The Song of Achilles Review: Greek Mythology's Most Emotional Retelling

The Song of Achilles: The Iliad as You've Never Read It

BEFORE MADELINE MILLER wrote Circe, she wrote The Song of Achilles. Published in 2011, it won the Orange Prize for Fiction and has accumulated over 220,000 Amazon reviews averaging 4.8 stars — more reviews than almost any mythology novel in recent history.

The premise is simple: tell the story of the Iliad from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles's companion, lover, and closest friend. The execution is extraordinary.

What Miller Does Differently

The Iliad is a poem about war, honor, and the rage of Achilles. It's not particularly interested in psychology. Miller is. She takes the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus — hinted at in Homer, debated by scholars for centuries — and makes it the emotional center of the story.

Patroclus narrates. He is not a hero. He is observant, empathetic, and in love with a man who is literally the greatest warrior of his generation. The story follows them from boyhood through the siege of Troy, and if you know your mythology, you know how it ends. Miller makes you dread it anyway.

Is It Accurate to the Source Material?

Miller takes liberties, but they're the liberties of a skilled translator rather than someone rewriting the story to fit modern preferences. The gods are still capricious and terrifying. The war is still brutal and pointless. Achilles is still impossible — beautiful, magnetic, and dangerous. The additions feel like expansion, not replacement.

Who Is This Book For?

Anyone interested in Greek mythology who hasn't read it yet. Anyone who loved Circe and wants more Miller. Anyone who read the Iliad in school and wanted someone to actually explain what was happening emotionally. Anyone who just wants to read something that will make them feel something.

Find The Song of Achilles and other mythology books at Skriuwer.com.