Madeline Miller Books in Order
Madeline Miller writes Greek myth at novel scale with a scholar's Greek and a novelist's pulse: The Song of Achilles (2011) - ten years in the writing, taught Latin and Greek between drafts - retold the Iliad through Patroclus and won the Orange Prize; Circe (2018) gave the witch of Aiaia four hundred pages of her own and became a #1 bestseller that reframed the Odyssey's most famous danger as its most interesting mind. The shelf is short and stands at two novels, one small retelling, and - the news - Mestra (2026), a Bloomsbury short novel on the myth of the shapeshifting daughter of Erisychthon, announced in January 2026, with a Persephone novel confirmed in progress behind it. This page sequences the whole shelf (2011–present).
Where to start
The Song of Achilles (2011) or Circe (2018) - both stand alone completely; Achilles is the love story, Circe the power story. Readers wanting one hour: Galatea.
The complete list
Tick the boxes off as you read, or for the bookshelf.
| Year | Title | Series / type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Song of Achilles | Debut — Orange Prize 2012 | |
| 2013 | Galatea | E-story 2013; hardback 2022 — the Pygmalion telling | |
| 2018 | Circe | #1 NYT bestseller — HBO Max adaptation in development | |
| 2026 | Mestra | Short novel · 2026 — the shapeshifter myth — the newest |
Does the reading order matter?
No order required - every book stands alone. The full shelf: The Song of Achilles (2011, the Orange Prize winner), the Heracles' Bow short story (2012, from a special edition of Achilles), Galatea (2013 as an e-story; hardback 2022 - the Pygmalion statue's own telling), Circe (2018, #1 New York Times bestseller, its HBO Max adaptation in development with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver), and Mestra (2026), the short novel. What is coming: the Persephone novel, announced in 2021 and still in progress - no date. Readers who want the Iliad first should read Achilles before Circe only for the shared world's texture, not for plot
Which one is the best?
The Song of Achilles (2011), the Orange Prize debut; Circe (2018), the #1 bestseller; Galatea (2022), the small dark one.
Related guides
Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: Khaled Hosseini books in order, Ken Follett books in order, Outlander books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.
Make it a project
Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you read Madeline Miller books in?
All standalones: Achilles (2011), Circe (2018), Galatea (2022), Mestra (2026). Persephone in progress.
Where should I start with Madeline Miller?
Circe (2018) or The Song of Achilles (2011) - either door works.
How many Madeline Miller books are there?
Two novels, the Galatea short novel, and Mestra (2026), with the Persephone novel in progress - one Orange Prize, one #1 New York Times bestseller ranked among the decade's best, and translation into more than thirty languages. As of October 2026 this list is current.
What was Madeline Miller's first book?
The Song of Achilles (2011) — the first row of the list above.