Author Guide · Mythological Fiction
Books Written by
Madeline Miller’s mother, a librarian, started reading her The Iliad when she was five. She began Latin at eleven, took two degrees in classics at Brown, and then spent about ten years teaching Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to teenagers while she wrote her first novel on the side. That novel, The Song of Achilles, won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012, and almost a decade after publication a wave of TikTok videos sent it back up the bestseller lists. Her second, Circe, became a number one New York Times bestseller. Each of her books takes a figure from Greek myth who stood at the edge of the story and lets them tell it. This guide covers her four key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 4 key books · 2011–2026 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Madeline Miller has published four books: the novels The Song of Achilles (2011) and Circe (2018), and two short stories published as small books, Galatea (2013) and Mestra (2026). Start with The Song of Achilles, which won the 2012 Orange Prize; read on for how the books connect and what she is writing next.
Where to Start with Madeline Miller
If you want her defining book
→ The Song of Achilles (2011) — the Trojan War told by Patroclus.
If you want a whole life told by a goddess
→ Circe (2018) — the witch of the Odyssey, from childhood on.
If you want to try her in an hour
→ Galatea (2013) — a short story about the statue Pygmalion brought to life.
If you want her newest work
→ Mestra (2026) — a forgotten myth from Ovid.
4 Madeline Miller Books, in Order
The Song of Achilles
Patroclus, an exiled prince, narrates his life alongside Achilles, from boyhood in Phthia and training with the centaur Chiron to the war at Troy, where their friendship has become a love affair. Achilles’ mother, the sea nymph Thetis, opposes it throughout. Published by Ecco in September 2011, it won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012; after TikTok videos revived it in 2021 it had sold about two million copies by July 2022.
Galatea
A retelling of the Pygmalion myth from the side of the statue. Galatea, made by a sculptor and brought to life, is now confined under the watch of doctors and nurses after trying to escape her possessive husband, and kept from their daughter, Paphos. First published as an e-book in 2013, it came out as a small hardback in 2022 with a new afterword.
Circe
The life of the witch Circe, a neglected daughter of the sun god Helios, told in her own voice. Exiled to the island of Aiaia after turning the nymph Scylla into a monster, she teaches herself witchcraft and meets Hermes, Daedalus, Medea and, eventually, Odysseus. It was a number one New York Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2019.
Mestra
Based on a little-known myth from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Mestra, daughter of the king of Thessaly, has a gift from Poseidon that lets her turn into any creature she can imagine; her father has been cursed by Demeter with a hunger that cannot be satisfied, and she uses her gift to keep him alive. Bloomsbury published it in September 2026 as an 80-page hardback.
In What Order to Read Madeline Miller
None of her books is a sequel, so you can read them in any order. They do share a world: Odysseus appears in both novels: in The Song of Achilles he comes to fetch Achilles for the war, and in Circe he lands on her island years later. Reading the novels in publication order lets you meet him first as Achilles and Patroclus do.
The two short stories are best read after a novel. Galatea and Mestra both come from Ovid rather than Homer, and both are short enough to read in a single sitting.
A reading path
1. The Song of Achilles (2011)
2. Galatea (2013)
3. Circe (2018)
4. Mestra (2026)
Everything Else Madeline Miller Published
Beyond the 4 key books: 1 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Short fiction
1
1 book · 2012
- 2012Heracles’ Bowa short story added to a Waterstones special edition of The Song of Achilles
The years · 1978–2026
Quick facts about Madeline Miller
- Known for
- Madeline Miller is known for retelling Greek myths through the eyes of characters who stood at the edge of the original stories, above all Patroclus and Circe.
- Born
- 24 July 1978, Boston, Massachusetts; grew up in New York City and Philadelphia
- Education
- BA (2000) and MA (2001) in classics, Brown University; later the Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago, and Yale School of Drama
- Worked
- Taught Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students
- Prizes
- Orange Prize for Fiction (2012) for The Song of Achilles
- Sales
- The Song of Achilles: about two million copies by July 2022
- Next
- A novel about Persephone, announced in December 2021
The red mark is 2011: The Song of Achilles, her first novel and winner of the 2012 Orange Prize.
How Madeline Miller Writes: The Story from the Edge
Miller’s narrators are people the original myths treat as minor. Patroclus is Achilles’ companion in the Iliad; Circe gets one episode in the Odyssey; Galatea has no voice in Ovid at all. Each book is told in the first person by that figure, so a familiar story is seen from someone the poets mostly looked past. Of Circe she told Book Riot that she wanted to “undo this subordinating, exoticizing impulse towards her.”
The books rest on a classicist’s reading. She took two degrees in classics and taught Latin and Greek for years, and she stays close to the ancient sources for events while inventing the inner lives that Homer and Ovid leave out. She has described an academic side of herself that “wanted to include everything and find proof for everything”.
She writes slowly. The Song of Achilles took about ten years, written alongside a full teaching load, and she has said she spends “the first five years finding the protagonist’s voice.” Since 2020 she has also had long COVID, which she described in The Washington Post in 2023, and between the novels she has published short stories rather than another full-length book.
Frequently asked questions about Madeline Miller’s books
How many books has Madeline Miller written?
Four: two novels, The Song of Achilles (2011) and Circe (2018), and two short stories published as small books, Galatea (2013) and Mestra (2026). There is also a short story, “Heracles’ Bow”, in a 2012 Waterstones edition of The Song of Achilles.
What are Madeline Miller’s books in order?
The Song of Achilles (2011), Galatea (2013), Circe (2018) and Mestra (2026).
Where should I start with Madeline Miller?
With The Song of Achilles, her first novel and the winner of the 2012 Orange Prize. If you would rather start with the story of a woman, start with Circe; the two books stand alone.
What is Madeline Miller’s most famous book?
The Song of Achilles, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012 and had sold about two million copies by July 2022. Circe (2018) is close behind: it was a number one New York Times bestseller.
Do you need to read The Song of Achilles before Circe?
No. They are separate novels with different narrators, and neither continues the other. Odysseus appears in both, so reading them in publication order lets you meet him first through Patroclus.
Did Madeline Miller win the Women’s Prize?
Yes. The Song of Achilles won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012, the prize now called the Women’s Prize for Fiction; she was the fourth debut novelist to win it. Circe was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize in 2019.
Why did The Song of Achilles become popular again?
In 2021 TikTok videos about the book sent it back onto bestseller lists ten years after publication. The New York Times used it as an example of BookTok driving sales.
Is there a Circe TV series?
HBO Max announced an eight-part adaptation in 2019, written and produced by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. As of 2026 it has not been released.
Is Madeline Miller writing a new novel?
She announced in December 2021 that she was working on a novel about the goddess Persephone; no title or date has been given. Her most recent book is the short story Mestra (2026). She has had long COVID since early 2020.
What is Mestra about?
A myth from Ovid’s Metamorphoses: Mestra, a princess of Thessaly, can change into any creature thanks to a gift from Poseidon, and uses it to keep alive her father, whom Demeter has cursed with endless hunger.
Footnotes
- Madeline Miller — Wikipedia
- The Song of Achilles — Wikipedia
- Circe (novel) — Wikipedia
- 2012 Orange Prize goes to The Song of Achilles — Publishers Weekly
- Writing of Gods and Mortals: A Madeline Miller Interview — Book Riot, 2018
- Galatea: A Short Story — Bookreporter
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“This is the story of a woman finding her power and, as part of that, finding her voice.”
— Madeline Miller on Circe, interview with Book Riot (2018)
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