thelittlebookowl

Hi guys, I hope you are all well. As you can tell from the title, today I’m going to be talking about myths in books. I saw this post over on the lovely Karina’s blog (Karina Reads) and liked it so much I thought I’d borrow the idea :). You can check out her post here. Basically I am going to be sharing books that are influenced by myths or are myth retelling. Let’s get started.

The Winternight trilogy / Katherine Arden / Russian folklore / ★★★★.5 / my review

This is an adult historical fantasy trilogy set in a medieval Russian village and is influenced by Russian folklore. So far two books are out – The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower. The third book, The Winter of the Witch, is set to be released on 10th January 2019. I have loved the first two books and would highly recommend checking this trilogy out. The setting is fantastic, the characters are so well written and the plot is compelling.

The Songs of Achilles / Madeleine Miller / Greek mythology / ★★★

This is a rendering the Trojan War that focuses on the love affair between Achilles and Patroclus. I have always been interested in Greek mythology so I loved the setting, but this can also be enjoyed by people who have little to no prior knowledge of mythology. It was definitely a little slow at times and it did dragged for me at times, but overall I enjoyed this book.

The Penelopiad / Margaret Atwood / Greek mythology / ★★★★ / my review

This is a retelling of Odyssey from the perspective of his wife, Penelope. I loved that this was told from Penelope’s perspective and found it so interesting to read a familiar story from a different angle. I love Atwood’s writing and I love how she has brought Penelope to life. Basically I think this is a fantastic book and well worth a read.

Daughter of the Forest / Juliet Marillier / the Children of Lir and the Six Swans / ★★★★ 

Now I don’t actually know much about this particular legend, but this book is loosely based on the legend of the Children of Lir (Irish mythology) and the Six Swans (German legend)  – please correct me if I’m wrong. This is one of my all time favourite books and that is partly due to the fantastic setting. The writing is fantastic, the plot is compelling and there is a wonderful cast of characters. I highly recommend checking this book out.

Fudoki / Kij Johnson / Japanese mythology / ★★★★★ / my review

This book was inspired by Japanese mythology and one perspective is set during 11th century Japan. I am unsure whether this is based on one particular myth – it may just be that Japanese mythology was used as inspiration. This is one of my all time favourite books and I cannot say enough good things about it. It is a fantastic mix of fantasy and historical fiction.

The Terracotta Bride / Zen Cho / Chinese mythology / ★★★.5

This is 51 page novella set in the Chinese afterlife. It’s such a unique and compelling setting with an intriguing plot and well written characters. I had never read anything by this author before but I definitely plan on reading more from her.

That’s all I have for today. I hope to do another post like this in the future, once I’ve read more books inspired by myths. I really enjoy books like these so I enjoyed putting this post together. What is your favourite myth retelling/books inspired by myths? I’d love to know if you have any recommendations for me. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

Pippa