10 Obscure Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That You Need To Read

Greek mythology has received a much wider appeal in recent years thanks to the success of media efforts among the likes of Percy Jackson, and that success has spawned a whole new interest in a topic that is ripe for the picking.

The Song of Achilles was released in 2012 and follows the perspective of Patroclus – close friend and confidant to the ancient hero Achilles. The novel takes a look at Patroclus’ life before the events of Homer’s Iliad; from an imagined childhood as a lesser heir to a reputable Greek kingdom who is ultimately disgraced and forced to leave his father’s kingdom to become a ward of Phthia, meeting Achilles as a young prince and watching their relationship begin to grow and evolve.

Miller takes the widely accepted views of Greco-Roman authors and adapts them into an elegant and crushing tale of unconditional love and the endless grief of loss, posing the often pondered over question of the nature of Achilles’ and Patroclus’ relationship into a fully engrossing and magical tale.

Though not as traditionally fantastical as some of the other entries on this list, the mythological setting of Ancient Greece completely sets it apart from anything else within the genre.