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- The Firebrand
Marion Zimmer Bradleystandalone novel1987
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The Firebrand is a 1987 historical fantasy novel by American author Marion Zimmer Bradley. Set in the ancient city of Troy, the novel is a retelling of Homer's epic poem the Iliad. The Firebrand is written from the point of view of Kassandra, the prophet daughter of King Priam of Troy, and also features other prominent characters from Greek mythology. As in the Iliad, Kassandra foresees catastrophe for her city, but few pay heed to her warnings. In Bradley's story, Kassandra is presented as a strong and insightful woman rather than as a sufferer of insanity.
- The Island of Fantasy
Fergus Humestandalone novel1892
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"The Island of Fantasy (1892 3vols) is a Utopia, based on the culture of ancient Greece and set on a Mediterranean Island. ... "Most of his production was hackwork ... But it is clear that on those occasions when he took time to allow his intelligence to work, as in The Island of Fantasy and The Expedition of Captain Flick and some other titles, he rewards investigation." (underscore represents linked cross-reference) --SFE3, biographical entry by John Clute
- Vergil Magus
series9 books1969
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Avram Davidson's trilogy, completed after his death with Michael Swanwick's help, reimagines the historical Roman poet Virgil as a wizard-engineer, Vergil Magus, working real magic and craft in an alternate ancient Mediterranean where his legendary reputation as a sorcerer is literally true. The Phoenix and the Mirror opens with Vergil undertaking to forge a magical mirror of true seeing; Vergil in Averno and The Scarlet Fig carry him through further commissions and intrigue told in Davidson's dense, digressive prose. It is a heavily researched, idiosyncratic take on late-antique myth rather than conventional epic fantasy.
- Macedon
series2 books1990
completed
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David Gemmell's Lion of Macedon and its sequel Dark Prince follow Parmenion, a gifted but despised half-Spartan general in ancient Macedon, whose military genius is bound up with a dark, supernatural pact that threatens to consume him. Gemmell layers his heroic-fantasy staples - flawed, morally compromised heroes and mystical forces at war - onto a loosely historical Macedonian setting adjacent to the era of Philip and Alexander. The duology sits alongside Gemmell's more purely secondary-world fantasy as one of his forays into history-inflected fantasy.
- The World's Desire
H. Rider Haggard & Andrew Langstandalone novel1890
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"... a continuation of the Odysseus myth. In this romance, Aphrodite compels Odysseus to leave his ruined home in Ithaca in pursuit of Helen of Troy, his love before Penelope." --VisualHaggard.org
- Troy
series3 books2005
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David Gemmell's retelling of the Trojan War, completed by his wife Stella Gemmell after his death, follows a traumatized young prince, an independent priestess, and a vengeance-driven warrior as their lives converge on a city consumed by betrayal, ambition, and the armies gathering beyond its walls. Lord of the Silver Bow, Shield of Thunder, and Fall of Kings strip away Homer's gods in favor of a grounded, character-driven war story.
- Till We Have Faces
C. S. Lewisstandalone novel1956
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Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold is a 1956 novel by C. S. Lewis. It is a retelling of Cupid and Psyche, based on the version in The Golden Ass by Apuleius. The myth had haunted Lewis all his life, because he believed that some of the main characters' actions were illogical. As a consequence, he chose to retell the story from the perspective of Psyche's elder sister, a highly developed character, drawing the reader into her reasoning and emotions. This was his last novel, and he considered it his most mature, written in conjunction with his wife, Joy Davidman.
- Circe
Madeline Millerstandalone novel2018
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Circe is a 2018 mythic fantasy novel by American writer Madeline Miller. Set during the Greek Heroic Age, it is an original reimagining of various Greek myths, most notably the Odyssey, as told from the perspective of the witch Circe. While drawing on characters and episodes from ancient myths, the novel invents or substantially reinterprets many aspects of Circe's biography, including Circe's encounters with mythological figures such as Hermes, the Minotaur, Jason, and Medea and ultimately, her romance with Odysseus and his son Telemachus.
- Bran Mak Morn
series16 books1927
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Robert E. Howard's Bran Mak Morn stories follow the last king of the Picts as he fights to hold his people together against Roman incursion and their own fading power, most fully in the novella Worms of the Earth, where Bran strikes a pact with subterranean creatures out of sheer desperation. Howard wrote the character across a handful of stories in the 1920s-30s rather than a continuous novel-length arc. Later writers have added further Bran Mak Morn stories to the same character after Howard's death.
- Stone Blind
Natalie Haynesstandalone novel2022
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Stone Blind is a novel retelling the Greek myth of the gorgon Medusa. It was written by Natalie Haynes, a British classicist and writer. The book was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and nominated for best fiction book at the British Book Awards.
- Here Lies Arthur
Philip Reevestandalone novel2007
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Here Lies Arthur is a young-adult novel by Philip Reeve, published by Scholastic in 2007. Set in fifth or sixth century Britain and the Anglo-Saxon invasion, it features a girl who participates in the deliberate construction of legendary King Arthur during the man's lifetime, orchestrated by a bard. Reeve calls it a back-creation: not a genuine historical novel as it is not based on actual specific events; rather it is "back-created" from the legends, giving them a "realistic" origin.
- Kaikeyi
Vaishnavi Patelstandalone novel2022
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Kaikeyi is a 2022 novel, the debut novel by Vaishnavi Patel. The work is a re-imagining of the life of the titular character, who first appeared in the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Ramayana. The character of Kaikeyi has long been vilified for her role in banishing her stepson Rama from the kingdom of Kosala. Patel's novel tells the story from Kaikeyi's perspective.
- Psyche and Eros
Luna McNamarastandalone novel2023
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Psyche and Eros is a 2023 fantasy romance novel by Luna McNamara. It is based upon Greek mythology, inspired by the myth of Cupid and Psyche and the events of the Trojan War.
- Ayesha
series8 books1886
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The Ayesha books follow H. Rider Haggard's immortal sorceress-queen Ayesha, introduced in his 1887 novel She as the ruler of a hidden civilization who has waited millennia for her lost love to be reborn. Haggard continued her story in later novels, including the 1905 sequel Ayesha: The Return of She, which reunites her with characters from the first book, and further installments tracing her earlier history. Later reissues and retellings continue to build on the same character.
- Troy
Adèle Gerasstandalone novel2000
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From the back cover of a Harcourt advance reading copy: "The siege of Troy has lasted almost ten years. Inside the walled city, food is growing scarce and the death toll is rising. From the heights of Mount Olympus, the Gods watch with interest. Bored with the endless, dreary war, Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, turns her attention to two sisters: Marpessa, who is gifted with God-sight and serves as handmaiden to Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world; and Xanthe, who is kind and loving and tends the wounded soldiers in the Blood Room. When Eros Eros fits and arrow to his bow and lets it fly, neither sister will escape its power."
- Lavinia
Ursula K. Le Guinstandalone novel2008
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Lavinia is a Locus Award-winning novel by American author Ursula K. Le Guin. Published in 2008, it was Le Guin's last novel. It is written in a first-person, self-conscious style that recounts the life of Lavinia, a minor character in Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid.
