The best novels based on mythology from around the world

As long as there have been people, there have been stories. From ancient
beings to epic love affairs, some myths and legends from around the world keep being retold over and over again, and it's easy to see why. Featuring great characters, essential lessons, and plenty of drama, these stories from Ancient Greece to China and beyond are full of appeal.

Below, we have rounded up some of the best books that retell or reimagine stories from mythology and legend.

13 of the best myth retellings

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (2018)

The story of the fall of Troy is well known, and can be summed up as "awful men using a minor slight to launch a war". But what about the women of the story? Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls shoves the men to one side and takes a look at the women of the war – Briseis, the woman given to Achilles as a prize, Priam’s wife Hecuba, Hector’s wife Andromache, and more – in what The Guardian described as a "feminist Iliad".

Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith and Jess Hendel (2024)

Singer and activist Willow Smith and writer Jess Hendel upend everything you know about the Vikings with Black Shield Maiden, the story of Yafeu, a defiant Ghanaian warrior forced into slavery. In her new home, she finds a kindred spirit in the shy princess Freydis. Both want to forge their own futures, and for Yafeu, that means becoming a shield maiden.

Drawing on African and Viking mythologies, this is the story of women determined to find their own way.

Babylonia by Costanza Casati (2024)

Set in Ancient Assyria, Babylonia is the story of orphan Semiramis, who grows up on the outskirts of a brutal empire, the heir to a tragic prophecy. When she arrives in the city, she soon becomes embroiled in a savage love affair with warrior Onnes and king Ninus, while also facing rising threats.

Filled with political intrigue, passion and plenty of action, Babylonia – the second novel by Costanza Casati, after her retelling of the Greek myth of Clytemnestra – is a great introduction to an often-ignored mythology.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2019)

In Mexico City, Casiopea Tun opens a box and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death. He wants Casiopea’s help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. The dangers are many, but the reward for Casiopea will be the chance to have her dreams come true.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s fairytale, which draws on Mexican folklore, takes readers on a journey from the Yucatán to Mexico City via the Mayan underworld.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (2017)

Drawing on elements of Russian mythology and folklore, The Bear and the Nightingale tells the story of Vasya, a young and wild child who lives in a village at the edge of a forest. For her, the tales of the Winter King and old magic are more than just stories: she can see the spirits that guard her home and sense the dark magic in the woods. Enchanting and a little spooky, The Bear and the Nightingale will introduce you to myths and monsters that will ignite your imagination.

Medea by Rosie Hewlett (2024)

Greek mythology’s Medea has nearly always been framed as a villain, and for good reason: she murdered her children after being betrayed by the hero Jason. In her feminist retelling, Rosie Hewlett offers a look at Medea’s life and what led her to such a devastating act, along the way forcing us to reexamine what it is we mean by the word “hero”.

Medea is Hewlett’s second Greek myth retelling, following her debut Medusa. If you have an appetite for feminist retellings of Greek myths, then also add Jennifer Saint’s novels Ariadne and Hera to your to-read list.

Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola (2021)

From West Africa to ancient Greece to the Middle East, Babalola’s debut book is a collection of short stories retelling tales of great loves from mythologies around the world (as well as three original stories by Babalola).

These are stories about love in all forms: some are epic love stories for the ages, others are more complicated, less romantic and filled with heartache. All, though, show the ways in which love can have the power to uplift and strengthen individuals.

Mythos by Stephen Fry (2017)

In Mythos, Stephen Fry takes famous and lesser-known tales from Greek myths and tells them in his own inimitable fashion. Magic and mayhem are central to these tales, which focus on the Greek gods and goddesses and their (mostly) bad behaviour.

From the birth of Athena to Pandora opening the jar or evil torments, Mythos is told with great humour and a wink or two. It is the first book in Fry’s bestselling series of retellings. His final book in the series, Odyssey, is out in September.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (2022)

Vaishnavi Patel’s debut is the epic story of Kaikeyi, the infamous queen from the Indian epic Ramayana. When her father the king banishes her mother, Kaikeyi’s own worth is reduced to her marriageability. But when Kaikeyi discovers an unusual magic in her mother’s library, she transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat and favoured queen.

The Giant Dark by Sarvat Hasin (2021)

According to Greek mythology, Orpheus and Eurydice had a love so great that when Eurydice died, Orpheus travelled to the underworld to get her back. But when he disobeyed instructions to not look back to check if Eurydice was following him, he lost her forever.

Sarvat Hasin's The Giant Dark is inspired by the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, and follows rock star Aida and her muse Ehsan, who reconnect after a decade apart. It explores the all-consuming and devastating effects of having a lover as a muse.

The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell (1995)

Bernard Cornwell's retelling of Arthurian legend shows Arthur, Merlin, and Guinevere as you've never seen them before.

In the Dark Ages, Uther, the High King of Britain has died and left his son, the infant Mordred, as his heir. The country's lesser kings are seeking to claim the crown for themselves, but no one has counted on the fearsome warlord Arthur. Handed power by Merlin and pursuing a doomed romance with the beautiful Guinevere, Arthur's destiny is to unite the country and hold back the Saxon enemy at the gate.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (2022)

Sue Lynn Tan's Daughter of the Moon Goddess takes the legend of the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e as its starting point. Chang'e took an elixir of immortality, and as punishment was banished to live on the moon. Chang'e's daughter Xingyin leaves her mother to become one of the Crown Prince's guards in the Celestial Kingdom. But her ultimate aim, through all her perilous quests, is to free her mother.

Circe by Madeline Miller (2018)

Madeline Miller's follow-up to her bestselling The Song of Achilles takes us into the world of the witch Circe. Threatened by her power, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her craft and crosses paths with famous figures from mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his son Icarus, Medea, and wily Odysseus. Circe is the story of a woman who stands alone in the face of threats from men who are scared of her, and who learns to protect what she loves most.