the astir fashionable heroes successful past Greek myth, Achilles, and is narrated by his relative Patroclus.

Miller’s caller has been praised for its beauteous prose that explores the deep enslaved betwixt Achilles and Patroclus amid the chaos of the Trojan War. It transports readers into the bosom of the Greek-Trojan battlefield but besides offers them repose successful the serene landscapes of past Greece, its expansive mountains, and sparkling coasts. Pick it up this summertime if you privation a dose of past Greek beauty, heroic feats, and romance, each bound unneurotic by Miller’s captivating prose.

3. The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood

The Penelopiad is 1 of those novels that explores lesser-known and underrepresented figures successful past Greek mythology, successful this lawsuit Odysseus’ diligent wife, Penelope. Published successful 2005, it is simply a retelling of the story of Odysseus from Penelope’s constituent of presumption arsenic she navigates beingness successful tribunal during her husband’s absence.

With The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood gives Penelope a voice, whereas successful The Odyssey she has none. In this way, the scholar gets to cognize her quality and wit successful the schemes against her suitors. Set successful the idyllic scenery of Ithaca, it is the cleanable caller if you privation to beryllium transported to the oasis of a Greek land but besides delve into the story of Odysseus with a much captious stance.

4. A Thousand Ships, by Natalie Haynes 

Continuing the inclination of utilizing past Greece arsenic a inheritance to exploring women’s stories, A Thousand Ships is a retelling of the Trojan War done a pistillate lens. Haynes brings a scope of pistillate figures from past Greek story to life, including well-known characters specified arsenic Cassandra, Andromache, and the goddesses Eris and Athena. She besides shines a airy connected lesser-known figures specified arsenic Creusa of Troy, girl of King Priam, and Penthesilea, the Amazonian queen.

A Thousand Ships takes its readers connected a travel done the lustrous metropolis of Troy and the rugged landscapes of the past Greek world. It tells the idiosyncratic stories of these pistillate characters, depicting however the Trojan War affects them some from wrong besieged Troy and from afar.

5. Circe, by Madeline Miller

Most radical retrieve Circe arsenic the enchantress who kept Odysseus stranded connected her land for a twelvemonth connected his mode location to Ithaca. In her novel, Miller reimagines Circe arsenic a almighty fig and traces the goddess’ travel from a sheltered beingness successful her begetter Helios’ glittering palace to her exile connected the remote, chaotic land of Aeaea.

During her exile, Circe encounters important Greek gods and heroes, immoderate of whom assistance her and others who reason her. She comes crossed gods similar Hermes, the hunter Apollo, and Athena, arsenic good arsenic notable figures specified arsenic Daedalus, Jason, and Medea. Of course, she besides adjacent happens upon Odysseus.

By blending the grandeur of story with quality emotion, each acceptable against the affluent greenish and aureate landscapes of past Greek islands and the mainland, Miller provides readers with a genuinely unforgettable experience.