The Song of Achilles

Hardcover, 384 pages

English language

Published Jan. 29, 2021 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

ISBN:
978-1-5266-4817-4
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4 stars (23 reviews)

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. …

31 editions

Lived up to the hype.

5 stars

One of the rare cases that I absolutely loved a book that I have seen heavily recommended on social medias. This was a fantastic read. I never read The Iliad (and obviously really should, reading more book revolving around the gods would be a fun challenge for next year), so I cannot speak on how it holds up against that. But from my understanding, this is a retelling of the tale from Patroclus' perspective.

The wording was beautiful and there were no wasted moments that were plugged in to elongate the book. Truthfully there was a lot of time that was skipped over to be able to stick to the major moments. I also very much appreciated that the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus was not watered down or skirted around. It was the driving factor behind this book and the story would not have worked without it.

Overall very …

#Gay4Achilles

5 stars

Forbered deg på å gråte mot slutten. Miller setter ord på så mange kjærlighets- og forelskelsesfølelser jeg ikke hadde lagt merke til selv. Fordi alle vet hva som skjer med Akilles til slutt, satt jeg gjennom hele boken og håpet på mer tid, akkurat som Patrokles gjorde. Men jeg angret aldri på å bla om, hver side var en fryd.

Subjects

  • Historical Fiction
  • War & Military
  • LGBTQIA+
  • Myth Retelling