https://preview.redd.it/ltped0ceiyhh1.png?width=893&format=png&auto=webp&s=74cde5e29b0e58572af87b9f56dd808583941147

Translation:

Sharing Some Mates

When you attempt to manipulate or extract information from someone, serve them a mate and then say what you want to know and how you intend to get it. If the target accepts the mate, roll +MATE:

+12: Your mate seems to have been prepared by Good Ol' God himself. Whoever drinks will be willing to do what you say or give you the information, if they have it. You are now their brother from the Pampa and you gain 1 Guapura [swagger] (max. 3).

10-11: You receive clear leads, and those who drink will be willing to help—if they can—even if it means taking on significant risk.

7-9: The information is unclear, or something prevents the target from trusting you completely. The Payador [Game Master; folk singer] will tell you what you can do to change the situation, if that is possible.

-6: Your mate is a disaster, and the water burns like the Devil's piss. You get nothing and the target is now hostile toward you, you fool. Mark Lerdo [dull].

Note: it is known that only the most monstrous or alien creatures won't accept a mate. You have been warned.

The TTRPG is Pampa Primigenia, btw

EDIT: added some recommendations and made a couple of editions for clarity.

Hi guys! Quite often while scrolling through this sub, I see people asking for thoughts and recommendations on retellings of Ancient Greek myths, which are quite popular now, so I decided to share my thoughts on the ones I've read and compile a list of those I haven't. Part of me understands purists who prefer the original texts, and I do find there are some trends and tropes to criticise in these types of novels. But, at the same time, I've quite enjoyed reading some of these.

I also wanted to create a post to link and share when the topic comes up. Feel free to make your own recommendations and I might add them to this post (or at least, my personal list).

A few quick disclaimers. While I am generally wary of using AI, I did use it here to organise and format this comment for readability. I then went over and edited a lot of the output's text before sharing it. Another thing that is more relevant to my recommendations is that I am a straight man, so I likely have unconscious biases and preferences that are part of being socialised as a man. Finally, I read some of these books almost a decade ago, so my memory of them now can be a bit hazy, and they may no longer even hold up as well to my current standards.

A quick note before the ranking criteria: a low score from me doesn't always mean "badly written." Sometimes it means "this is fine, but I've already seen a different author tell this exact story better". For example, Jennifer Saint's Elektra is simply not as good as Pat Barker's The Trojan Women trilogy or even Claire North's Ithaca, where it's just a side-story. Similarly, I couldn't even finish Athena's Child, as it was nowhere near as interesting as other retellings of Medusa's story. Other times, two authors take wildly different, equally valid angles on the same figure, as is the case for the books in my list that have Theseus as a main or major character.

Here's roughly what I'm weighing when I rate one of these:

• Characterisation - Are the human characters rounded and dynamic, or flat and static? Human complexity means that characters can be irrational, but caricatures are rarely enjoyable. Gods and other supernatural beings often get a pass on complexity, as many authors prefer to stress how inhuman they are, coming across as other, aloof, conceptual.
• Historical grounding or fantasy craft - There's a spectrum from "deeply researched historical plausibility" (Mary Renault, Mark Knowles) to "full fantasy/worldbuilding" (Luna McNamara, Ioanna Papadopoulou). I don't punish a book for picking a lane, but I do judge how well it executes the lane it picked. Note that I'm by no means a historian or expert on the time period; I'm more guided by how well-researched and historically-informed the text feels rather than how well it holds up to current historical consensus. Faithfulness to the original myth is not something unimportant to me, but I have to contend with the fact that very few primary texts survive to our day, some of these texts are incomplete and, of course, there are different versions of several myths (often caused by unconscious biases or conscious agendas). Also, I have read very few of these primary sources, though I'm working on that.
• Atmosphere & tone - "The past is a foreign country," a quote by English novelist L. P. Hartley, is crucial to the mindset I have when reading such old stories. Ancient Greece (both the Bronze Age when these stories take place and the Iron Age when a lot of them are written down) would be an unpleasant place for a "Westernised" modern reader, with significant differences in what is socially acceptable or moral. For example, slavery was normalised and women were often denied personhood and were subject to great brutality. I highly value a book that either sits in that discomfort (like Barker's trilogy) or convincingly recreates the period mindset (Renault's duology). That doesn't mean I can't enjoy a book that feels more "modern", though. I'm fine with some "localising" translation choices and even anachronistic snark if it's earnt, but there is a limit. I don't need some faux-archaic sounding English, but there's only so many times I can read the word "hell" or "god" (interjection, singular) before immersion is compromised.
• Maturity & tropes - I enjoyed the Percy Jackson series as a teen (despite how overly US-centric it is), but I've aged out of YA and dislike a lot of Booktok/romantasy tropes. Pointless gender-swapping sometimes whitewashes just how bad things were for women, enslaved people, etc. There are enough admirable female characters to present to the reader, so I'm a bit sensitive to what some people call "girlbossing".
• Distinctiveness - Does this book bring something to this specific myth or characters that other retellings of it haven't already done, or done better?

Odysseus

• My Name Is Nobody - Valerio Massimo Manfredi - 9/10 (read the first two books in this trilogy, The Oath and The Return, skipped the third, The Oracle, since it takes place in the 1900s)
  • Recency: first retelling I read, 8 years ago.
  • Characterisation: Odysseus is likeable and so is Penelope. Manfredi does something kinda interesting with Helen.
  • Setting: starts historically grounded, but moves well into fantasy as the story goes on.
  • Atmosphere: neutral, not overly modern.
  • Maturity: Serious, with not as much gratuitous violence.
  • Distinctiveness: level of detail and scope of the story, starting at Odysseus' childhood while his father Laertes was adventuring with the Argonauts, and ending with the >!"winnowing oar"!<. The dialogue has minimal speech tags, which leaves the non-verbal aspects of conversations to the reader's imagination. I've only read these books in their original Italian (my level is B2–C1). One of the very few books in this list written by a man.
• Ithaca - Claire North - 8/10 (haven't read the sequels in the trilogy yet)
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Penelope is mysterious, slaves and suitors are very well characterised, the gods are interesting.
    • Setting: historically grounded for the human characters, while the gods have fantastical powers.
    • Atmosphere: fairly modern-feeling dialogue. The anachronistic snark of the gods didn't feel too overwhelming though.
    • Maturity: Serious when gods aren't around. Slavery is not presented as overtly brutal, but the reality of raiding is well-presented I feel.
    • Distinctiveness: Great explanation for what was going on during Odysseus's absence. It weaves in one other myth very well. It's fun, despite how dull it could sound in theory. Can't remember much about Telemachus, for some reason.
• The Penelopeiad - Margaret Atwood - 8/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Penelope is fleshed out very well, Odysseus is given a unique twist.
    • Setting: Set mostly in the Penelope's mind and >!the afterlife!<, so the historical grounding matters less, and fantastical elements are very much present.
    • Atmosphere: neutral, with some modern sensibilities though.
    • Maturity: Serious, given the starting point of the subject matter.
    • Distinctiveness: it's very philosophical, focusing a lot on the execution of the slaves in the palace following Odysseus's return. It's also very short.

The Trojan War / Achilles / Agamemnon & Clytemnestra

• The Trojan Women trilogy - Pat Barker - 10/10
  • Recency: read the first two (The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy) 4 years ago, and The Voyage Home 1 year ago.
    • Characterisation: Very interesting cast of characters, rounded and dynamic. The protagonist's passivity fits her diegetic observer role. Best version of Achilles I've come across, though Pyrrhus/Neoptolemus is also equally as interesting as Madeline Miller's. There is no easy way to write Helen.
    • Setting: seemingly very historically grounded. Many supernatural elements are reminiscent of magical realism rather than fantasy.
    • Atmosphere: brutal, appropriate for such a long war. The dialogue occasionally feels a bit modern, and not all of it can be handwaved as the "translation convention" trope.
    • Maturity: Serious, pulls no punches, sugarcoats nothing. In fact, I'd say it deserves a trigger warning.
    • Distinctiveness: Most of the plot takes place on a beach, away from the action of the Trojan War. It is a brutal, visceral read, and very morally complex.
• A Thousand Ships - Natalie Haynes - 10/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
  • Characterisation: mixed; some characters get a lot more focus than others.
  • Setting: historically grounded overall, but the gods are more ethereal.
  • Atmosphere: not overly modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: Serious, with not as much gratuitous violence.
  • Distinctiveness: I remember enjoying the book a lot, but my memory of it is rather hazy. The events are not in chronological order and are instead almost an anthology of stories, some more interesting than others. Feels appropriately very explicitly feminist.
• Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller - 6/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Perhaps the weakest part. Achilles is boring and Patroculs isn't a lot better. Falls into some strange stereotypes. Thetis and Neoptolemus are more interesting.
    • Setting: leans heavily towards fantasy.
    • Atmosphere: very modern-feeling.
    • Maturity: quite whitewashed to make the main characters more likeable and relatable.
    • Distinctiveness: Some very strange choices and changes from the source material, all presumably in the service of making a likeable couple. I get that one could say that the implication is that official story purposely reframed Patroclus as a warrior rather than a healer, and that in itself is meant to be a commentary on something, but I don't like it. The romance feels extremely shallow. Unlike a lot of people, I quite like what they did with Thetis.
• Elektra - Jennifer Saint - 5/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
    • Characterisation: caricatures over characters. Only Agamemnon is distinct, less brutal, but I'm not even sure if the novelty of that is enough to make up for the weakness of the rest.
    • Setting: seemingly historically grounded, but worldbuilding details are relatively scarce anyway.
    • Atmosphere: A bit modern-feeling.
    • Maturity: A bit simplistic and melodramatic.
    • Distinctiveness: The same story is done more interestingly in Barker's Trojan Women trilogy and even as a side-story in North's Ithaca.

Crete / Theseus / Ariadne / Phaedra

• The King Must Die + The Bull from the Sea - Mary Renault - 10/10
  • Recency: 1 year ago.
  • Characterisation: Theseus is sometimes a bit self-righteous and frustratingly lucky. Some women are characterised in rather limited ways.
  • Setting: very historically grounded, taking into account pre-Hellenic history and religion even. While not entirely accurate, it feels very plausible. There are no fantasy elements, though faith and belief in the ancient religions are a given, and very important to the characters.
  • Atmosphere: Excellent, really recreates in a plausible mindset for the time period, and the "foreigness" of the time and place.
  • Maturity: Serious, with not as much gratuitous violence.
  • Distinctiveness: one of three genuinely different, equally compelling takes on Theseus (alongside Ariadne and The Heroines). Finishing this duology gave me what some people call a "book hangover", which is a testament to how much I liked it. There are some problematic elements though, particularly regarding the portrayal of female characters and, worse, the "shore peoples".
• Ariadne - Jennifer Saint - 8/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
  • Characterisation: I liked it, but it almost borders on caricature for Theseus and Phaedra. Dionysus is a bit too human-like, which makes sense, but it's a missed opportunity in my opinion.
  • Setting: Plenty of fantastical elements.
  • Atmosphere: a bit modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: a bit simplistic and melodramatic.
  • Distinctiveness: it offers a different, valid take on Theseus than Renault's or Shepperson's, and her version of Ariadne is not bad either, though it's probably the least interesting of the three. The narrative touches on enough different stories and themes to be very enjoyable.
• The Heroines (or Phaedra, in some editions) - Laura Shepperson - 10/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
  • Characterisation: Phaedra is done very well. Theseus is very interesting, Hippolytus less so. Ariadne is interesting even if she doesn't appear in the rest of the story. Real missed opportunities and strange choices when it comes to Phaedra's other relatives.
  • Setting: feels historically grounded, though there isn't much room for fantastical interpretations.
  • Atmosphere: slightly modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: It tackles with tact the very serious subject matter regarding sexual violence against women and children.
  • Distinctiveness: Great premise, great execution, great background worldbuilding while still being claustrophobic. Medea is interesting too.

Aeneas and Lavinia

• Lavinia - Ursula K. Le Guin - 9/10
  • Recency: 1 year ago.
  • Characterisation: Lavinia is fascinating, as is "her poet". Her parents are interesting too. Aeneas himself is decently characterised as well.
  • Setting: there are supernatural elements, but it's more reminiscent of magical realism than outright fantasy.
  • Atmosphere: Le Guin simulates the mindset of the time very well, in my opinion.
  • Maturity: Serious, very poetic.
  • Distinctiveness: Le Guin is a great writer with excellent prose, on a whole other level.
• The Heir of Venus - Laura Shepperson - 7/10
  • Recency: 2 years ago.
  • Characterisation: Lavinia is interesting enough, as are her parents. Anna feels a bit off, and Turnus feels a bit like a caricature. Aeneas is a curious character too.
  • Setting: Good worldbuilding in terms of historical feeling, and the brief appearance of the gods is intriguing, but there isn't too much fantasy.
  • Atmosphere: a bit modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: Serious enough.
  • Distinctiveness: I admittedly get this book mixed up with Le Guin's, but it's still worth a read.

Argonauts

• Argo - Mike Knowles - 6/10 (I started but didn't finish the sequel, Jason, yet, and there is a third book, Hades, which I might never read at this rate)
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Jason is fine, as are quite a few characters, all things considered. There are some missed opportunities when it comes to Castor and Polux or Heracles, but it's overall not too bad. Atalanta is sorely missed.
    • Setting: very historically grounded with no fantastical elements, feels very plausible and well-researched, doing a decent job at making the Black Sea peoples seem foreign to the Achaean protagonists. The second book, however, suddenly opens the door to fantastical elements and makes me wonder why the author didn't have them from the start.
    • Atmosphere: neutral.
    • Maturity: It's an adventure story, not too juvenile but not too dark either.
    • Distinctiveness: It's weakest feature is that, unfortunately, it's a bit boring. It is virtually impossible to write a good novel with such a large cast of characters as the crew of the Argonauts, so I can't really fault the author. Can't decide if I like what they did with Prometheus. One of the very few books in this list written by a man.
• Atalanta - Jennifer Saint - 8/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Atalanta is interesting, as is Artemis. Some antagonists feel a bit cartoony, but overall it wasn't bad.
    • Setting: Plenty of fantastical elements.
    • Atmosphere: a bit modern-feeling, occasionally melodramatic.
    • Maturity: Adventurous, but not quite YA-feeling.
    • Distinctiveness: very decent book, but there wasn't anything particularly outstanding.
• The Fates - Rosie Garland - 7/10
  • Recency: This year... but I didn't finish it.
    • Characterisation: The Fates themselves are the most interesting. Atalanta and Meleager are... fine. Toxeus is such a caricature, it feels like he was pulled from another book. The dynamic between Zeus and Hera is unique, but that in it self doesn't make it all that interesting.
    • Setting: The plausible historical grounding doesn't stand out. There are many important fantastical elements.
    • Atmosphere: very modern-feeling, sometimes melodramatic.
    • Maturity: a bit YA.
    • Distinctiveness: the sections from the PoV of the Fates are the most interesting, but even that didn't help me push through. Ultimately, I think I was very put off by how modern and YA this book felt, and by Toxeus. I might try picking it back up at some other time, but I'm in no rush.

Medusa

• Stone Blind - Natalie Haynes - 10/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Some fascinating characters, especially the gods.
    • Setting: Fantasy, but in a more esoteric way than, say, Psyche and Eros. Historical elements are alluded to.
    • Atmosphere: very otherworldly, but it's occasionally a bit witty. Done well enough not to be too distracting.
    • Maturity: Serious enough, given Poseidon.
    • Distinctiveness: A very fun and interesting read, with cool twists, even if you think you know the story. I do have some concern regarding what my fellow nerds might call "powerscaling", though.
• Medusa - Jessie Burton - 8/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
  • Characterisation: Medusa and Perseus are interesting, though there is a deliberate childishness to them.
  • Setting: Fantastical, but the setting is limited to where Medusa lives, so the world beyond that isn't really explored.
  • Atmosphere: a bit modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: A bit simplistic, which is fine for how naïve Medusa is.
  • Distinctiveness: It's a very short book and a quick, easy read. I kinda like how the book (perhaps unintentionally) alludes to how "medusa" is used by some people to refer to a type of monster rather than as the name for a unique gorgon.
• Athena's Child - Hannah Lynn - 6/10
  • Recency: 2 years ago... but I didn't finish it.
    • Characterisation: Medusa was unremarkable, but Athena was a complete caricature, from what I read. Poseidon was more interesting, from what little I can remember.
    • Setting: historically grounded enough, I felt. Fantastical elements are important for the plot.
    • Atmosphere: neutral.
    • Maturity: a bit melodramatic in some scenes.
    • Distinctiveness: I originally misinterpreted the title and book cover, so I started reading it fully expecting it to be a retelling of the myth of Erichthonius, which would have been an unusual treat. Instead, I was stuck with a Medusa retelling that doesn't hold up to the other two.

Immortals-focused

• Circe - Madeline Miller - 9/10
  • Recency: 5 years ago.
  • Characterisation: The gods are characterised in a very interesting way, petty and limited in their emotions by their immortality. Circe herself gets some criticism, but I thought she was interesting enough, if a bit toothless. Helios has also gotten plenty of criticism, and that I do agree with; Miller's character works very well if you don't know enough about how Helios treats his children in some myths (consider his love of Phaeton, or how he protected Circe herself from a Gigante), so I'm conflicted. I kinda like how Odysseus and Telemachus are characterised too, but maybe it's because it was new to me at the time.
  • Setting: fantasy, with just enough Ancient Greek references not to feel generic.
  • Atmosphere: neutral? I can't remember.
  • Maturity: Serious, though sometimes plagued by contrivances.
  • Distinctiveness: Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for Circe because this was the second retelling I had read, and it made me realise that novelisations of Ancient Greek myths were a possible genre (until then, I'd been obsessed with "historical fiction"). The MacGuffin at the end of the book feels a bit of a niche reference, but it feels like a stretch.
• Winter Harvest - Ioanna Papadopoulou - 10/10
  • Recency: 2 years ago.
    • Characterisation: I feel like all the characters who are given their time to shine are very well realised and interesting. A shame we didn't get a deeper dive on Kronos or the other titans, but I can't complain.
    • Setting: Lots of pre/proto-history, and a fully fantastical setting with well-executed worldbuilding.
    • Atmosphere: fairly modern-feeling, appropriate for the level of fantasy.
    • Maturity: Serious enough, given the commentary on power and consent.
    • Distinctiveness: extremely enjoyable fantasy book based on the myths. I think it's worth noting that Papadopoulou is the only author on this list who I have been able to confirm is actually of Greek descent. Though I fall into the camp of considering Greek mythology to be part of the overarching "Western" canon of stories, I do think this genre is often overpopulated by Anglocentric or US-centric voices. I vehemently hope to read more from the perspective of modern Greeks, especially if they aren't diasporic.
• Psyche and Eros - Luna McNamara - 8/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Eros is more interesting that Psyche. Everyone else is a bit flat.
    • Setting: Full fantasy, almost generically so.
    • Atmosphere: very, very modern-feeling.
    • Maturity: This book is essentially YA fantasy romance adventure.
    • Distinctiveness: By all accounts, I should have disliked this book. And yet, I didn't. I think I was impressed by the creativity in the worldbuilding and how it roped in so many different mythological characters in a way that somehow didn't feel too contrived.
• The Hymn to Dionysus - Hannah Lynn - 7/10
  • Recency: This year.
  • Characterisation: Agave is very interesting, but our protagonist less so. The eponymous Dionysus is very interesting, but I feel like there are missed opportunities.
  • Setting: I'm very impressed by some of the historical references (cult of Dionysus, rise of the writing and theatre, Bronze Age collapse, development of agriculture, etc.), though I feel like some liberties are taken ("knights" and "witches") and some implausible elements that border on the fantastical are added (such as the marvels). Other very important plot elements are very undeniably fantastical.
  • Atmosphere: very modern-feeling, but there are attempts to develop verisimiliar worldbuilding that would be right at home in a fantasy book.
  • Maturity: A bit less serious, with constant snark. The exploration of mental health feels very genuine though.
  • Distinctiveness: Some twists were very effective, others were frustratingly obvious, so that undercuts a lot of the tension between the protagonist and titular character and brings the score down a lot. Lots of attention to detail in the worldbuilding, to the extent I'm not even that bothered by the inaccuracies. For example, the misconception that Ancient Greeks lacked a word for "blue" is actually used very well. The other thing that brings the score down is strange naming choices: in the first chapter, Helios, Artemis and Persephone are name-dropped... except these characters refer to mortals... but some gods do exist? It's confusing for no reason.

Other

• The Children of Jocasta - Natalie Haynes - 8/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
  • Characterisation: All characters feel believable and most are interesting.
  • Setting: the palace is the setting for most of the story, and it feels a bit too generic to feel historically grounded, and fantastical elements are left up to the reader's interpretation.
  • Atmosphere: neutral.
  • Maturity: neutral. Not too modern nor too particularly ancient-feeling.
  • Distinctiveness: A myth that doesn't often get re-told. I enjoyed it more than I should have, probably as a palate cleanser between the more popular books on the Trojan War.

A note on order

I've sorted higher-rated books first within each myth grouping, though I don't think order matters hugely except within the same series/trilogy, where it obviously does.

There's also a case for reading across myths in rough chronological order of the myths themselves (not publication order), though I'm not sure it's essential and it's not fully doable given how many stories span multiple generations:

Ouranos & Gaia → Titans → Childhood of Zeus and Titanomachy → Pandora → Deucalion → Cadmus → Dionysus → Bellerophon (partly contemporary with Dionysus) → Perseus → Oedipus → Theseus → Heracles → Argonauts (roughly simultaneous with Theseus/Heracles) → Seven Against Thebes → Epigonoi War → Trojan War → the various return journeys, including Agamemnon's, Odysseus's and Aeneas's → Heracleidae

Do-not-buy list

Listed by the first entry in each series (when applicable), these are books I didn't bother purchasing, based on reviews or sneak peeks. Usually, there is a combination of immersion-breaking historical inaccuracy or deviation from the original myth that doesn't pay off, very strong Anglo/US-centricism, YA/Booktok/romantasy conventions, gender-swapping or "girlbossness" that whitewashes how genuinely awful things were for women in this period:

• Lore Olympus, by Rachel Smythe
• A Touch of Darkness, by Scarlett St. Clair
• Aphrodite, by Phoenicia Rogerson
• Blood of Hercules, by Jasmine Mas
• Daughter of Chaos, by A.S. Webb
• Daughter of Darkness, by Katherine Corr
• Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers, by Zoe Terakes
• Girl, Goddess, Queen, by Bea Fitzgerald
• Hades' Daughter, by Charlotte Carol
• Herc, by Phoenicia Rogerson
• I, Medusa, by Ayana Gray
• Ichor, by Trish D. W.
• Lies We Sing to the Sea, by Sarah Underwood
• Medusa, by Nataly Gruender
• Orphia and Eurydicius, by Elyse John
• Queen of Heaven, by Ava McKevitt
• Sweetbitter Song, by Rosie Hewlett
• The Games Gods Play, by Abigail Owen
• The Gorgon Bride, by Galen Surlak-Ramsey
• The Ruin of Eros, by Maya Gryffin
• The Witch and the Huntress, by Luna McNamara
• Wearing the Lion, by John Wiswell

On my radar (haven't read yet)

Through recommendations or Goodreads, I tend to consider reviews before I decide to put a book on this list. Thankfully I’m familiar with the myths already, so I can’t really be spoilt much. Still, sometimes I don't look at them with enough detail, so keep in mind that these are books I haven't personally vetted yet.

• A Song of War, by Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear, Stephanie Thornton, et al. (multi-author anthology; Andromache, Helenus, Penthesilea and other side POVs)
• The Golden Apple trilogy, by Emily Hauser
• The Troy Trilogy, by David Gemmell
• The Song of Sacrifice quartet, by Janell Rhiannon
• Horses of Fire, by A. D. Rhine
• House of Names, by Colm Tóibín
• The Death and Life of Iphigenia, by J. Susanne Wilson
• Clytemnestra, by Costanza Casati
• The House of Atreus duology, by Susan C. Wilson (similar author names, what are the odds?)
• The Tapestry of Bronze by Victoria Grossack & Alice Underwood
• Hades, by Mark Knowles (third book in the Blades of Bronze trilogy, same series as Argo and Jason)
• No Friend to This House, by Natalie Haynes
• Medea, by Christa Wolf
• Medea, by Eilish Quin
• Medea, by J.J. Taylor
• Hekate: The Witch, by Nikita Gill
• The Witch of Colchis (Medea), by Rosie Hewlett
• Medusa, by Rosie Hewlett
• Andromeda, by E. S. McLeod
• The Shadow of Perseus, by Claire Heywood
• Medusa's Sisters, by Lauren J. A. Bear
• Aphrodite in Pieces, by Lauren J. A. Bear
• Aphrodite's Trees, by Inge Scheynen
• Hera, by Jennifer Saint
• This Immortal Heart, by Jennifer Saint
• The rest of the Song of Penelope trilogy (House of Odysseus, The Last Song of Penelope), by Claire North
• King of Ithaka, by Tracy Barrett
• The Song of Orpheus, by Tracy Barrett
• Dark of the Moon, by Tracy Barrett
• A Beautiful Evil, by Bea Fitzgerald
• The Grecian Women series by Hannah Lynn, if I can get over my issues with Athena's Child, the first in the series
• Daedalus is Dead, by Seamus Sullivan
• Alcestis, by Katharine Beutner
• The Foretelling, by Alice Hoffman
• Amber and Clay, by Laura Amy Schlitz

Buenas, quisiera saber qué opinan/cuáles son sus experiencias cuando se trata de enseñar ELE fuera de países hispanohablantes. Concretamente, quiero prepararme en términos de calificación profesional, pero no sé cuál camino en concreto seguir.

Soy hablante nativo, argentino, pero es extremadamente poco probable que vuelva a vivir en un país de habla hispana en el futuro. Mi formación universitaria no está relacionada con la enseñanza de ELE ni la docencia o pedagogía en general, pero actualmente tengo un certificado que me permite enseñar inglés (no ESL) y a eso me dedico.

Tengo suerte de que el país en el que vivo actualmente no tiene problemas con que no sea originario de un país angloparlante, pero no tengo pensado quedarme aquí permanentemente, por lo que quiero tener un respaldo. Si me mudo, por ejemplo, a algún país asiático por el trabajo de mi mujer, es probable que me rechacen como profesor de inglés por no contar con un pasaporte de un país angloparlante. Es por eso que quiero explorar ser profesor de ELE como respaldo.

Tengo experiencia como profesor particular de ELE, así como experiencia enseñando ELE a tiempo parcial en una escuela. He estado evaluando la posibilidad del diploma DADIC del Instituto Cervantes, pero me parece una trayectoria bastante larga y cara, y su modalidad presencial (o semi-presencial para los cursos preparatorios) es un inconveniente. Recién me entero del programa PDP ELE de Edinumen, pero no le tengo tanta confianza.

Muchas gracias por sus opiniones.