The great myths...the wars against the Persians...the Olympic Games...the Oracle at Delphi...the rival city states of Athens and Sparta — the world of the ancient Greeks yields a fascinating landscape for fiction.
MEMNON by Scott Oden The Greek mercenary Memnon of Rhodes dares to oppose Alexander the Great. By the author of Men of Bronze.
SONGS ON BRONZE by Nigel Spivey Cambridge classicist Spivey retells the stories of Greek myth, from the creation of the world to the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus.
THE LABYRINTH by Catherynne Valente A surreal version of the myth of the Minotaur, featuring a female Theseus.
PSAPPHA by Peggy Ullman Bell The great poetess Sappho, in exile, takes an African queen as a lover and returns to Lesbos to write and teach.
SAPPHO’S LEAP by Erica Jong The always controversial author of Fear of Flying tells the story of the poet of Lesbos.
OEDIPUS ON THE ROAD by Henry Bauchau “Skillfully reworks the Greek myth of Oedipus, taking an obscure part of the tale...and giving it a new significance.” (NY Times)
IOKASTE by Grossack & Underwood The Queen of Thebes becomes both mother and wife to Oedipus in a Bronze Age myth retold from a different point of view.
PASIPHAE by Peter Huby The queen of Crete, consumed with passion for a white bull, turns for help to the inventor Daedalus. By the author of Carthage.
THE RISE & FALL OF THE SACRED BAND OF THEBES by G.A. Hauser follows the elite training of a young Theban aristocrat. By the author of In the Shadow of Alexander.
THE ISLE OF STONE by Nicholas Nicastro A novel about the rivalry between Sparta and Athens, by the author of Empire of Ashes (about Alexander).
By Jon Edward Martin: SHADES OF ARTEMIS Brasidas, Sparta’s most audacious commander, embarks on a daring mission to bring Athens to its knees. • IN KITHAIRON’S SHADOW
300 by Frank Miller Visually stunning graphic novel about the 300 Spartans and the battle of Thermopylae.
ATHENS RISING by William Mott Hippias, the last Tyrant of Athens, is brought down by the lovers Harmodius and Aristogiton, the legendary fathers of Athenian democracy.
NOVELS OF ANCIENT GREEK SEAFARING y H.N. Turteltaub (aka Harry Turtledove) • The adventures of Sostratos and Menedemos (an ancient Odd Couple) begin in Over the Wine Dark Sea, and continue in The Gryphon’s Skull, The Sacred Land, and Owls to Athens. Of related interest: Turteltaub’s epic novel of power and intrigue in Byzantium, Justinian.
PHARNABAZUS SITS ON THE GROUND WITH THE SPARTAN CAPTAINS by Peter Carnahan An encounter between a Spartan warrior and a Persian ruler leads to revelations about the death of the great general Alcibiades.
MURDER AT THE PANIONIC GAMES by Michael B. Edwards When Priene hosts the Greek games in 650 B.C. and the city’s best athlete is poisoned, a priest takes on the task of finding the killer.
THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Jose Carlos Somoza A text recounting murder at Plato’s Academy plays tricks with a translator’s mind. CWA Gold Dagger winner.
THE EYE OF CYBELE by Daniel Chavarria Edgar-winner Chavarria ventures to the age of Pericles with a novel that mixes whodunnit, historical epic & highbrow erotica.
CHAMPION OF THE DEAD by Patrick Hatten When Athens’ finest boxer drops dead during a match with the “Bull of Corinth,” his protégé suspects foul play.
NOVELS OF STEVEN PRESSFIELD • Last of the Amazons tells of Theseus and the Amazon queen Antiope; Gates of Fire recounts the heroic battle of Thermopylae; Tides of War follows the amazing career of Alcibiades; The Virtues of War and The Afghan Campaign are stirring novels of Alexander.
