The Wrath of Achilles

by Homer

On the fields of Troy, war is raging. At its centre is Achilles: godlike, swift-footed, the greatest champion of the Greeks. But when his pride is wounded and he refuses to fight, the thread of fate begins to spin . . . From frenzied rampages to intimate moments of grief, this selection from Homer’s Iliad traces the tale of a warrior whose name echoes through the ages, and whose story remains as powerful as ever.

Genres: Greek Mythology, Classics, Mythology

176 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2025

About the author

Homer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.

French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.

Reviews

[Alec Telemakhos · Rating 3 out of 5]

„ Patroclus,whom i shall never forget as long as i am among the living and can walk the earth, my own dear comrade, whom i shall still remember even though the dead forget their dead, even in hades halls.”

but sure. they were just friends •_•

[celesstially · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didnt think i would actually enjoy this book. The entire greek mythology is complex to me. i enjoyed song of achilles so i take a particular interest in achilles and patroclus. this book - that just literally takes excerpts from iliad is like the perfect summary of the interesting parts to really just story achilles’ anger, and in the end his kindness. i was almost brought to tears of how achilles mourned for patroclus, which i remember (albeit differently) from song of achilles and honestly. great story. i wish to reread song of achilles now

also!! this book really does a good job if explaining who is who! like gosh i struggle with all the jargons and names but this book explains it so plainly that i now appreciate greek mythology more.

defintely a solid 4 star

[Fateama · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Hannah Waving · Rating 3 out of 5]

God the Greeks were so camp

[ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

ni con 100 años superaré la muerte de patroclo

[mariam ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

greek mythology does it again for me. beautifully written, not once did i think “cant wait to finish this book” i never wanted it to end, full of (relevant) detail. beautiful.

[Salma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Are you all afraid of one man?”

[Abdul Farouk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easier to read than my other edition😂😂
Though didn’t enjoy it that much since it’s just specific chapters still really good though.
Only reason it gets 3 stars is because it’s not the full story😂
Full review when I post the one for Iliad😂

“You dog, don't entreat me by my knees or my par-ents. I only wish I could summon up the will to carve and eat you raw myself, for what you have done to me. But this at least is certain: nobody is going to keep the dogs off your head, not even if the Trojans bring here and weigh out a ransom ten or twenty times your worth, and promise more besides; not even if Darda-nian Priam tells them to offer your weight in gold - not even so shall your lady mother lay you on a bier to mou the son she bore, but the dogs and birds of prey will divide you up, leaving nothing.”

“I am even more entitled to pity, since I have brought myself to do something no one else on earth has done - I have raised to my lips the hands of the man who killed my sons.'”

[Reuben Loh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic, glorious, and so dramatic. Maybe someday I will read Homer's Iliad. In the meantime, this short section was entertaining. Perhaps I should rewatch Troy!

Ain't no tragedy like a Greek tragedy. The gods are a jealous bickering lot, forever meddling with the affairs of mortals, pitting their bastards against each other. And the bromance?? God tier 😂

[Elly Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this felt more meaningful after reading Song of Achilles, loved every page. Greek mythology enthusiast will enjoy this. This cute pocket size makes such a good travelling companion, easy to fit into your bag without adding too much bulk.

Is this a sign to get more 90th anniversary penguin archive books?

[Nadine WM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ehhh… A little too “and they were the BEST of friends!” for me, but other than that it was good

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Patroclus, whom I shall never forget as long as I am among the living and can walk the earth, my own dear comrade, whom I shall still remember even though the dead forget their dead, even in Hades’ halls.

[meelee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to see if the translation was digestible before committing before the odyssey or illiad - was enjoyable and very readable

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly a good read, I can just appreciate it a lot. Nothing more to say really

[Roby Kroon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iets te theatraal en niet homo erotisch genoeg voor mij.

[Oliver Wadey · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a huge fan of the style of story telling but good to get some more of the story

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Penguin Archive book! this is basically a retelling of the plot in The Iliad. I love Penguin Archives, the text size is alright and is basically a pocket book.

Hear me when i say i am biased to rate this a 5 stars, i LOVE achilles, people might not be on the same page as me when it comes to achilles's character but hey he's achilles and i'm a simple minded person. i love this retelling since it is an iliad retelling and the central focus of this book is indeed; ACHILLES!