Greek Mythology Retellings That Aren’t ‘Percy Jackson’
‘Gods Behaving Badly’ by Marie Phillips
Apollo and Aphrodite are at the forefront of the story, along with two humans are caught in the middle of a brewing war. All of the Big Twelve of Olympus live in a tiny London flat (and no, they’re not happy about it).
‘Circe’ and ‘The Song of Achilles’ by Madeline Miller
Circe tells the story of the Greek enchantress. After her birth, Zeus sends Circe, daughter of Helios, to an island where she sharpens her magic skills. The Song of Achilles recaps the story of Achilles and Patroclus.
‘The Deep End of the Sea’ by Heather Lyons
Heather Lyons tells the story of Medusa and the Gorgons, but gives us a new side to the story. Instead of the monster she’s usually depicted as, Medusa is a victim who was punished wrongfully.
‘The Penelopiad’ by Margaret Atwood
We all know Homer’s story of The Odyssey and Odysseus, but what about Penelope and her twenty years alone in Ithaca. Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad lets Penelope tell her story as Odysseus travels home.
‘Never Look Back’ by Lilliam Rivera
Do you also love the story of Orpheus and Eurydice? Lilliam Rivera retells the story in modern New York with two Afro-Latinx protagonists. It’s considered a #OwnVoices story, so you know the author did an excellent job with representation of her culture.
‘A Thousand Ships’ and ‘The Children of Jocasta’ by Natalie Haynes
A Thousand Ships has the women telling the story of the Trojan War. Instead of focusing on just one character, she includes Helen, Penelope, and Calliope. The Children of Jocasta follows suit by putting the women of Antigone and Oedipus’s stories in the spotlight. We see more of Jocasta and Ismene’s life and trauma.
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