Why am I passionate about this?

I write fiction set in the Bronze Age world of the Trojan War and the Hittite Empire. I love to combine history and archaeology with magic and fantasy arising from the ancient beliefs of this period. My novels bring women to the fore—whether the captive Briseis or a remarkable Hittite queen lost to human memory until recently. Armed with degrees in Classics, I have spent too much time exploring the remains of the ancient Greeks and Hittites through travel and research. From the beginning, the Trojan War tradition has left room for many variations. Here are five entirely different “takes” on this iconic war—all masterfully written.


I wrote

Book cover of Hand of Fire

What is my book about?

A legendary war, an invincible warrior, a woman forced to defend her family and realm—and her independent spirit. Will she…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Helen of Troy

Judith Starkston Why I love this book

Margaret George is a preeminent writer of historical fiction—big, authoritative novels focusing on remarkable, famous people, as her 2006 Helen of Troy demonstrates. She covers Helen’s life from girlhood through the Trojan War and back to Sparta. She builds a full depiction of ancient Greek life, which always makes me happy, but George is most compelling with her characters. George’s interpretations often break with tradition, and that is true for Helen and Paris. Helen disdains her extraordinary beauty and must grow into visionary insights and outsized passions with guidance from the gods. If you want a genuinely heroic Paris (not his usual wimpiness) and a couple who cleave to each other to the end, this is the Helen book for you. George’s skill holds your attention through it all.

By Margaret George ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Helen of Troy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Acclaimed author Margaret George tells the story of the legendary Greek woman whose face "launched a thousand ships" in this New York Times bestseller.

The Trojan War, fought nearly twelve hundred years before the birth of Christ, and recounted in Homer's Iliad, continues to haunt us because of its origins: one woman's beauty, a visiting prince's passion, and a love that ended in tragedy.

Laden with doom, yet surprising in its moments of innocence and beauty, Helen of Troy is an exquisite page-turner with a cast of irresistible, legendary characters-Odysseus, Hector, Achilles, Menelaus, Priam, Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, as well as Helen…


Book cover of Helen of Sparta

Judith Starkston Why I love this book

Carosella offers another, refreshing take on Helen. This Helen takes control of her life and tries to defy fate (and the gods do their darndest, as usual in Greek mythology, to make her and everyone else miserable). Carosella’s engaging novel develops the characters’ jealousies, passions, and loyalties, as well as bringing the reader directly into the ancient Greek world. I enjoyed the sense of interconnectedness between different parts of this Greek and Mediterranean world, Troy, Sparta, Egypt, Mycenae, and Athens. This accurately reflects the current understanding of this exotic world. I appreciate a flexible view of all the legendary mythology surrounding this iconic war, and Carosella has flexed some impressive muscle.

By Amalia Carosella ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Helen of Sparta as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Long before she ran away with Paris to Troy, Helen of Sparta was haunted by nightmares of a burning city under siege. These dreams foretold impending war-a war that only Helen has the power to avert. To do so, she must defy her family and betray her betrothed by fleeing the palace in the dead of night. In need of protection, she finds shelter and comfort in the arms of Theseus, son of Poseidon. With Theseus at her side, she believes she can escape her destiny. But at every turn, new dangers-violence, betrayal, extortion, threat of war-thwart Helen's plans and…


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Book cover of Ballad for Jasmine Town

Ballad for Jasmine Town by Molly Ringle,

A human child raised by the fae is an uncommon thing. But Rafi was such a child.

Now grown, half-fae but mortal, he lingers on the edge of human society in Miryoku, a nearby town sharing a border with fae territory. He doesn’t want to join the human world properly;…

Book cover of The Song of Achilles

Judith Starkston Why I love this book

Miller’s Trojan War take focuses on the exclusive and all-encompassing love between Achilles and Patroclus. She magnificently achieves her goal of showing how Achilles could suffer the extremity of grief that Homer portrays in the Iliad. The beauty and mythological feel of Miller’s writing put this on my “best” list. I am also intrigued by the role played in her plot by a flaw she gives to immortals, especially to Achilles’ mother—an inability to understand love in a genuine way.

By Madeline Miller ,

Why should I read it?

40 authors picked The Song of Achilles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD**
**A 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION, FEATURING A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR**

WINNER OF THE ORANGE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
THE INTERNATIONAL SENSATION
A SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'Captivating' DONNA TARTT
'I loved it' J K ROWLING
'Ravishingly vivid' EMMA DONOGHUE

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms…


Book cover of A Song of War

Judith Starkston Why I love this book

If a racially diverse, gender-bending, often raunchy, always nuanced, new take on an old tale sounds like a good read to you, then pick up this “novel-in-parts.” Both the racial and sexual fullness reflect historical reality, although they’ve ordinarily been left out. Retelling the Trojan War from its early causes to its tragic but still hope-infused end, the authors gave this rendition a compelling depth that will make you savor the old tradition with some new spice on your tongue.

By Christian Cameron , Libbie Hawker , Vicky Alvear Shecter

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Song of War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Troy: city of gold, gatekeeper of the east, haven of the god-born and the lucky, a city destined to last a thousand years. But the Fates have other plans—the Fates, and a woman named Helen. In the shadow of Troy's gates, all must be reborn in the greatest war of the ancient world: slaves and queens, heroes and cowards, seers and kings . . . and these are their stories.

A young princess and an embittered prince join forces to prevent a fatal elopement.

A tormented seeress challenges the gods themselves to save her city from the impending disaster.

A…


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Book cover of The Last Whaler

The Last Whaler by Cynthia Reeves,

This book is an elegiac meditation on the will to survive. Tor, a beluga whaler, and his wife, Astrid, a botanist specializing in Arctic flora, are stranded during the dark season of 1937-38 at his remote whaling station in the Svalbard archipelago when they misjudge ice conditions and fail to…

Book cover of A Thousand Ships

Judith Starkston Why I love this book

Haynes’ novel is the most distinctly “feminist” on my list, an approach I find innately compelling. Rather than restoring a voice to one woman in-depth (as I did with Briseis), hers is “the story of all of them.” How does Haynes pull this off? One way is via a dark, dry humor – unexpected but deeply engaging. Another is her speedy deftness as she depicts the emotional resonance of each woman’s specific circumstances. Haynes honors their wildly differing voices and experiences within the larger backdrop of the Trojan War. As readers we care about each of them—magic!

By Natalie Haynes ,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked A Thousand Ships as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

In A Thousand Ships, broadcaster and classicist Natalie Haynes retells the story of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective, for fans of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker.

This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . .

In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.

From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Hand of Fire

What is my book about?

A legendary war, an invincible warrior, a woman forced to defend her family and realm—and her independent spirit. Will she become the captive or the captor?

Briseis struggles to protect her city, an ally of Troy, from marauding Greeks and her husband’s arrogant violence. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god until he appears before her in flesh and blood. When Briseis raises a sword against the mighty Achilles, she ignites a passion that threatens to betray everyone she holds dear. Hand of Fire gives voice to Briseis, a pivotal but silenced woman of the Trojan War. Set within a richly developed Bronze Age world, it depicts the resilience of ancient women finding the strength to overcome trauma and loss.

Book cover of Helen of Troy
Book cover of Helen of Sparta
Book cover of The Song of Achilles

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Trojan War, Troy, and Greek mythology?

The Trojan War 40 books
Troy 13 books
Greek Mythology 95 books