My only critiques are that the story’s pacing is a little slow at some points Patroclus’ characterization is diminished to uplift Achilles’ and that the story depicts minors having sex with explicit, descriptive wording. For instance, readers are given a better insight of Patroclus’ life as an exiled prince. If you haven’t read this book yet, keep in mind that the story is vastly different from the epic. This is a fanfiction of the Iliad where Miller recounts the events, but mostly focuses on the romantic tension between Achilles and Patroclus. However, the story is not just a retelling of the Trojan War through Patroclus’ eyes: it is a fanfiction of Homer’s epic, Iliad.

Madeline Miller is descriptive she incorporates an array of vivid imagery and makes the Trojan War a more personal matter for Patroclus.

I can see why many people enjoyed this book. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. 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. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Genre(s): Action, Fantasy, Fanfiction, Greek Mythology, LGBT+, RomanceĪchilles, “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.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller