If you are yearning for more Ancient Greece in your fiction, these are some novels that I have enjoyed. In style and content, they all have some overlap with the Demon of Athens novels but will definitely give you some different perspectives on the time. By the way, if any of these pique your interest and you want to buy them, it would be great if you could buy them through the link on this page. It will redirect you to your regional Amazon site, and Amazon will throw a buck or two my way. It will help me “buy a cup of coffee” as they say these days.
Thessaly by Jo Walton
A trilogy (The Just City, The Philosopher Kings, Necessity) by Jo Walton (also sold in a single volume called Thessaly.) These books are definitely different from the Demon of Athens books, and I loved them. The premise: What if the goddess Athena ran an experiment to see what would happen if she set up the ideal city described in Plato’s Republic? This is a genre-bending book. Is it science-fiction? Historical fiction? Fantasy? A novel about philosophy? I don’t know, but it’s amazing. This is the best depiction of the Greek gods that I’ve seen because it doesn’t pretend that the rest of the world (or the rest of the universe) doesn’t exist. One of my favourite reads during the last decade. (SHOP: The Just City, The Philosopher Kings, Necessity, or the single volume Thessaly)
The Lost Army by Valerio Manfredi
For the second Demon of Athens book, I was very tempted to send Daimon off on the famous “March of the 10,000”, as described by Xenophon in his Anabasis (my favourite classical work by far!) The main reason I decided against it was that it would take him away from some interesting things happening in Athens at the time (see God of Sparta), but also because I knew there was at least one novel out there that already told the story: The Lost Army by Valerio Manfredi. I enjoyed this, especially for one spectacular scene (you’ll know the one!) Of course, you could always just read… (SHOP: The Lost Army)
Anabasis by Xenophon
There are lots of editions of this work available, including free ones for e-readers. This book is the firsthand account of Xenophon, who was an actual participant in the events described. It almost reads like a novel, full of memorable characters, battles, despair, desperate escapes, and triumphs over adversity. This is not a direct inspiration for Daimon, but there is a lot in here that has found its way into the Demon of Athens novels. If you have interested in reading a some classic works but are turned off by Homer or even a little intimidated, this is the place to start. It’s amazing. (SHOP: Loeb Anabasis) (I like these Loeb editions, but there are a lot of cheaper versions or even free ebook versions available.)
Tides of War by Steven Pressfield
This book tells of the rise and fall of the enigma that was Alcibiades. Alcibiades plays a small but crucial part in Daimon’s story, but Tides of War gives Alcibiades centre stage. Narrated by Alcibiades’ bodyguard Polemides, this is a sprawling novel (in the good sense) that takes place over the last two decades of the Peloponnesian War. It covers events alluded to in the Demon of Athens novels, such as the Sicily Campaign and the Battle of Notium. Worth checking out for history aficionados. (SHOP: The Tides of War)
The End of Sparta by Victor Davis Hanson
I know Hanson has gotten a lot of bad press these days for his political views, but hear me out! I actually enjoyed this book about the struggle for hegemony in the 4th century BCE, a period that overlaps (five or six novels in the future) with Daimon’s own. The protagonists are Thebans, and I particularly liked the portrayal of swaggering Athenians looking down at their Theban allies. The battle scenes are realistic and there is insight into the motives and worldviews of the major players. Worth a try if you are getting bored with novels about the Persian Wars. (SHOP: The End of Sparta)
Ilium + Olympos
Looking for something a little different? If your interests intersect at Homeric epics and science fiction, then I have the perfect books for you. This two-part series has fantastic descriptions of the events of the Iliad, but being science fiction, not all is at it seems… The gods and heroes are major characters in the story, and future and past combine in a spectacular way. (Dan Simmons’ other books also tend to mix literature and science fiction if that’s your thing.) Give it a try! (SHOP: Ilium, Olympos)
