The Song of Achilles

The Song of Achilles

Madeline Miller

Ecco/HarperCollins, 2012

378 pages

Grades 9-Up

Mythology

Prince Patroclus is banned from his home by his cruel father and sent to a different kingdom to train as a soldier. It is here that he meets the famed Prince Achilles and the two form a strong bond. With time, Patroclus becomes Achilles most trusted companion and the youths are sent together to train under Chiron the centaur. It is here that the two boys come of age and eventually become lovers and soulmates. Achilles' goddess mother Thetis, not Patroclus' biggest fan, is determined for her son to become the greatest warrior ever and her wish is fulfilled as the now young men travel with various armies to Troy to rescue the famous Helen. The army of Troy turns out to be a more formidable opponent than first suspected and they will not release Helen easily. The war drags on for ten years and in that time the men become frustrated. Achilles has a disagreement with the commander of the Greek armies, resulting in his refusal to fight and the Greeks start to lose battles and men. Patroclus tries to convince Achilles to get back into the war, if only to save his comrades. Achilles remains stubborn and it is up to Patroclus to take drastic measures to preserve Greek lives, eventually resulting in tragic consequences.

Based on the Iliad by Homer, Miller takes the classic story and retells it from Achilles' companion Patroclus' point of view. I put off reading this story for ten years, even though teens kept recommending it to me. I finally gave in and listened to the audio version, which was a great choice considering this tale, like many of the Greek myths, lends itself to be told orally. I was surprised to find it in the adult section, since it was only teenagers that recommended it to me, and it is appropriate for an older teenage audience. Graduates of Percy Jackson will gravitate to this book and appreciate that the author sticks very close to the actual myth. She plays up the love story, which will also appeal to the intended audience, and the tragic ending lends itself to a delicious cry. Though not an easy read, it is well written and feels like an ancient tale, though with modern sensibilities. All the players are there with their fierceness and foibles. Patroclus is a sympathetic character and readers will root for him as he stands by his man and tries to fix a very broken situation. Currently my library system owns eighty copies of this title and only twenty-eight are available, which is pretty good for a ten year old book and proves that it still has an audience and relevancy.