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The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

Genre - Historical Fiction/Romance

Rating - 5/10

A romantic retelling of the Battle of Troy that explores the love and tragedy of Achilles and Patroclus. While some may already know of the prevalence of homosexuality throughout the classical greek period, a blatant retelling of such a profound romance between a traditionally masculine mythical figure and a twink (Patroclus is definitely a twink) is an acquired taste. First and foremost, if you are uncomfortable with the themes of death, war, and homosexuality, do not read this book.

The book has received rating for 4.5 out of 5 and up across different platforms. I can see the appeal. In light of the need for more LGBTQ+ representation across all mediums, The Song Of Achilles is a good choice. For those who wish to read of this tender and tragic relationship between a demigod and mortal, its beautiful. Ultimately, it is more a work of romance, written in a historical setting.

It is frilly, but not like lace trim on a personally tailored dress. Its like a design challenge from Rupaul's Drag Race; "this week's challenge is frills and thrills, you must design a dress from thrifted curtains". The book is filled with prose. I remember reading Frankenstein for my English class in high school. I remember lamenting over the romantic description of mountain trees and snow. I lament this book for similar reasons. I want to emphasise before moving forward, that its not because its a homosexual relationship that I don't like the book. It is the tone in which Miller decides that Patroclus will be completely diminished in his own right to uplift Achilles, especially towards the Patroclus' final moments. The dynamic reads like a woman diminishing herself to make her man feel better.

Miller takes a deep dive into the romantic relationship between the two ancient greek heroes that many historians brush off as manly companionship. The juxtaposition between the weakling mortal Patroclus and demigod Achilles leaves me wanting more. As the reader, you are taken on this journey with Patroclus as he tells you the story of his life and love with Achilles. Despite the vivid descriptions and the beautiful setting, Patroclus does more whining about his life and then the prophecy of Achilles' death. It is a lot of yearning; for better genetics, better skills, more time. The book reads more like a young man complaining about his insecurities, rather than a young man growing and learning to be an equal companion with his lover. Because Achilles is a demigod, Patroclus decides that there's really no point in trying to be as good in any aspect.

Thetis, Achille's mother, confirms that he is unremarkable and will be dead soon. She is painted as the disapproving mother-in-law, rather than the sea-nymph that was raped and forced to bear a murderous son. You feel no sympathy in the end for her having lost her son and grandson. The way she whisks Achilles away to Scyros is presented like a controlling parent forcing distance between the two out of disdain, rather than a mother wanting to protect her child. Although this is a biased presentation, because Patroclus so loves Achilles that he literally dies for him.

The moments in the book that detail their sexual exploits are mediocre at best. Its sudden, the affection and attraction that Achilles returns to Patroclus. The smut is flowery, too soft for the burning passion that Miller is trying to portray between the two. Its a tenderly written work, attempting to provide the homosexual context of masculine companionship. Even the heterosexual encounters that both characters face is written in the same fashion. She was soft, but not the softness of Achilles.

Ultimately, I chose to read this book because I am a sucker for ancient greek history. I love the myths and legends and the historical references. But it wasn't enough for me to rate it anything higher than a 5/10. The lady in waiting presentation of Patroclus, the naivety of Achilles, the poorly written sex; its just not good enough.

You can get a physical copy of The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller at Dymocks, Amazon and Booktopia. Or you can listen to it on Audible.

Happy reading with love,

- Alexis

[thelibraryofalexisandria]

A Long Way To A Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

Genre: Sci-fi/Space Opera

Rating: 6.5/10

Set somewhere in the distant future, where the downfall of Earth has forced its inhabitants to venture forth into the vastness of space, The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet closely follows the loves and losses of the crew upon the Wayfarer, a tunneling ship with a mishmash of species.

The general reception of the first self-published novel by Chambers has been positive, receiving ratings of 4.2 and up out of 5 across Goodreads, Booktopia and Audible. Some have stated that whilst is it is a refreshing take on the space opera genre, there is a lack of tension until the last few chapters of the book.

When I initially started reading this book, the only real knowledge I had about sci-fi was very minimal interaction with Star Trek, Star Wars and The Expanse franchises. The blurb promised a sense of finding one's self, but I was skeptical. By the end of my read, I found it to be very slice of life, but set in space. Whilst there is mention of war on the grander scale of the Galactic Commons (GC), this part of the plot takes a heavy back seat throughout. These characters and their physical and metaphorical journey is more war adjacent than heroes of the moment.

Chambers sets the scene with Rosemary Harper as she runs from her life, from something so terrible and implies that she can never go back home. It is supposed to feel as if Rosemary herself is responsible for something so horrible that she has to live the rest of her life on the run from the authorities. But the reveal later on felt like such a let down that I went back to the beginning of the book to make sure I hadn't just had some sort of hallucination. I can commend the world building aspect of writing and Chambers has clearly dedicated a significant amount of time an effort to creating this immersive world. The trouble with world building to such a magnitude is lore dumping because an author cannot assume that the audience knows the constructed universe as well as they themselves do. For all the intricate details of what each species and cities look like, there are pages and pages of explanation for the sake of informing the audience of what exactly tunneling and its purpose, or the reason behind the social, familial and political constructs of different species. It is a wonderful exploration and what feels like more of a table top role-playing game homebrew setting made me feel lost and a little bored at times.

For a novel about space and the political aspects within the galaxy, it spoke very little about both. The hard focus is solely on these characters who happen to be in space and the hardships of interpersonal relationships, balancing and reconciling internal conflicts and the contrasting social norms that everyone experiences. Chambers touches on sexual identities, communication barriers, the sanctity of life and this emphasis on who exactly is impacted by war. It felt like while trying to explain everything that was happening on a physics level and the interspecies relationships, that these social issues are more like samples than an in depth exploration of the themes.

Please don't be mistaken, I did enjoy the book and empathised with these characters that Chambers created. I was invested and truly wanted happiness for this crew. The character arcs for each crew member and the exploration into their motives, desires and fears pulls at the heartstrings. My soft spot is for Sissix and Kizzy, the Aandrisk pilot and Human mechanic. It is an enjoyable read and is a different flavour of sci-fi. For anyone who wants to dip their toes into the wonders of galactic warfare, but without the turmoil of violence and eternal bloodshed, I would recommend this book.

My rating of 6.5/10 is only because the lengthy descriptions, single page of a single character's dialogue and extensive lore dump in separate sections did make it a little bit difficult for me to stay immersed. But the simplicity of these characters and the very human need to just be together in the vastness of the unknown made me feel the warm and fuzzies.

You can get a physical copy of The Long Way To A Long Angry Planet by Becky Chambers at Dymocks, Amazon, Booktopia. Or you can listen to it on Audible.

Happy reading with love,​

- Alexis

[thelibraryofalexisandria]

Hello

As the first post of this review blog, I just wanted to explore the space and tell you a little bit more about what you can expect. My name is Alexis, I like to read and I have a lot of opinions. Sometimes the critical reviews of the books don't really match up to what I feel is good or bad about a book. But they look for things that general audiences don't particularly care about or know to look for.

I would like to make this interactive in as much as a blog can be with any recommendations, insights on the books presented and any feedback.

The books will range from non-fiction history, and true crime to fantasy and sci-fi. But who knows, I'm always looking for more things to sink my teeth into.

Posting schedule for reviews, I am hoping to do at least 2 a month to keep active. But life happens.

We shall see where the winds take us.