Herc sounds so interesting! I haven't heard of it, I'll definitely have to check it out.
We wrote about mythology retellings a few months ago, and shared recommendations for books written by authors who identified with that culture/tradition:
i think the percy jackson books will always be my favourite. i only read them at 17 (older than the target demographic) but they still have nostalgic value for me. i’ve never had a reading experience quite like that one since! recently, i enjoyed ‘lies we sing to the sea’ by sarah underwood and cannot wait for her new book which was inspired by the eros & psyche myth
I love mythological retellings, probably too much, but especially Stephen Fry's ones! Here are some of my other favs though:
- Mary Renault's Theseus Duology pleases the Classicist in me. The level of research and world building, reframing the myth of Theseus and The Minotaur in the Greek Bronze Age to be as historically feasible as possible.
- Elodie Harper's Wolf Den Trilogy is one of my favourite series of all time. It isn't a mythological retelling, being historical fiction, but is very much adjacent thematically to the current myth retellings. Her level of research and storytelling of a prostitute in Pompeii rising her way through the social ranks, though it comes with many content warnings, is outstanding (and especially helped by the fact I read it while visiting Pompeii)!
- Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin left me speechless, a fantastic reframing of the Aeneid to give words to a character who desperately needed them
- The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood is an amazing companion piece to the Odyssey. Reading it straight after really hammers home some of the more disturbing elements of the poem.
I like your suggestions for books that fit the overall vibe. I feel like you can lump Piranesi in that category too. I haven't read any mythology retellings but did recently finish Divine Might by Natalie Haynes (the author of Stone Blind and Pandora's Jar). I have a few on my Kindle TBR I haven't made time for yet.
Yes! I should have included Piranesi in this! I still think about that book all the time, years after I read it. Adding Divine Might to my tbr, thanks for the recommendation!
Herc sounds so interesting! I haven't heard of it, I'll definitely have to check it out.
We wrote about mythology retellings a few months ago, and shared recommendations for books written by authors who identified with that culture/tradition:
https://thenovelteapod.substack.com/p/the-matrix-of-mythology?r=3354h8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true
- Shruti
So glad I could introduce you to a new book! Highly recommend the audio. And I will check out your post now!
i think the percy jackson books will always be my favourite. i only read them at 17 (older than the target demographic) but they still have nostalgic value for me. i’ve never had a reading experience quite like that one since! recently, i enjoyed ‘lies we sing to the sea’ by sarah underwood and cannot wait for her new book which was inspired by the eros & psyche myth
Eros and Psyche has such huge potentials for retellings! I hope you enjoy it when it comes out!
I love mythological retellings, probably too much, but especially Stephen Fry's ones! Here are some of my other favs though:
- Mary Renault's Theseus Duology pleases the Classicist in me. The level of research and world building, reframing the myth of Theseus and The Minotaur in the Greek Bronze Age to be as historically feasible as possible.
- Elodie Harper's Wolf Den Trilogy is one of my favourite series of all time. It isn't a mythological retelling, being historical fiction, but is very much adjacent thematically to the current myth retellings. Her level of research and storytelling of a prostitute in Pompeii rising her way through the social ranks, though it comes with many content warnings, is outstanding (and especially helped by the fact I read it while visiting Pompeii)!
- Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin left me speechless, a fantastic reframing of the Aeneid to give words to a character who desperately needed them
- The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood is an amazing companion piece to the Odyssey. Reading it straight after really hammers home some of the more disturbing elements of the poem.
Thank you so much for the suggestions! I’ve never read Ursula K. Le Guin somehow so I will definitely be adding that one to my tbr!
I like your suggestions for books that fit the overall vibe. I feel like you can lump Piranesi in that category too. I haven't read any mythology retellings but did recently finish Divine Might by Natalie Haynes (the author of Stone Blind and Pandora's Jar). I have a few on my Kindle TBR I haven't made time for yet.
Yes! I should have included Piranesi in this! I still think about that book all the time, years after I read it. Adding Divine Might to my tbr, thanks for the recommendation!
Percy is honestly such a great intro to everything. I read the Odyssey last year and knew so much already that I didn’t even know came from there.