Book · 2018
Circe
by Madeline Miller
An exiled witch on a deserted island turns men into pigs and spends three thousand years deciding what she actually wants.
What does Reddit think of Circe?
r/suggestmeabook owns Circe almost completely: 1018 of 1283 total mentions, against 244 on r/Fantasy and a token 20 on r/printSF. It travels as a pair with Song of Achilles in nearly every thread sampled, and the comparison keeps resolving the same way, one commenter (↑198) says Circe is the better of the two, "even better than Song of Achilles." The opening line gets quoted on its own (↑193): "When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist." Praise clusters around the same two things, prose and character, with one reader (↑370) unable to put it down. But the trend line tells a quieter story: mentions have fallen every year since 2020's peak of 269, down to 108 in 2025, less than half. It hasn't gotten worse. Reddit has just moved on to talking about it less.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Greek mythology retelling
- · female interiority in myth
- · the Song of Achilles pairing
- · witchcraft as self-determination
Common praise
- + One reader (↑198) calls it better than Song of Achilles outright, not just comparable.
- + The opening line gets quoted on its own in threads (↑193), detached from any recommendation context.
- + A commenter (↑370) says they couldn't put it down and praises the prose and character work directly.
Common criticism
- − Mentions have fallen every year since the 2020 peak of 269, down to 108 in 2025, less than half its former volume.
- − r/printSF barely touches it, 20 mentions total, so its audience is almost entirely r/suggestmeabook and r/Fantasy readers rather than genre SF crossover.
Who it's for
Read Song of Achilles first if you want them in the order most threads discuss them, though plenty argue (↑198) this one is the better book anyway. Mythology readers who want the woman's-eye-view retelling land here through r/suggestmeabook, which drives 1018 of the book's 1283 mentions. The opening line alone (↑193) is worth reading before deciding. Just know you're arriving after the peak; 2020 saw more Reddit chatter about it than any year since.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Circe?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
“If Circe by Madelaine Miller isn't the perfect fit:)
“Circe by Madeline Miller. Absolutely amazing writing and detailed characters. I couldn’t put it down!
“Circe and Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
“Stay far away from Murakami Edit: actually contributing to the thread, I’d recommend Circe
“Circe. I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time, I feel like a lot of them would love it.
“Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Tigana and anything else by GGK Good Omens/Small Gods/any other Pratchett standalone Watership Down by Richard Adams None of this is particular niche. I know that /r/fantasy did a stand-alone novels poll fairly recently, check the sidebar/wiki. Edit: last poll: h…
“I can’t recommend Circe enough. Imo even better than Song of Achilles.
““When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.“ - Circe
Convinced? Pick up Circe
Readers also mention
All books like Circe →Books that share discussion threads with Circe — counted from the comments, not curated.
The Song of Achilles
Madeline Miller
Patroclus follows Achilles into the Trojan War, narrating the years it takes to watch the boy he loves become the killer a prophecy always promised.
The Poppy War
R. F. Kuang
A war orphan tests into an elite military academy, awakens the power of a fire god, and becomes the architect of the genocide the history books warned about.
Uprooted
Naomi Novik
A village girl handed over to a reclusive wizard as tribute turns out to be the only one who can fight the corrupted Wood eating her valley.
Spinning Silver
Naomi Novik
A moneylender's daughter boasts she can turn silver into gold, and the winter king of the Staryk takes her up on it, then takes her as his wife.
The Hobbit
J. R. R. Tolkien
A burglar with no interest in adventure gets talked into robbing a dragon by a wizard who never quite explains the plan.
Assassin's Apprentice
Robin Hobb
A bastard prince trained as an assassin narrates sixteen books of loss, loyalty, and one very long grudge against fate.
Circe — frequently asked
Should I read Circe or Song of Achilles first?+
Threads discuss them as a pair more often than they rank the order, but one commenter (↑198) argues Circe is the better book, 'even better than Song of Achilles,' which suggests reading order matters less than expectations.
Is Circe by Madeline Miller better than Song of Achilles?+
Some readers think so directly. One comment (↑198) states it plainly, calling Circe better than Song of Achilles, though the two are recommended together (↑354) far more often than they're pitted against each other.
Why has Circe gotten less popular on Reddit recently?+
The numbers show a real decline: 269 mentions in 2020, the peak year, down to 108 in 2025. Nothing in the sampled quotes explains the drop; the book just isn't generating new threads at its old rate.
Is Circe worth reading if I don't normally like mythology retellings?+
The praise in the sample centers on prose and character rather than the mythology framework itself, with one reader (↑370) calling the writing 'absolutely amazing' and saying they couldn't put it down, suggesting the craft carries readers who might be lukewarm on the genre.