The Ultimate Fantasy Series Ranking

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The Song of Achilles and Circe

#644.27 in the official ranking · full ranking

Books 2 books Status Complete 2011–2018 Reading commitment Low Madeline Miller Last reviewed 2026-08-13

Overview

Two independent standalone novels by Madeline Miller retelling Greek mythology from an outsider's point of view. The Song of Achilles (2011), her debut, follows Patroclus, exiled prince and companion to Achilles, through their childhood and the Trojan War, narrated in first person as their bond deepens against the backdrop of prophecy and war. Circe (2018) follows the witch of Aiaia across a vastly longer span: her exile before Achilles was even born, through Odysseus's visit, to long after the war's end, and its own chapters directly re-narrate several of The Song of Achilles' key scenes from her vantage point. The Song of Achilles won the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction, and Circe was widely honored on release, including the Kitschies Red Tentacle in 2018 and the American Library Association's Alex Award in 2019. Both novels have sold in the millions and are widely credited with popularizing literary myth retellings in the 2010s and 2020s.

Mythic fantasy · For Adult

Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking

The Song of Achilles and Circe Madeline Miller

WorkYearCanonRating
Cover of The Song of AchillesThe Song of Achilles2011core4.30 (2,179,380 ratings)
Cover of CirceCirce2018core4.22 (1,472,338 ratings)

Two independent standalone novels retelling Greek mythology, registered as ONE universe under this canon's 'one continuous world/continuity, not one continuous plot' bright line: Circe's own narrative directly overlaps and re-narrates scenes involving Achilles and Patroclus from The Song of Achilles, a genuine textual crossover, not merely a same-author/same-genre coincidence. internal chronology is deliberately left null for both books, matching the treatment of other overlapping chronologies -- Circe's own story begins well before Achilles' birth and continues long after the Trojan War, so the two books' timelines substantially overlap rather than sitting in a clean sequence; publication order is the sourced default. Registered 'sequence' rather than 'duology' since Miller has not stated the pair is permanently closed at 2 books.

Quick answers

Why is it ranked #64?

Ranked #64 in the official ranking.

How the ranking works →

Why explore this universe?

Top-tier rated · 2 books · Complete · 3.7M ratings · Ranks #64 overall

Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.

Reading order

Publication order (2 Core Canon books)

  1. The Song of Achilles (2011)
  2. Circe (2018)

Awards (verified)

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Suggestions computed from what The Song of Achilles and Circe and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.

Official resources

Research details

Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.27 across 3,651,718 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.

How do we know this?

Admission: The Song of Achilles and Circe admitted; Core Canon = both novels, one continuous world accepted 2026-08-13

Sources: (see source tier definitions)

Last reviewed: 2026-08-13

Rule: Core = both novels, registered as ONE universe per this canon's 'one continuous world/continuity, not one continuous plot' bright line: Circe's own text directly overlaps with The Song of Achilles' events, a genuine textual crossover rather than a same-author/same-genre coincidence. internal chronology is deliberately left null for both books, matching the treatment of other disputed or overlapping chronologies: Circe's story spans a period both before Achilles' birth and long after the Trojan War, so the two books' timelines substantially overlap rather than sitting in a clean sequence.

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