TRIGGER WARNINGS: war, violence, sexual slavery.
The Iliad, a major Greek epic poem by Homer, is like sex, if sex were actually good (I say that a lot, but it's true). It's also known as, in my opinion, the best BL out there. This bad boy's got everything: tragic and doomed yaoi/homoeroticism, big and beefy Greek dudes, petty gods, epic rap-battles and battle-battles, and enough toxic masculinity to make my vegan cousin pass out.
This book takes place about 9 years since the start of the infamous Trojan War, a war that all started over Paris of Troy stealing away King Menelaus of Sparta's wife, Helen, after being promised her hand in marriage by Aphrodite. Bound by an oath, Menelaus' bros arm themselves and sail to Asia Minor to retrieve his wife from Paris' pretty boy twink hands. At the time of The Iliad, the Greeks have successfully ransacked the cities and towns surrounding Troy; mostly thanks to this blond dude named Achilles. He's kind of a dick (actually, a major dick) but he also happens to be the main protagonist of the epic and an indespensible asset to the Greeks.
This Achilles guy in question gets majorly pissed off by Agamemnon; the brother of Menelaus, king of Mycenae, and the commander of the Greeks. Agamemnon insults him by taking away his war prize (aka bang maid or sex slave) Briseis, and in response, Achilles goes on strike and holes up in his tent, wrapped up like an angry blond burrito. The Greeks begin to lose against the Trojans without him, so Achilles' best childhood buddy and definitely-not-boyfriend; Patroclus, disguises himself as Achilles. Patroclus leads the Greeks into battle in his boyfriend's clothes, but is killed by Prince Hector of Troy after Apollo knocks off his helmet and reveals his face to the Trojans. What ensues soon after is Achilles' infamous rage. Achilles slaughters the Trojans, kills Hector, and drags his body by chariot around Troy. King Priam, Hector's father, is forced to plead to Achilles for the return of his son's body. Achilles relents, and the epic concludes with the Trojans mourning Hector's death.
There's actually a LOT that happens in between these events, before these events, and after--but this is the general gist of it. The many events of the Trojan War are covered by several different poems and books, the Iliad is merely one chapter of it. This definitely seems like one of those boring books they force you to read in high school English, yet it has somehow enchanted me and taken over my life. You got to give it a shot, SO READ THE ILIAD!!!! I recommend the translations by either Emily Wilson or Robert Fagles.
