The Song Of Achilles (US)

A TALE OF GODS AND GODESSES, KINGS AND QUEENS, IMMORTAL FAME AND THE HUMAN HEART

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 war and medicine, but when word comes that 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.

"Powerful, inventive, passionate and beautifully written." -Boston Globe "Captivating... carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity." - Donna Tartt, The Times (UK)

"Wildly romantic." - Time

"Tense and exciting.... Beautifully done." - Washington Post

"One of the best novelistic adaptations of Homer in recent memory." - Wall Street Journal

MADELINE MILLER is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Circe. She grew up in Philadelphia, has a BA and MA from Brown University in Latin and Ancient Greek, and has taught in both languages. She also studied at the Yale School of Drama, specializing in adapting classical tales to a modern audience. The Song of Achilles is her first novel.