Apr 2026 Book Recommendation: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Intro

As a life-long lover of mythology, I’m always excited to check out books based on it. So, when I first learned about The Song of Achilles, a dramatic, modernized retelling of The Iliad (and then some) told from the perspective of Patroclus, I was immediately intrigued. And I can happily say that it did not disappoint.

Before I start getting into details, though, I want to clarify some things. This is one of those books that I frequently see mislabeled as YA romance—even though it isn’t actually either of those things. While Patroclus and Achilles are teenagers and young adults for a lot of the book, there are a lot of mature themes that aren’t really suited for the younger end of the YA audience, such as some very graphic violence, on-page sex, and other R-rated themes. And, even though the romantic feelings between Patroclus and Achilles are a key part of the story, it is not a romance; it’s a tragedy, and the romantic elements are mostly just used to add to the drama and make it more…well, tragic when their story ends the way we all know it does. (You can’t spoil mythology.)

So, with all that in mind, let’s dive into it!

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Overview

Genre(s): Fantasy, historical fiction

Series: N/A (Standalone)

POV/Tense: First-person past

Length: 416 pages

As the exiled prince of Opus, Patroclus’s life is bound to be one of disgrace—that’s what he believes when his father first sends him to the neighboring city-state of Phthia, at least. A prince no more, he’s to serve as an ordinary soldier fighting in the ranks of King Peleus’s army—a life that’s sure to be brutal, short, and ultimately of little consequence.

But, when Patroclus gains the attention of Achilles, Peleus’s demigod son, his situation suddenly starts to seem much less bleak. Graced with superhuman abilities and destined to be the greatest warrior of his generation, Achilles is bold, cocksure and exciting—and is also determined to get Patroclus to be his friend. Patroclus doesn’t understand why someone like Achilles would want him around, but he couldn’t resist Achilles’s charms even if he wanted to. As they grow from boys to men together, their bond grows steadily deeper, until it becomes more than simple friendship.

But with Achilles’s grand destiny comes a devastating price. According to prophecy, he’s going to die an early death—a fate that starts to seem unnervingly close when he’s summoned to fight in the Trojan War. Regardless of the danger, though, Achilles is confident that he can resist the will of the gods. Patroclus is less sure, but is determined to do all in his power to keep Achilles alive—even though a part of him can’t help but wonder how long it’ll be before Achilles’s pride gets them both killed.

Personal Thoughts

This book is often praised for how it manages to feel entertaining and modern, while also generally staying true to the original myth—and I wholeheartedly agree. While Miller does add several new side plots (such as the romance and the deeper look at Achilles and Patroclus’s backstories) and occasionally changes a few minor details, the story as a whole is impressively close to the original. (Just spruced up for modern audiences and, you know…better.) While she obviously didn’t write it in the epic poem form that Homer did, her style throughout is very descriptive and poetic, which I thought was a nice callback to the source material—not to mention just very fun to read.

As for the characters, they’re all portrayed about how you’d expect. Achilles is feisty and egoistic (not to mention a bit of a jerk), and Patroclus is gentle and loyal. One thing that Miller did do differently was that she gave Achilles more likeable qualities. (Which I guess was probably a necessary call.) So, even though he’s still a douche at times, you can understand why Patroclus loves him.

Another thing that I really appreciated about this book was how well Miller pulled off the whole retelling thing. The hardest part of writing a retelling of a myth or fairytale is making it so that, even though the reader generally knows what’s going to happen, it still feels fresh and different—but not so different that it strays too far from the source material. Like I mentioned earlier, this book manages to do this very successfully. Part of this is because of the new aspects that Miller added to the story, yes, but I think another, bigger contributor is just her execution of it all. She gets you care way more about the characters than you would from just reading the myth, which goes a long way in changing the overall experience. And the constant drama and tension makes you—or, at least it made me—gobble up those 416 pages like they’re nothing.

Outro

I hope I’ve convinced you to check this book out. If you’ve already read it and are looking for something similar, feel free to look into the other Greek mythology retellings that I’ve listed below. As always, thanks for reading!