Achilles In Love

Tracing the escapades of Achilles' erotic history - whether in same-sex or opposite-sex relationships - this book explains how these relationships were developed and revealed, or elided and concealed, in the writing and visual arts following Homer.

WINNER OF THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTION 2012 Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

ACHILLES: A LOVE STORYA Gay Novel of the Trojan War The heroic tale of the passion of Achilles, unrivalled hero and the most beautiful man in the world, for the handsome and heroic Patroclus, as it unfolds in Homer's Iliad, is the one of the greatest and earliest gay love stories ever told. But Homer also hints at another love story that complicates the tale: that of the handsome Prince Antilochus who comes to the battlefield of Troy to find Achilles, the man he has always loved. When the tragic death of Patroclus leaves Achilles shattered and alone, it is Antilochus who is at his side, as friend, companion in battle, and lover. "Achilles: A Love Story," written in the tradition of Mary Renault's "The Persian Boy" and "Fire From Heaven," Yourcenar's "Memoirs of Hadrian," and Vidal's "Julian," is the first modern novel (published: 2010) to re-imagine the "Iliad" as what ancient readers knew it to be: not only a tale of battles and exemplary heroism, but a passionate story of love between men. "Achilles: A Love Story" creates the passionate tale of Antilochus and Achilles as it plays out against the legendary battles of the Trojan war in an exciting and moving story told by no other writer. (Revised Edition: February 2012) COMMENTS Much More Than I Expected (H. Michael Starr Amazon Verified Purchase.) The title of this book...suggested a quickie gay romance novel....What I got instead was a beautifully written retelling of a beautiful story, the Iliad, from a homoerotic perspective. Unexpected, (By Anna - Amazon Verified Purchase) I totally did not expected this....it was beautiful! ...and it grips the reader. I could not stop reading. Highly recommended (Gerry A. Burnie "Gerry B's Book Reviews" Amazon Verified Purchase. "Achilles: A love story" is an unapologetic celebration of male love and valour.

A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF THE 21ST CENTURY 'Chilling, powerful, audacious' The Times 'Magnificent. You are in the hands of a writer at the height of her powers' Evening Standard There was a woman at the heart of the Trojan War whose voice has been silent - until now. Discover the greatest Greek myth of all - retold by the witness that history forgot . . . Briseis was a queen until her city was destroyed. Now she is a slave to the man who butchered her husband and brothers. Trapped in a world defined by men, can she survive to become the author of her own story? THE PERFECT GIFT FOR FANS OF MADELINE MILLER'S CIRCE AND THE SONG OF ACHILLES! *Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Costa Novel Award* Pat Barker continues her extraordinary retelling of one of our greatest myths in The Women of Troy.

'One of the greatest historical novels ever written' SARAH WATERS 'I love to find queer representation in historical fiction. . . Renault's eye for intimacy is amazing' DOUGLAS STUART 'Fierce, complex and eloquent' MADELINE MILLER 'Mary Renault is a shining light' HILARY MANTEL *** A groundbreaking queer classic and powerful reimagining of the last years of Alexander the Great, told through the eyes of his lover. I thought, There goes my lord, whom I was born to follow. I have found a king. And, I said to myself, looking after him as he walked away, I will have him, if I die for it. Bagoas, abducted as a boy and sold as a eunuch, has been transported to the heart of the Persian court as courtesan to King Darius. But when the Macedon army conquers his homeland, Bagoas finds freedom at the hands of their golden young commander, whose name is already becoming a legend: Alexander. Their encounter sparks a passionate devotion that shapes the Persian boy's future - and deepens into a relationship that will sustain them both through assassination plots, political intrigue and the threat of Alexander's own restless ambition. This is a spellbinding tale of power, loyalty and loss - a vision of history transfigured by love. 'Nowhere else in fiction have Alexander's beauty and charisma blazed with such potency' TOM HOLLAND 'Passionate and captivating' SEÁN HEWITT 'All my sense of the ancient world - its value, its style, the scent of its wars and passions - comes from Mary Renault' EMMA DONOGHUE 'The Alexander Trilogy stands as one of the most important works of fiction in the 20th century' ANTONIA SENIOR, THE TIMES

"A beautifully written love story with utterly perfect imperfections." ~ Bree Wolf, USA Today bestselling author To save her family, bluestocking Lady Tabitha must marry well. Can she convince the Duke of Collingford — her opposite in every way — that she will make the perfect duchess? A fun Regency romance by a USA Today bestselling author! A redheaded bluestocking in desperate need of a wealthy husband. A handsome duke looking for his perfect duchess. And a dare that shows that opposites may not only attract but can be so much more. Lady Tabitha Hampton has the memory of an elephant. Her sharp brain locks everything away tight as a trunk in an attic. But this talent fails to help the twenty-seven-year-old bluestocking attract the attention of a single wealthy suitor. And she needs one. With three sisters of marriageable age, a sickly father, and a series of bad investments that left them impoverished, Tabitha’s marriage could save or ruin her entire family. Arthur, the Duke of Collingford needs a wife but not just any lady will do. Arthur’s future duchess must be perfect in every way—fair of face, impeccable manners, with enough social influence to impact his parliamentary projects. When he joins the whirl of the London season, the duke finds an insufferable, redheaded wallflower instead. Tabitha insists she can be the perfect duchess, if he’ll only give her the chance. Arthur agrees to test her abilities, but she tests his control. And one taste of her lips is enough to make him question everything. Opposites may attract, but can they cooperate? Or will they lose everything, including their hearts? In this Regency Romance by USA Today bestselling author Charlie Lane, a London season of scandalous dares forces a lady and her duke to see that perfect isn’t as perfect as it seems.

This #1 New York Times bestseller is a "bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story" that brilliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of The Odyssey (Alexandra Alter, TheNew York Times). In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child -- not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power -- the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love. With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world. #1 New York Times Bestseller -- named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, People, Time, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self, Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider.