A Thousand Ships, by Natalie Haynes

I have a small handful of writers I read every year without fail, allotting myself one of their books like it’s margarine and this is the war. Natalie Haynes is now on that exceedingly short list.

A Thousand Ships explores the siege of Troy and related events from the perspective of the women and goddesses. We meet Helen, whose face launched those ships; Penelope, whose husband Odysseus takes the long way home; Cassandra, gone mad because no one believes her predictions; Iphigenia, eager to go to the altar to wed Achilles; Clytemnestra, who plots revenge after that wedding goes wrong; and dozens of others.

Haynes is a strong prose stylist and a strong storyteller. I love how often she makes me laugh, even as cities are razed and infants are sacrificed and corpses are defiled. Her audiobook narration is lovely, so I recommend listening to this one if you’re inclined toward audio.