The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Title: The Song of Achilles
Author: Madeline Miller
Published: April 12, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 978-1408821985
Genre: Historical Fiction

Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.

Achilles, ‘best of all the Greeks', is everything Patroclus is not — strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess — and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative companionship gives way to a steadfast friendship. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper — despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel and deathly pale sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men 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, Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart. 

Rating: ★★★★★


I would like to say in all seriousness: This is now my favourite book.

I've been trying to figure out what to say in this review for a few days now, and I just can't? This book destroyed me.

This book was meant for me.

I remember the first time I ever saw this book was in an airport. It can't have been very long after it was published because this was only about 3-4 years ago, and I was on my way to visit my Father in the UK. I hadn't even read the blurb, but I had decided I wanted this book. I knew I was going to love it. I wanted to buy it! But, as my Mother pointed out, I already had enough books to read whilst I was away - I could get the book when we got back.

I didn't get the book when I got back. I ended up getting it on Kindle years later, and then put off reading it for months.

Why? I don't know. I love all things Ancient History - more than anything, the Ancient Greeks. This is exactly my kind of thing. I remember having this same love affair with Mary Renault's The Alexander Trilogy. So I honestly don't know why I waited until now to read this book.

Do I regret that I waited this long? Absolutely not. It might only be a matter of 3-4 years, but I would never have appreciated this book then, the way I do now.

The Song of Achilles is the story of the illustrious Achilles Peleides, Aristos Achaion. More than that, it's the story of what made him human in spite of being half-god. The book is told from the narrative of Patroclus Menotiades, an exiled prince, who comes to the court of King Peleus, and there meets the second half of his soul.

Miller has obviously followed Plato's interpretation of their relationship here. Contrary to major movies starring Brad Pitt, Achilles and Patroclus were not cousins. They were not remotely related. There is no definitive answer to the question of 'were they lovers?' but I like to think they were. There's enough evidence out there for me, and certainly Homer doesn't make it explicit, but you cannot deny the way, aside from it's depth, in which Achilles grieves - refusing to burn Patroclus' body, keeping it in his tent and weeping over it - provides pretty compelling evidence.

Anyway ...

What I really love about this book? The fact that it's told from Patroclus' narrative. This was a genius stroke by Miller. It certainly wouldn't have been anywhere near as good if it had been told from an impersonal third person, or even from Achilles point of view. How could you possibly relate to someone who was half-god? But to the poor mortal who loved him? That you can relate to. Almost everyone will have had that experience of thinking someone divine through the force of your feelings for them. The only difference here, is Achilles really is of the divine.

Patroclus is the relateable outcast. He's not a loser by any means, but he's just not a warrior in a culture where the true measure of a man is in his ability to be one, surrounded as they are by stories of heroes and gods. So far in that the divinities are real characters in this book: Thetis, Achilles' mother; Chiron, Centaur and teacher; and cameos by Apollo and minor Gods. The addition of these characters adds a sense of magic, whilst maintaining a sense of realism. You feel that it is quite feasible that they existed once, and that they did play a part in this story.

The Story of Achilles is one that is recognised the world over, and the name of Achilles is synonymous with the name Troy. But that's not what this book is about. This book is a love story. It's the story of two best friends growing up, learning to love each other, discovering their world together and their willingness to sacrifice for the sake of their love.The depth of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is what really sets this book apart from all the other re-tellings of the Illiad.

If you only read one book this year, make it this one. 

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Title: Golden Son (Red Rising #2)
Author: Pierce Brown
Published: Januray 6, 2015
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
ISBN: 978-0345539816
Genre: Sci-Fi

Ender's Game meets The Hunger Games in this, the second in an extraordinary trilogy from an incredible new voice.

'I'm still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.'

Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind's last hope. Until Darrow discovered that it was all a lie, and that the Red were nothing more than unwitting slaves to an elitist ruling class, the Golds, who had been living on Mars in luxury for generations.

In RED RISING, Darrow infiltrated Gold society, to fight in secret for a better future for his people. Now fully embedded amongst the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his dangerous work to bring them down from within. It's a journey that will take him further than he's ever been before - but is Darrow truly willing to pay the price that rebellion demands?

Hic sunt leones.

A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart,Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown's growing status as one of fiction's most exciting new voices.

Rating: ★★★★★



HOLY FUCKING SHIT GUYS!! 

These books are beyond incredible. Pierce Brown, take a bow.



I got this book straight after I finished Red Rising, and then I froze. I couldn't do it. I couldn't start this book. I was scared. What if it didn't live up? What if this book was an acute sufferer of Second Book Syndrome? How would I cope? So I put it off. And put it off. And put it off. Then, I couldn't put it off anymore because I kept thinking about Red Rising. Yes, it was that good. I had a book hang-over for weeks. So I sucked it up and started Golden Son.



This book picks up about 2-3 years after the last one left off. Darrow is now 20 years old and on the verge of becoming a Praetor. On the verge. Then everything goes to shit. Really, this is the only way I can describe the plot, because there really is no other way. It defies explanation and the only way you will understand is if you read this book. Which you need to do. Everyone needs to read this book.

I love how brutal Brown is with his characters. One thing that really, really bugs me about a lot of characters in this type of book is how "noble" they are. They don't want to get their hands dirty. When confronted with a really difficult decision, they chicken out. They are the crux of a world-saving, revolutionary force, nearly everything is riding on them, but in a "their-life-or-yours" decision which could potentially destroy everything they have been working for, they can't go through with the plan. They always back out and save the other person's life, and then, somehow, miraculously escape. Brown does not do this. Darrow knows how important his position is, and Darrow has absolutely no problems with doing whatever he feels necessary in order to keep that mission alive.

He is the ultimate MC. I have NEVER come across an MC that I like anywhere near as much as I like Darrow au Andromedus. Not even Harry Potter, and I'm sure everyone knows how much I fucking adore Harry Potter. No, Darrow blows that completely out of the water. He's incredible. He's intelligent, confident, and ruthless. What's not to like?

I don't know what else I can say that's not going to spoil this book for those who haven't read it? So, so much happens and I feel like everything I want to say would give something away. So I won't.

What I will say is: THAT FUCKING ENDING, THOUGH?! George R.R. Martin, take your Red Wedding and stand aside. 

I did not see it coming until it was too late. Pierce Brown is a master story teller.

I have no idea what to expect from the next book, but I know what I'd like to happen:

"If your heart beats like a drum,
and your leg’s a little wet,
it’s ‘cause the Reaper’s come
to collect a little debt."

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Title: Red Rising (Red Rising #1)
Author: Pierce Brown
Published: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
ISBN: 978-1444758979
Genre: Sci-Fi

The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope.

Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.

Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.

Rating: ★★★★★


I want to say it's been a long time since I came across a book that deserves the hype it's been given, but I can't - but that's only because I've been reading a lot of awesome books lately. This is definitely another book that deserves it's hype.

Do you know what this book did?



I've had this on my Kindle since the beginning of the month and I kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off. The more I read the blurb, the more I started to think that this was going to be a complete Snoozefest.



I'll be the first to admit, the world building does take some commitment - especially the lingo - which, for the first few chapters I did cringe at a bit - but Pierce Brown does it all in such a way that it isn't boring and it isn't just pages and pages of info-dumping. You go straight into the story and it all becomes a part of it; it's very naturally done.

I struggled a bit with the narrative and Brown's writing style for a while in the beginning. Short sentences, minimal descriptions and at times, things could be very abrupt. However, once I had gotten used to this, I realised just how much I liked it and how much it adds to the book. Besides, there's so much happening that the book would have been 5-times longer if it hadn't been like that.

Ok, I need to put this one down now. The Ancient Rome influence and parallels definitely bumps it up immeasurably for me. I love that shit. I never went to University, but if i had, it would have been to study Ancient History. Love me some Greeks and Romans.

Darrow was incredible. As a character he's what you look for as a reader: Everything you wish you could be, and yet undeniably flawed. He's still human (I think). He lets himself get carried away, he makes mistakes, he can't help himself at times. But he's strong, and intelligent and cunning. He knows how the game is played and doesn't shy away from it in the way that a lot of Dystopian Heroes and Heroins tend to do. He does some horrific things, faces hard decisions and makes bad choices. It's gritty, and morally ambiguous and I love it!



Pierce tackles some gritty topics, too. Most notably inequality and racism, the breakdown of civilization, society and morality during times of war and the corruptability of power and what lengths people are willing to go in order to gain or maintain it. And he does this through a host of characters who have more dimensions than, I think, a single read can really convey. I can already tell, this is one of those books which is going to give you something new to think about every time you re-read it. And re-read it I will.

READ THE BOOK!