Book Review: ‘The Song of Achilles’ by Madeline Miller (the backbone of dark academia?)

I finished ‘The Song of Achilles’ for the third time. Tears running down my face as the audiobook continued to the heartbreaking conclusion and I prayed that my work phone wouldn’t ring.

There’s an incredible power in a book that makes you cry, but a book that will make you cry on three re-reads spanning seven years is a real feat. Reading through the lens of dark academia was a whole new experience for us.

It was the ‘dark academia adjacent’ title that we picked for season three of ‘The Dark Academicals’ and you can listen to the full episode here:

Ten years after it’s initial release, it’s another older title that has been taken hold of by BookTok and been given a boost and a whole new audience, but just in case it’s missed you, here’s what it’s all about:

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 into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfil his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

When I first started listening to ‘The Song of Achilles’ this time around I struggled to get into the mindset of reading for the podcast. I was so familiar with the story, with the audiobook narration, with the characters, that it was effortless to get swept away, because even a decade later, this novel is immaculate.

Miller’s writing is stunning. Her world-building and characterisation too. Achilles is spoiled, proud and arrogant, and while he was incredibly frustrating, I never disliked him. I love his relationship with Patroclus and the way they balance each other out and together make a whole. It’s not a healthy way to think of a partner, but the way they are so essential to each other’s survival breaks my heart.

Something that we encounter often when reading for the podcast is the awful treatment of women in dark academia novels and that’s prevalent in Greek mythology too, but the modern retellings usually right those wrongs. That doesn’t really happen in ‘The Song of Achilles’.

Thetis, Briseis, Helen, Deidameia, Patroclus’s unnamed mother (Philomela), Iphigenia.

And these are only the major female players. They are used, abused, bought, sold, exploited, murdered, assaulted and sacrificed and none of them are given a voice in Miller’s novel. I know this is Patroclus and Achilles’ story, but where there were moves of sympathy and outrage at the treatment of (some) of the women from Patroculs, it was mostly ignored. This issue is fully tackled in her later novel, ‘Circe’, however.

But do I recommend it? Whole-heartedly. It’s a magnificent novel that’s bursting with life and emotion and I know I’ll continue to re-read it.

So is ‘The Song of Achilles’ dark academia? Not at all, but the ties to the origins of the genre are undeniable.

If you love dark academia as much as we do then please consider subscribing to our podcast and signing up for our mailer where we have a little book club and host regular giveaways! We release new episodes and mailer instalments fortnightly.

Written by Sophie