Nate and Jacki put The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller to the metal test in this month’s episode. This retelling of the myth of Achilles focuses on the greatest Greek hero’s greatest love, our narrator Patroclus. We spoil the story (it’s okay, you’ve read The Iliad, right?), then get into:

• The popularity of mythological retellings
• Romantasy, fantasy, lit fic: what’s in a genre name?
• Our histories with The Iliad
• Achilles and Patroclus in love: the ship that launched a thousand, um, ships
• Hubris versus low self-esteem
• Favorite god/mythical creature cameos
• Thetis and the cycle of trauma
• Women in war
• The meanest men of the Greek army
• The grief of Achilles
• Achilles, Priam, PTSD, and daddy issues
• Achilles is a sensitive guy
• Glory and death versus longevity and mediocrity
• What’s a hero?

You can find our Spotify profile with our Song of Achilles playlist at https://open.spotify.com/user/31kosaxlm6j56e44766ijo4ndzjq?si=cdd4a1a247c646e1

Special Features:

1. A lost Greek myth
2. The Bachelorette: Ancient Greece
3. Ancient Greek pickup lines
4. Mythical Creature Teachers
5. Greek Hero vs Action Hero
6. Would You Rather: Grecian Prophecy Edition

Music Mentions:

Death Knocks by Hoaxed

Vaketimen by Evig Natt

Reading Recommendations:

1. Jennifer Saint’s Greek retellings
2. Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great by Rachel Kousser
3. Bull by David Elliott
4. Kaikeyi by Vashnavi Patel

September’s Book: Prepare to get your heartstrings swindled, because we’re reading Fagin the Thief, Allison Epstein’s reimagining of the character Fagin from Charles Dicken’s famous novel Oliver Twist. Expect doom metal vibes, serious discussion, and a Victorian era dating simulator.

Playlist Contents:

Blood Of Our Blood - Kreator

Journey to the End - Windir

As All Must Come to Pass - Shylmagoghnar

Years of Prophecy - Alkonost

Dancing in the Ashes - Wormwitch

A Ghost Trapped in Limbo - Sylvaine

I'll Be Your Hero - Rhapsody Of Fire

Ghost Of My Hero - Evergrey

Avenge The Fallen - HammerFall

When Fate Is Calling - Bloodbound

Leading the Lyre - Carmeria

Prayer - Year of the Cobra

How The Gods Kill - The Halo Effect

Guardian - Æther Realm

Sera-(The Dance of War) - Sakis Tolis

Your Worst Enemy - Defiled Serenity

Epitaphios - TRIUMPHER

Legends - Equilibrium

Trapped In A Corner - Death

All My Friends Are Dead - Carpathian Forest

Memoriam - Musk Ox