Books like 'Sappho's Leap'
Readers who enjoyed Sappho's Leap by Erica Jong also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 6 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù, 墨香铜臭
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER!The blockbuster danmei/Boys’ Love novels from China that inspired the animated series! This epic historical fantasy about a prince and the mysterious man by his side is now officially in English, for the very first time!Born the crown prince of a prosperous kingdom, Xie Lian was renowned for his beauty, strength, and purity... -
Two Dragons by Octavia Randolph
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTwo DragonsDragons are said to guard treasure with their lives...Ceric, beset with madness from the trauma of the losses he has suffered, wanders the forests of Kilton. An urgent need to stave off the hunger of his folk calls his younger brother Edwin, Lord of Kilton, to the Kingdom of Mercia, and though he fulfils his mission, finds the greater prize he sought out of reach... -
Queen of Oak: A Novel of Boudica by Melanie Karsak
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFated to lead a rebellion against Rome.Destined to become a legend.Britain, A.D. 42—Boudica, second daughter of a Celtic king, has little concern for tribal tensions and political intrigues. Called by the gods and the stirrings of her own wild heart, she listens instead to whispers of the oaks. But Boudica would be wiser to heed the warning cries of eagles...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction literary-fiction myths adult book fae fiction -
Dreaming the Hound by Manda Scott
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAD 57: Caradoc is lost forever, betrayed to Rome and exiled in Gaul, leaving Boudica bereft, to lead the tribes of the west in an increasingly bloody resistance against Roman occupation.Only if she can drive Rome from the land will she find the peace she needs and to do that, she must raise once again the tribes of the east... -
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Dreaming the Serpent Spear by Manda Scott
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe fourth and final novel in the magnificent saga of Britain’s warrior queen (Boudica – “Bringer of Victory” and the last defender of the Celtic culture) will capture readers’ hearts and minds, as Manda Scott brings the series to a stunning close...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction myths adult audiobook book -
Pirates of Aletharia by Britney Jackson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA sapphic fantasy adventure for people who love dangerous women, magical worlds, and lesbian pirates.Emilia Drakon was once the youngest and kindest of the dragon sorcerers, but she’s now the last of her kind. Betrayed and angry, she trades her meekness for a sword and embarks on a quest for vengeance that will lead her straight into the arms of the legendary Captain Maria Welles... -
King of Gods Book IV by Fast Food Restaurant
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this fourth installment of King of Gods, Zhao Feng takes on entering the Broken Moon Clan's Floating Crest Trial—which only occurs every five years—in order to secure his future and prove his worth... -
The Conspiracy at Meru by Shatrujeet Nath
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVICTORY IS TEMPORARY. THE BATTLE IS ETERNAL.Vikramaditya and his Council of Nine have fought valiantly to repel the rampaging hordes from Devaloka and Patala – but Avanti has been brought to its knees. Ujjayini lies battered its citizens are scared and morale is badly shaken... -
Babylonia by Costanza Casati
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the author of the bestselling Clytemnestra comes another intoxicating excursion into ancient history, as Casati reimagines the rise to power of the Assyrian empire's only female ruler, Semiramis.When kings fall, queens rise.Nothing about Semiramis's upbringing could have foretold her legacy or the power she would come to wield...Categorized as:
historical-fiction myths ancient-civilization epic female-mc fantasy fiction historical -
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Vol. 2 of 2 by Luo Guanzhong
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis epic saga of brotherhood and rivalry, of loyalty and treachery, of victory and death, forms part of the indelible core of classical Chinese culture and continues to fascinate modern-day readers.In 220 EC, the 400-year-old rule of the mighty Han dynasty came to an end and three kingdoms contested for control of China... -
The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe life of a courtesan in Pompeii is glamorous yet perilous...Amara has escaped her life as a slave in the Wolf Den, the city’s most notorious brothel, but now her survival depends on the affections of her patron: a man she might not know as well as she once thought. At night in the home he bought for her, the house with the golden door, Amara’s dreams are haunted by her past...Categorized as:
historical-fiction myths ancient-civilization female-mc romance fiction historical fantasy -
The Archer by K. Aten
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKyri was raised a fletcher but after finding a new home and family with the Telequire Amazons, she discovers a desire to take on more responsibility within the tribe. She has skills they desperately need and she is called to action to protect those around her. But Kyri's path is ever-changing even as she finds herself altered by love, loyalty, and grief... -
Return to Ithaca by Glyn Iliffe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe thrilling final instalment of the epic and bestselling Adventures of Odysseus Odysseus has been to Hell and back. Deserted by the Gods, and now in bitter conflict with his friend Eperitus, times look bleak. He dreams of returning to his home; to Ithaca. But back on Ithaca things look little better... -
The River of Silver: Tales from the Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBestselling author S. A. Chakraborty's acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy gets expanded with this new compilation of stories from before, during, and after the events of The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold, all from the perspective of characters both beloved and hated, and even those without a voice in the novels... -
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Eryx: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy father once told me, above all else... Live and die for Sparta. Honor. Loyalty. Duty. These were the things that mattered most. And then Axios came into my life, teaching me other lessons: humility, brotherhood... love. There were moments when the brutal training stripped me of my humanity, where it turned me into a mindless beast of flesh and muscle set to destroy everything in my way... -
The Falcon Queen by Johanna Wittenberg
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 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... -
The Fall of the Phoenix by Daniel Kelly
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe long siege of Troy, the battles fought over it, and the city's eventual capitulation and incineration are events which have often been retold since their first recitation by Homer. Seldom, however, will they have been narrated with such close attention to the minute particulars of battle, to its reek and terror and pain, as in this startling account by Daniel Kelly... -
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFor fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best...You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction myths adult audiobook book -
The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsEvocative, magical and luminously written, The Cure for Drowning is not only a brilliant, boundary-pushing love story but a Canadian historical novel that boldly centres queer and non-binary characters in unprecedented ways...Categorized as:
lgbtq historical-fiction literary-fiction wlw fiction historical coming-of-age audiobook -
Aeneid Book VI by Virgil
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA masterpiece from one of the greatest poets of the centuryIn a momentous publication, Seamus Heaney's translation of Book VI of the Aeneid, Virgil's epic poem composed sometime between 29 and 19 BC, follows the hero, Aeneas, on his descent into the underworld...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction literary-fiction myths adult book classics -
The Garden of the Departed Cats by Bilge Karasu
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn an ancient Mediterranean city, a tradition is maintained: every ten years an archaic game of human chess is staged, the players (visitors versus locals) bearing weapons. This archaic game, the central event of The Garden of the Departed Cats, may prove as fatal as the deadly attraction our narrator feels for the local man who is the Vizier, or Captain, of the home team...Categorized as:
historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction historical -
God of War: The Epic Story of Alexander the Great by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 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
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 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:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction myths action-adventure adult book fiction -
The Strongman and the Mermaid by Kathleen Shoop
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings2019 Donora, PennsylvaniaNinety-one-year-old Patryk Rusek hides in his attic, hoping the searchers think he’s escaped. When Lucy finally bursts in, she discovers her beloved grandfather clutching a fat, hand-illustrated, antique book. In it is the story of Donora, the town that shaped America, its people and Patryk himself... -
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Red Branch by Morgan Llywelyn
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 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...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction literary-fiction myths action-adventure adult book -
All Day Permanent Red: The First Battle Scenes of Homer's Iliad Rewritten by Christopher Logue
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSetting down her topaz saucer heaped with nectarine jelly, Emptying her blood-red mouth—set in her ice-white face— Teenaged Athena jumped up and shrieked: "Kill! Kill for me! Better to die than live without killing!" Who says prayer does no good? Christopher Logue's work in progress, his Iliad, has been called "the best translation of Homer since Pope's" (The New York Review of Books)... -
Clash Of Empires by Sam Barone
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsClash of Empires is the sixth novel in Sam Barone's bronze age historical saga in the tradition of Conn Iggulden, Bernard Cornwell, and Jean Auel. In Dawn of Empire, Eskkar the warrior and Trella the slave girl come together in a mighty struggle to survive a barbarian invasion and build mankind's first walled city...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
The Voyage of Odysseus by Glyn Iliffe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOdysseus’s greatest challenge is only just beginning The armies of Troy have been defeated and the city lies in ruins. His oath fulfilled, Odysseus can at last sail for Ithaca and the long-awaited reunion with his family. But the gods, who were once his allies, have turned against him.Exiled with the warrior Eperitus, he is thrust into a world of seductive demi-gods and man-eating monsters...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction myths adult book fiction historical sword-sorcery -
The Oracles of Troy by Glyn Iliffe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe siege of Troy has reached its tenth year without an end in sight. Helen remains safe behind the city walls, sharing her lover’s bed while Menelaus, the husband she abandoned, rages without, desperate for revenge and yet impotent against the stalemate imposed by the gods...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction myths adult book fiction historical sword-sorcery -
She Who Would be King by Kim Pritekel
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCateline is the twenty-one-year-old daughter of a nobleman in fourteenth-century France. It's a time when children aren't seen as those to be loved and cherished, but instead are used as pawns and bargaining chips on the chessboard of control and privilege.She is married off to a prince in the country of Sursha, a Gaelic-speaking island nation near Ireland... -
Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic by Sophus Helle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA poem for the ages, freshly and accessibly translated by an international rising star, bringing together scholarly precision and poetic grace “Sophus Helle’s new translation . . . [is] a thrilling, enchanting, desperate thing to read.”—Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe “Looks to be the last word on this Babylonian masterpiece... -
The Fletcher by K. Aten
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBook One in the Arrow of Artemis SeriesKyri is a fletcher, following in the footsteps of her father, and his father before him. However, fate is a fickle mistress, and six years after the death of her mother, she's faced with the fact that her father is dying as well... -
The Armour of Achilles by Glyn Iliffe
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe siege of Troy is in its 10th year, in the third book continuing from King of Ithaca and The Gates of Troy The Greeks, with Achilles at their head, have inflicted numerous defeats on the Trojans, but Troy itself still stands. Dispirited, bitter, and frustrated by the war, Odysseus and his men think lovingly of home...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction literary-fiction myths adult book family -
The Devil's Slave by Tracy Borman
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAt the end of The King’s Witch, the first book in Tracy Borman’s Stuart-era trilogy, Frances Gorges was pregnant with the child of her dead lover, Thomas Wintour, executed for his role as a conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Now, in The Devil’s Slave, Frances is compelled to return to the dissolute and dangerous court where she has been suspected of witchcraft... -
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A Year of Ravens by Ruth Downie, E. Knight
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBritannia: land of mist and magic clinging to the western edge of the Roman Empire. A red-haired queen named Boudica led her people in a desperate rebellion against the might of Rome, an epic struggle destined to consume heroes and cowards, young and old, Roman and Briton . . . and these are their stories. A calculating queen foresees the fires of rebellion in a king's death... -
House of Odysseus by Claire North
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis "powerful, fresh, and unflinching" reimagining from the award-winning author of the Penelope trilogy breathes life into ancient myth and gives voice to the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men (Jennifer Saint). On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home... -
The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe second fierce, fresh and gloriously romantic YA Greek myth re-imagining, from Bea Fitzgerald, growing TikTok superstar and Sunday Times bestselling author of GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN.Princess. Priestess. The most beautiful girl in Troy. Cassandra is used to being adored – and when her patron god, Apollo, offers her the power of prophecy, she sees an opportunity to rise even higher... -
Here, The World Entire by Anwen Kya Hayward, Anwen Hayward
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter being accused of desecrating Athena's temple and subsequently cursed with monstrousness, Medusa lives alone on the outskirts of the world, secluding herself from everyone so as to keep both herself and the rest of the world safe. When Perseus comes to ask for her help, Medusa tries desperately to make him leave, but no matter what she does, Perseus stays...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction literary-fiction myths book classics female-author fiction -
Shiang by C.F. Iggulden
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBecome one of the first to read the second book in the bestselling Empire of Salt trilogy the epic fantasy series, and pre-order today.___________IF THESE STONES COULD SPEAK . . . THEY WOULD CALL FOR WAR.In Shiang, the young king rules without dissent. Mazer swordsmen stand watch on every corner, looking for the first sign of rebellion... -
Virgil, Vol 2: Aeneid Books 7-12, Appendix Vergiliana by Virgil, G.P. Goold
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsVirgil, Volume Ii : Aeneid Books 7-12, Appendix Vergiliana (Loeb Classical Library, No 64) Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro) was born in 70 BCE near Mantua and was educated at Cremona, Milan and Rome. Slow in speech, shy in manner, thoughtful in mind, weak in health, he went back north for a quiet life... -
Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood by Anna Burke
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRobyn Hood didn’t set out to rob the rich, but in Nottingham, nothing ever goes according to plan....After a fateful hunting accident sends her on the run from the law, Robyn finds herself deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest... -
The Lance Thrower by Jack Whyte
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsJack Whyte has written a lyrical epic, retelling the myths behind the boy who would become the Man Who Would Be King--Arthur Pendragon. He has shown us, as Diana Gabaldon said, "the bone beneath the flesh of legend." In his last book in this series, we witnessed the young king pull the sword from the stone and begin his journey to greatness... -
Princess of Sparta by Penelope Haines
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe’s Helen of Troy’s older sister.She’s a Spartan Princess.She’s High Queen of Mycenae.Her name is Clytemnestra.In a world where women are submissive, she rules.In a world where wives are loyal, she is unfaithfulIn a world where honour and blood feuds abound she exacts the ultimate revenge...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization female-mc historical-fiction myths adult book dark-academia fiction -
The Jade Bones by Lani Forbes
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 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 epic female-mc historical-fiction myths action-adventure book coming-of-age -
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The Odyssey: A Dramatic Retelling of Homer's Epic by Simon Armitage, Homer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn this new verse adaptation, originally commissioned for BBC radio, Simon Armitage has recast Homer's epic as a series of bristling dramatic dialogues: between gods and men; between no-nonsense Captain Odysseus and his unruly, lotus-eating, homesick companions; and between subtle Odysseus (wiliest hero of antiquity) and a range of shape-shifting adversaries—Calypso, Circe, the Sirens, the... -
Shiver Her Timbers by Alex Westmore
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s been six years since Quinn started dressing as a man in order to sneak aboard the most notorious pirate ship ever to set sail upon the seven seas—and those years have definitely begun to take their toll... -
Beside the Ocean of Time by George Mackay Brown
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this novel set on the fictitious island of Norday in the Orkneys, George Mackay Brown beckons us into the imaginary world of the young Thorfinn Ragnarson, the son of a crofter... -
Seer of Egypt by Pauline Gedge
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHuy has risen from lowly origins to become the Seer of the King. Yet Amunhotep’s patronage is both a blessing and a curse to Huy, who feels imprisoned by the gift Thoth has imposed on him and by the life he must live to keep it. Though rewarded with wealth and influence, Huy longs for the pleasures of those he sees around him, especially love, which seems forever lost to him...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction literary-fiction myths adult africa book egypt -
Sovereign of Stars by Libbie Hawker
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHatshepsut has fulfilled her divine destiny and taken the Pharaoh's throne. But she knows her position is precarious. In all Egypt's long history, never has a woman ruled as king -- and Hatshepsut must use all the cleverness and bravery at her disposal to keep the reins of power from tangling in her fist... -
The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 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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