Achilles's Wife: A Novel of Greek Myth Retelling

Trojan Threads #2

by Judith Starkston

In an ancient kingdom, a princess takes inspiration from a visiting young woman to challenge her father’s views and reach for leadership—and then discovers her muse is a man.

The goddess mother of Greek mythology’s most famous warrior, Achilles, will do anything to prevent her son’s fated early death. In a desperate move, she hides Achilles, against his will, on an island—disguised in a girl’s body.

Tormented by inner discord, the miscast “girl” befriends Mia, the eldest daughter of the island’s king, launching a transformation of Mia’s own. Armed with a new vision she believes comes from a girl, Mia contends with family secrets, a controlling father, her destiny to rule, and the wrath of a goddess.

When fate reveals Achilles’s identity, a divine mother’s fury drives Mia and Achilles into marriage. Mia must navigate her love for a man with a divided heart and a dangerous measure of immortality. Balancing governance and motherhood, Mia will face an unbearable choice.

A stand-alone novel in the Trojan Threads Series.

"What was it like to be married to Achilles? Deidamia, princess of the small island of Skyros, his wife before he took his fated journey to Troy, was the mother of his only child, his son Neoptolemus. Here at last she tells her own story, speaking of how they met, married, and then parted. She knew Achilles the man rather than the warrior. She lets us see a side of him that Homer doesn’t. Unique, fascinating, and restores a long lost voice to the story the Trojan War.” –Margaret George, NYT bestselling author of The Memoirs of Cleopatra & The Splendor Before the Dark

Genres: Greek Mythology, Mythology

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 16, 2026

About the author

Judith Starkston writes historical fantasy and mythic retellings set in the Bronze Age of the Greeks and Hittites. Her six novels bring women to the fore—whether Deidamia or Briseis from the Trojan War cycle of myths or a remarkable Hittite queen whom history forgot, even though she ruled over one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. Judith has degrees in Classics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Cornell and lives in Davis, California. Find her newsletter sign-up (and a free novella), book reviews, and posts about archaeology and history on her website JudithStarkston.com

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achilles’s Wife by Judith Starkston retells a story about one of the most famous heroes from Greek myth and makes it feel vivid, intimate, and deeply human. Set on the island of Skyros, the novel follows Achilles as he’s forced to live as Pyrrha among the women of King Lycomedes’s household, where his friendship with Princess Deidamia grows into something risky and tender. The writing is rich with physical detail. The clothing, food (OMG I love all the food references!), speech, and setting all feel tangible without ever turning heavy-handed or preachy, and the island itself comes alive on the page. Starkston handles themes of gender, power, and body dysmorphia with care, letting them emerge naturally through the characters rather than through speeches. I finished the book feeling like I’d spent a lot of time with real people who noticed that I was slightly hungry and invited me in for a visit. It was a place I was reluctant to leave.

For my full review, please visit my website

[Eileen Iciek · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories from ancient Greek and Roman mythology are foundational to western civilization in ways that few people appreciate today. Even so, they are the warp and weft of our culture. The characters in these myths led lives that the 21st century world has difficulty comprehending. So it helps to find a modern writer like Judith Starkston who can bring these three-millennia-old Bronze Age tales to life.

Starkston's "Achilles's Wife" recounts/reimagines the life of Princess Deidamia on the island of Skyros who falls in love with that great hero. The author took the bare bones of the myth and crafted a masterful novel about the characters' lives beyond the "he did this" or "she did that". Deidamia becomes a woman of strong character, forceful enough to be a worthy match for Achilles. Achilles is a man drawn to his destiny, while loving his wife. Thetis, the Nereid who was Achilles's mother, is depicted with maternal instincts that threatened to smother her child until he broke free from them. The child of Deidamia and Achilles, Pyrrhus, grows into almost as great a warrior as his father, but lacking his father's guidance. We even get a memorable cameo of Medea.

Although we know how the story ends, this novel is a page turner, benefitting from the author's creative and colorful additions to the saga. Her descriptions of Greek island village life, trading ships, military preparedness, and bards ring true to history.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone interested in ancient history and the myths & legends of the Trojan War.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s nothing I love more than diving into the imagined experiences of the silenced women of the Iliad, and this book ranks up there with some of the best. Achilles’s wife, the Princess Deidamia, is barely even mentioned in the epic poem. She is the one who hides the half-mortal warrior among her women to keep him from being recruited for the Trojan War and later gives birth to Achilles’s son. She is a smart, savvy ruler in her own right, and her inner life is rendered believably and with great respect, given the constraints she faces as a princess in a warrior culture. Achilles, in the source texts, is not very likable to me, but in this story, he is fleshed out in a way that makes him sympathetic. He is a young man deeply conflicted about his fate and situation. There is an early twist to this story that I dare not divulge because I don’t want to rob readers of the experience of encountering it for themselves. It adds yet another layer of fascination and complexity to the characters and the story. Even within a tale where you know exactly what is going to happen next, this book managed to surprise me. It also made me think even more about how the women of the era—the daughters, wives, and mothers of the heroes in the Trojan War—likely had greater sway than the Bard ever let on. If I had a hat, I’d tip it to Deidamia, because she certainly earned my respect. This is a fresh take on an old story that is absolutely worth reading.

[Tinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivid imagery and a wealth of sensory detail bring Mycenaean Greece spectacularly to life in this riveting retelling of ancient myths. Achilles and the princess Deidamia come across as complex, nuanced human beings, however much they are buffeted about by the imperious Greek gods. Princess Mia’s and Achilles’s love is tender and fragile, unconventional, and beautifully depicted. Ultimately it is fated to be brief, but it underlies and motivates the whole story.

The author’s extensive background as a classicist is put to good use as she weaves familiar myths together into something new and unexpected. The reader will follow Princess Mia through the luxuriously appointed corridors and rooms of the royal palace, and also along the rocky paths between sea and mountain on the isle of Skyros, with all the colors, sounds, scents, tastes, and textures that make the setting come alive.

Unlike so much historical fiction involving royalty, in Achilles’s Wife the royals don’t spend their lives luxuriating in privilege and wielding their power thoughtlessly. The princess, particularly, thinks long and deeply about her responsibilities to her people and how to meet their needs. Being clever and resourceful, she finds ways to serve the population of her island realm even though, as a woman, she must put in extra effort to be heard and taken seriously.

Reading this book was an immersive experience, and I highly recommend it.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judith Starkston's masterful retelling of a lesser-known myth respects ancient Greek history while tackling questions about gender and sexuality.

I knew Achilles was a hero in the Trojan War but I didn't know about his life before that war until I read Judith Starkston's new book Achilles’s Wife. This well-researched story is written from the point of view of Deidamia, a princess of the small Greek island called Skyros. When Deidamia first meets Achilles, she thinks he is a girl named Pyrrha. According to ancient myth, Achilles is brought to the island in disguise. His mother, the Goddess Thetis, hopes to protect her son from his predicted fate of dying young by hiding him on the desolate island.

Ms. Starkston deviates from the original myth by giving the goddess the power to actually change her son into a girl. Thetis persuades the King of Skyros to allow her daughter, Pyrrha / Achilles to live in the royal women's quarters. Deidamia befriends the imposter. Starkson's depiction of Achilles's frustration of being a man trapped in a woman's body is what really makes this book shine. This literary device allows the author to examine issues of gender and sexuality in an historical setting that is also relevant today.

[M.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love stories based on Greek mythology, or stories of strong-willed characters, or excellent historical fiction, or stories of great love ... then Achilles's Wife is the read for you. Based on the story of Achilles - half human, half immortal and amazing warrior - his goddess mother Thetis, and his wife Mia, Judith Starkston's story captured my imagination from its opening scene. The author soon transports us to the small island of Skyros where the king, Mia's father, leads his people with caution and an eye to negotiating with the more powerful kingdoms that make up Greece. With no sons, his eldest daughter Mia will inherit the throne.

Desperate to protect her son Achilles from the prophecy of an early death, Thetis uses her power to transform him into a young woman and hides him on Skyros. Achilles - called Pyrrhus in her female form - and Mia soon become close friends. And ... well, let's just say that the twists and turns as the story unfolds and both Mia and Achilles head towards their destinies will keep you enthralled. Highly recommended.

[Tim Schooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thrilling Tale of Gods and Men
Achilles’s Wife recounts early Greek myths that are essential backstory to the telling of the Trojan War in the Illiad. The novel covers three entwined and exciting stories that are little known to most of us mere mortal readers: The saga of teenaged Achilles’ fraught relationship with his mother, the goddess Thetis. The poignant love story of Achilles and his young wife, Mia. And the tragic early days of their son, Pyrrhus.
This novel is much more fun than the PG-rated Greek myths so many of us grew up with as children. Here, the author skillfully weaves a tale that touches on modern themes of gender identity and fluidity, parental disfunction, and female empowerment. The fast-paced novel moves between truly terrifying encounters between gods and men, scenes of love between a mortal and a demigod, and early encounters with such well-known figures from the Trojan War as Odysseus.
I have had the pleasure of critiquing early chapters of the novel. The final version took my breath away, as it will yours.

[Patricia Bracewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Achilles’s Wife Judith Starkston re-imagines a little-known, minor episode in the life of the great hero before he sets out to face his doom in the Trojan War. The focus in Starkston’s telling, though, is on the island princess who comes of age as first the friend and then the wife of the man who is half god, half mortal and, for a time and hugely against his will, a young woman. Starkston’s female characters—the goddess, the princess, the youth constrained in a body that is not his own—portray facets of female affection as mother, daughter, friend and lover that echo through the ages.

[Paul Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

full review soon

[Elisabeth Storrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Advanced Review Copy from author

In Achilles’ Wife, Starkston expertly draws the shadowy figure of Princess Deidamia into bright sunshine in this creative retelling of Achilles’ secret sojourn as a woman in King Lycomedes’ court where the kinder, more empathetic, side of the great warrior is explored. ‘Mia’ emerges as a strong female character standing proudly beside male Homeric heroes. The pathos of her love affair with Achilles is matched by her heartbreak in dealing with the raging Neoptolemus, her part-divine son, who seeks to match the valour of his famous father yet lacks Achilles' sense of honour and humanity. The book's exploration of two lesser characters in the myth is compelling, especially the helplessness of Mia, and even the divine Thetis, to rein in the volatile and ruthless boy. A tale of doomed love, maternal devotion, and inexorable fate. Highly recommended.