Greek mythology has captivated audiences for millennia. These timeless stories, that have been passed down generations, continue to enthrall and inspire. In recent years, there has been a surge of creative retellings that has breathed new life into these ancient tales, offering fresh perspectives and modern twists! Whether you’re a long-time mythology enthusiast or new to these age-old legends, these retellings provide an exciting gateway to explore the many wonders of Greek myths.
Keep reading to check out some our of favourite fiction and non-fiction retellings 📚
Fiction Favourites
HERC
Phoenicia Rogerson
9780008589875 | PB B | £9.99
Available now
This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures…everyone’s favourite hero, right? Wrong.
This is the story of everyone else:
Alcmene: Herc’s mother (She has knives everywhere)
Hylas: Herc’s first friend (They were more than friends)
Megara: Herc’s wife (She’ll tell you about their marriage)
Eurystheus: Oversaw Herc’s labours (He never asked for the job)
His friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims. It’s time to hear their stories.
THE PALACE OF EROS
Caro De Robertis
9780008596071 | TPB | £14.99
9780008596064 | HB | £16.99
01 Aug 2024
Theirs was a love that defied the gods…
Young, headstrong Psyche has captured the eye of every suitor with her beauty – but also, unfortunately, the jealous gaze of the goddess Aphrodite. As punishment, Psyche is tied to a rock to be sacrificed to a ‘monstrous husband’. And yet, no monster arrives: instead, she is spirited away by Aphrodite’s daughter Eros.
Eros, goddess of desire, can change gender at will. And in her hidden palace, she visits her bride under the cloak of darkness: Psyche is forbidden to gaze upon the face of her lover. But as they explore each other’s bodies and discover new pleasures, Psyche is tempted to break her vow… even if it brings down the wrath of the gods.
A gloriously anarchic and seductive retelling of the myth of Psyche and Eros, groundbreaking, gender-fluid and hugely enjoyable, this is a masterpiece from Caro De Robertis, a writer described by Madeline Miller as ‘brilliant and luminous’.
ORPHIA AND EURYDICIUS
Elyse John
9781460763049 | PB B | £9.99
Available now
Orphia dreams of something more than the warrior crafts she’s been forced to learn. Hidden away on a far-flung island, her blood sings with poetry and her words can move flowers to bloom and forests to grow … but her father, the sun god Apollo, has forbidden her this art.
A chance meeting with a young shield-maker, Eurydicius, gives her the courage to use her voice. After wielding all her gifts to defeat one final champion, Orphia draws the scrutiny of the gods. Performing her poetry, she wins the protection of the goddesses of the arts, who welcome her to their sanctuary on Mount Parnassus.
As her bond with the gentle shield-maker grows, she joins the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece. Orphia earns unparalleled fame, but she longs to return to Eurydicius.
Yet she has a darker journey to make – one which will see her fight for her love with all the power of her poetry.
Nonfiction Favourites
HOW TO FIT ALL OF ANCIENT GREECE IN AN ELEVATOR
Theodore Papakostas
In How to Fit All of Ancient Greece in an Elevator, acclaimed archaeologist Theodore Papakostas takes the reader on a spectacularly iconoclastic and hugely engrossing journey through Ancient Greece, from its beginnings in prehistory to its end. Marvelling at the exalted moments in Ancient Greek history as well as the more mundane, Papakostas introduces the reader to countless fascinating stories about the cradle of western civilization – many of which upend received wisdom about the empire as well as about archaeology itself. Along the way, he settles questions such as: What did a Minoan princess pack for a trip to Egypt? How did a Mycenaean public servant kill time when he was bored? How did a raunchy dance lead to the birth of Democracy? Why did Heraclitus suggest that Homer should be slapped? Why are the Cyclades called the Cyclades?
A whistle-stop tour through three hundred years of Greek history, How to Fit All of Ancient Greece in an Elevator is an unforgettable love letter to the treasures we’ve inherited from the ancient world, as well as to those who have helped us unearth them.
9780008596071 | TPB | £14.99
9780008596064 | HB | £16.99
01 Aug 2024
BAD GIRLS OF ANCIENT GREECE
Lizzy Tiffin
With the ever-growing popularity of mythological retellings, Lizzy Tiffin has written THE guide to all of the baddies of ancient Greece. This book stands as a reminder that us women really have been bad – in the best way possible – from the start.
Written with humour and sass, Lizzy profiles the women in Greek myth and legend covering: mortals, goddesses, titans, nymphs (you name it, she’s done it). Here you’ll find the weird and wonderful escapades of the women we’re often lead to believe were minor characters.
Bad Girls of Ancient Greece is an accessible, intelligent, hilarious (sometimes spicy) guide to the women we love and know – Athena, Medusa, Aphrodite – and also those we may not, like Polyphonte, who was cursed with burning hot lust for a wild bear … imagine!
So dive into the stories you thought you knew with Bad Girls of Ancient Greece as your illuminating guide…
9780008687083 | HB | £14.99 | Available now
Check out Lizzy Tiffin’s author letter here!
