Greek Mythology is in the air this season. Perhaps you have heard of the new TV show adaptation of the Percy Jackson book series? Turns out, it’s pretty good! Fiction books retelling ancient tales are not just for kids. Read on below for adult novels with heroes, legends, gods, and monsters.
Take a fireside seat for the mighty tales of Hercules. Rogerson’s queer retelling collects all the myths of Hercules’ life and strings them into a fictional hero’s biography – from the perspective of everyone except Hercules. This title reads similarly to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six for Greek mythology buffs and newbies alike.
Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina
Anna was a child when she heard the head of their tribe’s dead chief went missing. It rose, alive again, angry that its rest was disturbed. Now it roams, eating whole anyone who encounters it. People have been going missing for years. Some turn up dead, and some remain unaccounted for. Then one day Anna’s little sister disappears. Told with chapters placed out of order, this novel is part horror, part thriller, and part mystery.
Atalanta is raised by nymphs deep in the Goddess Artemis’s Forest. There, men are deeply feared and despised. One day, she kills two drunken centaurs setting fire to the forest. During the fight, a man named Hippomenes intervenes and gets injured in the process. Then, Atalanta is invited to sail with Jason in search of the golden fleece. There, she will capture the attention of her father who left her with Artemis.
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky
Brodsky’s fourth mythological book is a retelling of The Saga of Erik the Red, from the perspective of a person from an Inuit community. In this tale of myth and magic is a greater tale of cultures clashing. Omat braves the wilderness searching for their family’s hope while engaging in a discovery of their gender beyond a binary understanding of male and female.
Some people say that villains are the heroes of their own story. Medusa’s perspective on our favorite Hellenic heroes and gods exposes their ill-advised vengeance and passive aggression like never before. The story begins with the birth of Medusa and the pregnancy of Metis inside Zues. The novel follows the same arc as the classic myths. Except, in this version, the monsters behave like gods and the gods look a lot like monsters.
Architect Carmen Sanchez and her daughters are in Mexico for the summer. An old church is being converted into a posh hotel when eleven-year-old Luna starts having paranormal experiences. A local woman sees Luna’s vulnerability and attempts to warn Carmen about it. Then, Carmen loses her job after an accident at the jobsite reveals pre-Christian artifacts. The trouble doesn’t end in Mexico. When Carmen and her two daughters return to New York, it’s clear that something is haunting them.
House of Odysseus by Claire North
Taking a page out of Shakespeare, House of Odysseus begins with a death at the temple of Aphrodite. Elektra arrives at Ithaca with her poisoned brother, Orestes, King of Mycenae. They are requesting safety from their murderous cousin, Menelaus, King of Sparta. This sequel to Ithaca by North is not based specifically on a single already existing myth. Instead, North uses Hellenic characters to craft a true-to-the-myths story of her own.
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