The Song of Achilles
“Achilles,’the best of all the Greeks’, son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful-irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath. They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of way and medicine, but when word that comes Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to 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. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.”
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller really took me by surprise. It took some willpower to get through it initially, just because the writing style can be very matter-of-fact at times. There isn’t much whimsy, but there is a very suddenly-powerful romance that drives the entire book. They never wavered from one another and loved each other loyally and fiercely. As soon as Patroclus was described as “the best of the Greeks”, I saw where the plot was going towards. I knew that I would be getting some kind of tragedy, but I didn’t think that it would happen in that way until that moment. It was a great, fun retelling. It could’ve used some more whimsy to it though, but I do also plan on reading Cerce at some point in the future. I will be giving Miller another shot at that time.