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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
The Prophecy of Achilles: A novel in verse by H M Roberts is a modern-ish retelling of an ancient Greek myth, the original being what many either read at some point in school or, if they did not, have likely heard of the titular hero. Spoiler alert: He isn't Brad Pitt. Roberts provides a voice to individual characters as each adds a carefully woven piece to the patchwork of the story, including the voice of Achilles himself. The narrative is in the form of poetry with the exception of character introductions, which are given as a prelude to each entry. Relationships are explored and the positioning of those in Achilles' life, whether early on or further down the line, are present in the lead-up to the battle and eventual outcome we know so well.
I am found
I am me
I am
Achilles
The Prophecy of Achilles is an interesting work and H M Roberts does well in this companion piece to the source material without making it sound contrived, which is a problem that I have come across so many times when modern authors attempt this. The tendency of others is to throw their thesaurus at terrible writing to sound brilliant and that is nowhere to be found here; a testament to Roberts' genuine skill as a writer. The poetry is perfectly restrained, understandable, and comfortable to follow. Thetis has long been my absolute favorite ancient Greek mama and to me, Achilles has only ever been an extension of her. Her wagon might be hitched to Achilles' shooting star but she's still the one controlling the chariot...and I am grateful to Roberts for not minimizing this. Overall this “Achilles lite” poetic novella is simple enough for public consumption and intelligent enough for those who are more discerning. Very highly recommended.
