Books like 'Ithaca'
Readers who enjoyed Ithaca by Claire North also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy action / adventure myths retellings historical-fiction journey female-mc literary-fiction ancient-civilization
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Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings by Abolqasem Ferdowsi, Azar Nafisi
18 ratingsAmong the great works of world literature, perhaps one of the least familiar to English readers is the "Shahnameh: ThePersian Book of Kings," the national epic of Persia... -
Shield-Maiden: Under the Hunter's Moon by Melanie Karsak
12 ratingsWhen the gods play in mortals’ lives, the only certain outcome is uncertainty. Especially when that god is Loki. In the course of a night, I found out my entire life was a lie. Now, Yrsa, Eydis, and I will set off to recover Tyrfing. I must leave Dalr—and the dream I’d shared with Hofund—behind. Eydis is sure the gods have a plan for me. I hope she’s right... -
Shield-Maiden: Under the Thunder Moon by Melanie Karsak
10 ratingsUnder the thunder moon, the war-horn will sound, and Odin’s Valkyrie will rise.Reunited with Hofund, and with Bolmsö safe from its enemies, Hervor takes her place as jarl. But the All-Father has bigger plans for his favorite shield-maiden. When Hervor learns that Jarl Bjartmar has vowed vengeance on Leif, she knows she must stand by her cousin... -
Герой должен быть один by Henry Lion Oldie
11 ratingsМиф о подвигах Геракла известен всем с малолетства. Но не все знают, что на юном Геракле пересеклись интересы Олимпийской Семьи, свергнутых, в Тартар титанов, а также многих людей – в результате чего будущий герой и его брат Ификл с детства стали заложниками чужих интриг...Categorized as:
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Shield-Maiden: Under the Howling Moon by Melanie Karsak
12 ratingsChosen by Odin. Destined for Valhalla. In my dreams, Odin whispers to me. He tells me I’m destined to wield a legendary sword.He tells me my road will bring me to Valhalla.But when I wake, I’m only Hervor. Fatherless. Unloved. Unwanted. Jarl Bjartmar, my grandfather, calls me cursed. My mother, her memories stolen by the gods, has forgotten me... -
Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God: Book 7 - Hunted by Lucky Old Cat
8 ratingsThe seventh installment of “Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God” sees Shi Feng’s core members ambushed by Dark Star, but Shi Feng is able to save his allies through the aid of the Seven Luminaries Ring. In this book, Shi Feng will meet both new and old enemies alike, both causing him and his core members undeniable trouble...Categorized as:
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Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God: Book 8 - Destroyer of Immortality by Lucky Old Cat
8 ratingsIn this eighth book of Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God, Shi Feng's perseverance is put to the test as he finally finds the path to the next evolution of his class and abilities at the tip of a sword. With the answers he seeks, he will find more questions and challenges that will either destroy him or lift him closer to greatness...Categorized as:
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Khon'Tor's Wrath by Leigh Roberts
8 ratingsWhat If... A long time ago, in order to avoid extinction, the ancient Sasquatch interbred with the humans. What if... The community repopulated, and lived in peace and harmony with all creation for generation after generation — until the compassionate act of their Healer set it all on end...Categorized as:
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Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God: Book 5 - Meteoric Rise by Lucky Old Cat
10 ratingsThe flames begin to burn in this next installment of Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God. Shi Feng, our quiet, yet bold hero continues to build himself and his team from the shadows, preparing to blast into the public eye. A spark flashes in his eye as he continues on his path in God's Domain, the VRMMO (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online) game that dominates the world...Categorized as:
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The Sacred Band by Janet E. Morris, Chris Morris
6 ratingsThe Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic novel of love in war in ancient times. In 338 BCE, during the Battle of Chaeronea that results in the massacre of the Sacred Band of Thebes, the legendary Tempus and his Stepson cavalry rescue twenty-three pairs of Theban Sacred Banders, paired lovers and friends, to fight on other days... -
Zmaj i ždral by Aleksandar Tešić
6 ratings„ZMAJ I ŽDRAL“ je prvi od dva romana o Milošu Obiliću i rađen je po srpskoj mitologiji i predanju. On je na neki način i uvod u trilogiju „Kosingas“ jer u njemu srećemo neke likove koji se kasnije u trilogiji pojavljuju, ali se može posmatrati i kao zaseban roman. Knjiga počinje legendom o čuvarima Koplja svetog Georgija i bici na Crnom kamenu 1187... -
The Falcon Queen by Johanna Wittenberg
8 ratingsTHE FALCON QUEEN(The Norsewomen Book 2)Ninth century Norway, the island of Tromøy.Åsa has won back her father’s kingdom, but can she hold it? The evil shapeshifter Hrolf lurks in the hinterlands, plotting revenge. The powerful Danes threaten from across the Skagerrak Sea, demanding marriage in exchange for peace, while her only ally, Olaf, presses his own suit... -
Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God: Book 6 - Quality Over Quantity by Lucky Old Cat
8 ratingsIn this sixth installment of “Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God,” Shi Feng attends the Jin Hai City Fellowship Party, defeating Zhang Luowei in a match, and inadvertently displays his prowess to all in attendance. Suddenly everyone wants to join the Zero Wing Workshop, which allows Shi Feng to recruit the Five Demon Generals...Categorized as:
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Camelot by Giles Kristian
10 ratingsFollowing his acclaimed Sunday Times bestseller, Lancelot, Giles Kristian's new novel returns us to the realms of Arthurian legend . . . Britain is a land riven by anarchy, slaughter, famine, filth and darkness. Its armies are destroyed, its heroes dead, or missing. Arthur and Lancelot fell in the last great battle and Merlin has not been seen these past ten years... -
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God of War: The Epic Story of Alexander the Great by Christian Cameron
11 ratingsThe ultimate historical adventure novel: the life of Alexander the Great in a single, epic... -
Vikramaditya Veergatha Book 1 The Guardians of the Halahala by Shatrujeet Nath
12 ratingsThe deadly Halahala, the all-devouring poison churned from the depths of the White Lake by the devas and asuras, was swallowed by Shiva to save the universe from extinction.But was the Halahala truly destroyed?A small portion still remains – a weapon powerful enough to guarantee victory to whoever possesses it...Categorized as:
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Red Branch by Morgan Llywelyn
14 ratingsIn a land ruled by war and love and strange enchantments, Cuchulain -- torn between gentleness and violence, haunted by the croakings of a sinister raven -- fights for his honor and his homeland and discovers too late the trap that the gods have set for him in the fatal beauty of Deirdre and the brutal jealousy of King Conor... -
The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson
18 ratingsIn 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted some 400 of its people, including 250 from a tiny island off the mainland. Among the captives sold into slavery in Algiers were the island pastor, his wife and their three children. Although the raid itself is well documented, little is known about what happened to the women and children afterwards...Categorized as:
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The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Suchitra Pillai
20 ratingsThe Ramayana, one of the world’s greatest epics, is also a tragic love story. In this brilliant retelling, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places Sita at the centre of the novel: this is Sita’s version. The Forest of Enchantments is also a very human story of some of the other women in the epic, often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Mandodari...Categorized as:
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Raj Kahini by Abanindranath Tagore
6 ratings<span><span>An unforgettable historical novella that leads you to the flowing sand dunes of Rajasthan, the clash of swords, to the courtyard of kings and queens. The book captures the spirit of a heroic past that never fails to move readers even today...Categorized as:
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A Man Was Going Down the Road by Otar Chiladze
6 ratingsSet in Vani, the semi-legendary capital of Colchis (as western Georgia was called in antiquity), Otar Chiladze’s first novel of 1972 explores the Georgian ramifications of the myth of Jason, the Golden Fleece and Medea, weaving his own inventions with Greek myth and history. (Daedalus and Icarus, as well as King Minos play a part in the story, too... -
Hand of Fire by Judith Starkston
6 ratingsA legendary war, an invincible warrior, a woman forced to defend her family and realm--and her independent spirit. Will she become the captive or the captor?Briseis struggles to protect her city, an ally of Troy, from marauding Greeks and her husband's arrogant violence. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god until he appears before her in flesh and blood... -
The Dragon Ring by Fil Reid
6 ratingsThe present day – 24-year-old librarian Gwen goes to scatter her father’s ashes on Glastonbury Tor and is kidnapped back in time to become King Arthur’s Dark Age queen – Guinevere...Categorized as:
historical-fiction retellings myths ancient-civilization romance time-travel fantasy historical -
The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel by Nikos Kazantzakis
8 ratingsA continuation of Homer’s epic poem, Kazantzakis’s own Odyssey finds Odysseus once again leaving Ithaca on finding that the satisfactions of home and hearth are not as he remembered them... -
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Get to Work, Hercules! by Kate McMullan
8 ratingsHeard the one about Hercules slaying a lion with his bare hands and making a cloak from its skin? That was no cloak--Hercules was wearing the lion. We're talking Siegfried and Roy here! Sure, Hercules had great big muscles. But he had an itty-bitty brain. He couldn't have done even one heroic deed if that lion hadn't been there, telling him exactly what to do... -
The Eye of the Falcon by Michelle Paver
10 ratingsFans of epic adventure will love the life-or-death stakes in the third Gods and Warriors bookThe eruption of the volcano has shrouded the sun in ash, and the harsh winter is never-ending. With no trace of his lost sister to be found, Hylas takes ship for Keftiu, to find Pirra and free her from captivity.But the Crows are also coming to Keftiu, led by the power-hungry Telamon...Categorized as:
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Mythology by Dugald A. Steer, Hestia Evans
12 ratingsPresenting the newest discovery in the series with the Midas touch — a mythical exploration fit for the godsIn the early nineteenth century, an English nobleman embarked on a tour of the sites of ancient Greece. He brought as his guide a primer on Greek myths written by his friend Lady Hestia Evans, a devotee of Lord Byron who had recently taken the same voyage... -
The Last Quest of Gilgamesh by Ludmila Zeman
6 ratingsIn his final quest, Gilgamesh, still mourning the death of his dear friend Enkidu, sets out to find the key to immortality. His journey is perilous. He must fight ferocious serpents and wild lions. He travels through bitterly cold caves, across scorching deserts, and over the fatal waters of the Sea of Death...Categorized as:
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The Glory of the Empire: A Novel, a History by Jean d'Ormesson
6 ratingsThe Glory of the Empire is the rich and absorbing history of an extraordinary empire, at one point a rival to Rome... -
Rise of Princes by Janell Rhiannon
6 ratingsAs the Trojan War continues, the gods pit their chosen heroes against each other, fighting alongside them on blood-slick battlefields. Amid the carnage and chaos, Achilles and Hektor rise to fame, conquering and defending; enslaving and freeing the people of the Troad. While the glory of war belongs to the men…the heart of the Trojan War belongs to the women... -
Grass for His Pillow, Episode 2: The Way Through the Snow by Lian Hearn
6 ratingsBoth Takeo and Kaede have visions of their future. Takeo works to escape the Tribe and fulfill the last wishes of his adoptive father, Lord Shigeru Otori. And Kaede, heir to two seats of power, moves forward step by step, aided by her own wits and a precarious alliance with Lord Fujiwara...Categorized as:
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Birth of a Warrior by Michael Ford
6 ratingsLysander had to leave his roots as a Helot slave far behind him, when he discovered his true identity as the descendant of a Spartan warrior. The training is ruthless and now he faces his toughest challenge. Sent to the mountains with nothing but a goatskin flask, he and two other boys must prove their ability to survive before they can return... -
The Jade Bones by Lani Forbes
6 ratingsCast into the underworld after an act of shattering betrayal, Mayana and Ahkin must overcome unimaginable odds if they are to return home and reclaim the throne of the Chicome. A river of blood and demons disguised as children are only two of the challenges standing in their way. Fortunately, they are not unequipped...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization female-mc historical-fiction myths action-adventure book coming-of-age epic -
The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey by Demi
6 ratingsOnce upon a time in Turkey there lived a funny, little wise man named Nasrettin Hoca. He wore a huge, white turban and a worn-out coat made of patches upon patches. Riding about on his little gray donkey, he liked to help whomever he could. A friend to all, Nasrettin is a popular figure...Categorized as:
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Russian Magic Tales from Pushkin to Platonov by Robert Chandler, Aleksandr Afanasyev
6 ratingsFor fans of fairy tales and the literary supernatural: a unique collection of Russian short stories from the last 200 years In these folk tales, young women go on long and perilous quests, wicked stepmothers turn children into geese, and tsars ask dangerous riddles, with help or hindrance from magical dolls, cannibal witches, talking skulls, stolen wives, and brothers disguised as wise birds...Categorized as:
journey literary-fiction myths retellings 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies -
The Eye of Ra by Ben Gartner
6 ratingsExploring a mysterious cave in the mountains behind their house, John and his sister Sarah are shocked to discover they’ve time traveled to ancient Egypt! Now they must work together to find a way back home from an ancient civilization of golden desert sand and a towering new pyramid, without parents to save them... -
Il cuore di Derfel by Bernard Cornwell
6 ratingsTorna l'attesa voce di Derfel Cadarn, il guerriero fattosi monaco, un tempo protetto di Merlino e paladino fedele di Artù, per accompagnarci lungo un nuovo capitolo delle sue memorie, che lo vede impegnato a lottare su due fronti ugualmente insidiosi: l'amore e la guerra... -
Shadow of the King by Helen Hollick
8 ratingsArthur is dead. His widow, Gwenhwyfar, left at Caer Cadan with their small daughter, faces overthrow by the powerful council headed by Arthur's uncle. But, unknown to her, events in France and Germany mean that a far mightier battle lies ahead. This is the third volume in the "Pendragon's Banner" trilogy...Categorized as:
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The New Achilles by Christian Cameron
8 ratingsMeet the greatest Greek general you've never heard of: Philopoemen. In his day, a leader as skilled and as dangerous as Hannibal: a ferocious fighter, a superb general, and credited as the inventor of modern 'special operations'. More importantly, he was a brilliant political leader...Categorized as:
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Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet, Elspeth Graham
8 ratingsCarnegie Medalist Mal Peet and his wife, Elspeth Graham, team up for a captivating, lushly illustrated tale evoking a Chinese legend.A Junior Library Guild SelectionTashi lives in a tiny village at the foot of the mountains, below the tea plantations where her mother works. When her mother falls ill, Tashi goes alone to the plantation, hoping to earn money for the doctor...Categorized as:
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Nena by Ann Boelter
8 ratings900 AD. Under the fiery Middle Eastern sun, two enemy worlds collide.JARL, a powerful Viking leader, returns to the rich lands near the Caspian Sea at the helm of his magnificent new longship, The Treasure Huntress. His forces cut a wide swath through the land, taking everything of value—capturing or killing any who stand in their way... -
The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur by Margaret Hodges, Trina Schart Hyman
10 ratingsNoble Gareth defeats a dreaded knight and wins the hand of a fair maiden...Categorized as:
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The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves
10 ratingsAlong with I, Claudius, The Golden Fleece is considered one of Robert Graves's most exciting and transporting historical novels. The Golden Fleece was at one time the most sacred religious object of the ancient Greeks, and had been sent away as the result of a power struggle between the Greeks and earlier inhabitants of the Greek peninsula... -
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The Norse Queen (The Norsewomen): 1 by Johanna Wittenberg
10 ratingsNinth century Norway, the dawn of the Viking era, -- a land shattered into thirty warring kingdoms. A woman could seize power, if she was bold enough. Daughter of a Norse king, fifteen-year-old Åsa dreams of becoming a shield-maiden. When she spurns a powerful warlord, he rains hellfire on her family, slaughtering her father and brother and taking her captive... -
Heir of Ra by M. Sasinowski
12 ratingsAlyssa signed up to study history, not to rewrite it. An excavation of the fabled Hall of Records beneath the Sphinx unleashes an ancient disease that leaves her father fighting for his life. As Alyssa races to find a cure, she stumbles onto an impossible artifact that could change history—or destroy our future...Categorized as:
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The Bull from the Sea by Mary Renault
16 ratingsIn this sequel to The King Must Die Theseus defies the Gods’ and claims the throne of Athens a move that culminates in the terrible, fateful destruction of the house of Minos -- the Minotaur... -
Wounds of Honour by Anthony Riches
16 ratingsFrom an exciting new thriller writer for fans of Conn Iggulden and Simon Scarrow, this is the first book in an exhilarating trilogy that lavishly brings to life the great events and battles of the times, and will take its hero far and wide through the Roman Empire Thrilling, authentic, and action-packed, this novel introduces soldier hero Marcus Valerius: a centurion stationed on Hadrian's Wall... -
The Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot, Anonymous
18 ratingsThe national folk epic of Finland is here presented in an English translation that is both scholarly and eminently readable. The lyrical passages and poetic images, the wry humor, the tall-tale extravagance, and the homely realism of the 'Kalevala' come through with extraordinary effectiveness...Categorized as:
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Death of an Ancient King by Laurent Gaudé
14 ratingsKing Tsongor is getting old. Having governed his immense empire peacefully for many years, he prepares to give his lovely daughter Samilia away to her official suitor, the Prince of the Lands of Salt. But on the eve of the wedding, a lone, mysterious rider appears instead to claim Samilia's hand...Categorized as:
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