10 books that breathe new life into Greek mythology

Indian Express

21-06-2025

Written By Prachi Mishra
Greek mythology and its stories of love, power, betrayal, and tragedy have fascinated many generations. But let's also take a look at some of the writers and their works who are reframing these corpus and telling it from the perspective of characters that were once silenced or sidelined.
In these retellings, the familiar myths take on unexpected turns. Circe is no longer a mere witch from The Odyssey instead she is a woman finding her voice and Briseis, the enslaved Trojan queen, becomes the heart of The Iliad in The Silence of the Girls or Medusa is no longer a monster rather she is a girl punished for surviving violence. Here are ten books that reimagine ancient myths with fresh emotion and new profound meaning.
'I had been old and stern and strong. I had been young and silly and weak. And now? Now I was something else.'
While in Homer's Odyssey, Circe is a witch who transformed men into swine, Madeline Miller gives her so much more: goddess, exile, lover, mother. Told in the voice of Circe, the novel narrates the lonely childhood she spent amidst cruel gods, her banishment to a remote island, and the centuries spent in learning herbs, magic, and herself. It's a quiet yet powerful journey of a woman making her own decisions and choosing her own destiny. Moreover, Miller uses poetic and reflective writing style which does not try to hide Circe's vulnerabilities even though she becomes stronger.
'Now that I'm dead, I know everything.'
We have all heard about the story of Penelope, the faithful wife of Odysseus who waited for twenty years for her husband to return. But, in Atwood's The Penelopiad, she gets the chance to tell her side of the story in a very witty and sharp manner. Atwood also gives voice to the twelve handmaids who were hanged at Odysseus' command. And, thus a clearly distinct result comes in front. Told with wit and lyricism, the book questions what justice really means in a world built by men, and whether myth can ever do justice to women.
'The world is made of choices. Some we make. Some are made for us.'
Alcestis is the woman who gives her life to save the life of her husband. In Katherine Beutner's reworking, we follow her not only to the world of the dead but on a journey of self-discovery, yearning, and rebellion. Down in the underworld, Alcestis encounters Persephone and starts to question all she had ever thought about love, duty, and sacrifice. The novel is rich in the sense that it's meditative, quietly yet fiercely questions things and also explores queer identity. It is less about lofty mythic grandeur and more about the soft insurgence of claiming one's very own existence.
'They were gods. But they weren't necessarily good at it.'
What happens to Greek gods when they lose their divine power? They are crammed into a dilapidated booth-flat in London and try to cope with the modern world in Marie Phillips' side-splitting novel. Apollo fancies himself a TV psychic, badly at that, Artemis walks other people's dogs, and Aphrodite is doing some heavy stirring up of trouble. It all threatens to become a mess of divine drama when a mortal couple gets caught up in it all. This book goes all witty and irreverent, not caring for itself much and that is its charm. It reminds us that myths, just like humans, can be merely ridiculous and lovable at one go.
'What will they make of us, those who come after?'
Pat Barker gives The Iliad a new interpretation through the eyes of Briseis, a Trojan queen turned war-captive in the hands of Achilles. Apart from being stripped of her name, power, and voice, she only remains as a silent witness to the so-called glory of war. Barker's novel is raw and haunting, filled with the quiet suffering of women erased from heroic tales. The novel just narrates the truth, and provides no easy redemption or proper closure. Briseis, in her quiet manner, describes her story through the noise of battle with heart-wrenching honesty.
'They turned me into a monster. And I became one.'
We all are well-versed with the story of Medusa, a monster with snakes for hair, but Jessie Burton provides a gentler, sadder version of her. In this beautifully illustrated novel, Medusa is a teenage girl cursed for a crime she didn't commit, sent into exile on a lonely island whose only company consisted of the snakes that sprouted from her scalp. And, when a boy named Perseus arrives, her world is transformed again. This version doesn't cast her as evil, instead, it reveals the girl behind the myth-full of pain, wonder, and rage.
'This is not Theseus' story. It is mine.'
Ariadne, who is simply known for helping Theseus defeat the Minotaur, only to be later abandoned on an island. But Jennifer Saint gives her character a richer and more complex voice. Ariadne is not just a helping hand or lover, but she is also given the role of a sister, a mother, a woman living in a world shaped by gods and betrayals. Saint has written the novel by infusing prose with the characteristics of poetry and explored the themes of sacrifice, sorrow, and the emotional burden and pain of unrequited love. The story is also about two sisters, Ariadne and Phaedra, who are attempting to hold on to whatever agency they have in stories that were never theirs to begin with.
'This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all.'
What if the Trojan War was not documented in the words of the warriors but instead from those left behind by the war? A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes sets in the voices of countless females from myth-rooting queens, slaves, sisters, goddesses, and survivors. From Penelope writing to Odysseus, to Cassandra cursed with visions, every chapter casts another dimension over well-known tales. The tone is lyrical, somewhat wise, and all too often angry. It's a reminder that history is written by victors but, if told well, stories can belong to anybody.
'The Greeks gave us logic. The myths gave us meaning.'
The origin stories of Greek mythology, from the birth of Chaos to the ascent of Zeus, are retold with warmth and humour by British author and comedian Stephen Fry in his book Mythos. It's the type of book that turns myths into stories for the dinner table. It's detailed, funny, and surprisingly emotional as well. Anyone interested in the Greek gods and their complex relationships should start with this book because of Fry's conversational, contemporary, and engrossing narration style.
'The old stories refused to die, and so they became something else.'
In the modern world, every seven years the gods are hunted by descendants of ancient bloodlines, and if killed, the killers inherit their powers. Lore, the last descendant of Perseus, does not want to be involved in any bloodshed. But, when wounded Athena and childhood friend Castor seek her help, Lore is reluctantly dragged back into the war she tried to leave behind. Bracken's Lore is a blend of mythology and urban fantasy, delivering a very gritty attitude toward ancient power struggles. The action is grueling fun, but beneath it all lies a very human question: can we choose who we become?