Madeline Miller Books in Order: Circe & The Song of Achilles Reading Guide
Author of Circe and The Song of Achilles — two of the defining Greek mythology retellings of the past decade, written with classical scholarship and extraordinary emotional precision.
About Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller spent years teaching Latin and Ancient Greek before publishing The Song of Achilles in 2011, and the depth of her classical training is evident on every page — not in the form of pedantry or footnotes, but in the way the mythology feels lived-in and inevitable rather than borrowed. She writes Greek myths the way a native speaker writes in their first language. Her two novels have reached readerships far beyond the traditional fantasy audience: Circe in particular became a genuine cultural phenomenon, introducing a new generation of readers to mythological fiction and demonstrating that literary-quality prose and deep emotional storytelling are not incompatible with the fantasy genre. Both books are fundamentally character studies — explorations of what it means to have power, or to love someone with it — and Miller brings to both the same quality of empathetic intelligence. She is one of the best writers working in fantasy today.
Circe vs. The Song of Achilles: Which to Read First?
Both are standalones. Circe is the more recommended starting point for most readers — it has a broader scope, a strong single perspective, and slightly more conventional fantasy structure. The Song of Achilles is the better starting point if you want to read in publication order or if you're specifically drawn to a love story and the Trojan War. The books share a world (Greek mythology) but no characters or plot.
Madeline Miller Books in Order
Standalone Novels
Two independent Greek mythology retellings — either can be read first.
- 1
The Song of Achilles
Standalone
Patroclus, an awkward prince, is exiled to the court of King Peleus where he becomes companion to the golden hero Achilles. What follows is a retelling of the Iliad from the inside of the relationship at its heart — a love story set against the Trojan War, told in prose of extraordinary clarity and emotional precision. Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction.
Note: Start here if you want the more purely emotional, love-story-driven experience.
- 2
Circe
Standalone
Circe, daughter of Helios and minor goddess of the sun, discovers she possesses the power of witchcraft and is exiled to the island of Aeaea. Over centuries she encounters Odysseus, Daedalus, Medea, and other figures from Greek myth — but the novel is fundamentally about a woman finding her own power in a world designed to deny it. Broader in scope than The Song of Achilles; arguably the stronger book.
Note: The more accessible starting point — broader scope, single strong female perspective.
If You Like Madeline Miller, Try:
Chakraborty brings the same depth of cultural research to Islamic mythology that Miller brings to Greek mythology. Both authors treat their source material with genuine scholarly seriousness while telling wholly original stories.
Novik's Uprooted and Spinning Silver share Miller's instinct for fairy-tale and mythological retellings that place women at the centre and treat female experience with nuance and intelligence.
Taylor's prose has the same quality of beauty and emotional intensity as Miller's — readers drawn to the lyrical register of Circe tend to respond equally well to Strange the Dreamer.
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