The story of Hercules as told from the point of view of everybody else, his parents, his brother, his wife, his sister, his lover and indeed his cousins. In this version Hercules isn't so much the hero as a deeply frustrating individual who never really seems to consider consequences. I will say this, given out much her anger is woven throughout the story and the impact it had ("Hera made me do it") I would have actually liked to have heard more from her, I think it would have made for a fascinating addition.
Overall for YA it's a solid read, the multi-narrator stance sometimes takes from the tale. Hercules himself comes across as deeply unlikable (which is fair...this is not the Disney prince version) and hearing the other voices narrate their frustrations or to try and reconcile his actions is interesting.

The story of Hercules you didn't know you needed! Told from various different viewpoint throughout Herc's life this offers a fresh take and fill in some gaps in the tale of Hercules. Really enjoyed the writing style and humour

Excellent historical read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I do appreciate the way this story was told but for me I was so confused that I didn't enjoy it. I felt that whilst we got a really good depiction of Herc, and we saw his evil through many eyes but it wasn't for me. The constant switching of characters was very difficult for me to track and even though some of them were unimportant and weren't revisited, I find it difficult to brush over people that way. I think the writing style is very interesting and unique but I didn't gel with it personally. I don't think this is a bad book by any means but just a clash of my personal tastes.

Interesting, funny, sometimes startling novel that takes many of the better known myths of the hero Hercules and strings them into a running narrative. Each section is narrated by a different character: Hercules's siblings, wives, nephew, lovers, rulers, princesses, etc. Reader gets a different perspective on each story and on Hercules. Clever, witty, and definitely a fresh look at the old stories.

I do love a good Greek mythology retelling, and this was no exception. It's a very tongue in cheek examination about the hero Heracles (Hercule). Tye man, the myth, the legend. Except actually Herc is a bit of a jerk, and his story is in itself a contradiction, told from the point of view of characters who either love him or hate him. There's no rose tinted glasses here.

I liked that the author tried to do something different here. Heracles is such a well known figure in Greek myth and his trials and tribulations are well versed in many a retelling, but I did find the writing often threw me out of the story. A retelling doesn't have to be told in a strictly classical way for me to enjoy it, but bringing modern language into such a well known story felt a little jarring.

Decent retelling, but I would have preferred a different writing style and tone.

I love all things myth and whilst I've largely focused on the retelling of female myths, Hercules is such a huge figure that I was intrigued to see how Rogerson would approach it.

It. Is. Fantastic.

Other myths and perspectives are beautifully interwoven into this and its fascinating to see Hercules story through the eyes of others - each with their own take on whether he's a good guy, a bad guy, or just a very complicated and damaged guy.

This is also a very easy to read book, with unexpected humour throughout which I thoroughly enjoyed. I'd highly recommend!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to HQ and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I found this to be a breath of fresh air for the Greek Myth retelling genre. I love the genre and read any and all I find. But as there has been a resurgence in popularity the last few years some of these have begun to feel a bit samey.

For me this was a fresh take, and I really enjoyed how many strands of the Hercules myth were entwined. I also liked how his life was told from the perspective of others, those he affected for good or ill.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone, and especially those who like me love the genre but are maybe getting a bit fatigued by it too.

A hilarious queer feminist re-telling of Hercules.
The story is re-counted from the multiple points of view of others around him - his mother, first friend and wife.
The story demonstrates how his decisions affected individuals.
Loved this focus on the people Hercules affected rather than his fame and heroism.
He was a violent brute who inspired a range of emotions in others including fear and adoration.
If you love mythology, you’ll love this modern day re-telling.
Thanks @thatphoenicia, @hqstories & @netgalley

i'm on a greek mythology kick atm and i found this one really interesting. i liked that it was told in a modern tone and from the various perspectives. made me laugh, made me cry, made me look up various greek figures -- all the best signs of a book

This was so different from anything else I've read on Greek myth, I love that it spanned so many different characters but didn't feel surface level or disjointed. I feel like it was a part of Hercules that I haven't read about before so really enjoyed the different take.

As a literature & classics student I read a lot of mythical retelling & unfortunately Herc didn’t quite hit the spot for me. It was a fun read but I found it rather disjointed with the numerous points of view. Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the arc.

I really tried to love this one but unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. I found the characters to be quite flat.
I love Greek mythology and was interested in seeing different perspectives with this one.
There were some characters that I got annoyed seeing.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and HQ for approving me for an ARC of this book. I was very intrigued by this story and read it with my friend Wendy.

😆What I found pleasantly surprising about this story was how funny it was at times. Don’t get me wrong; it was filled with the usual death and destruction that you’d expect with Greek mythology, but I did enjoy the scattered sarcasm, particularly the letter writing.

💪🏻Hercules was a very complex and misunderstood character. I hadn’t realised how many stories were woven around him until this book. My opinion of him changed at several points, depending on whose story we were receiving.

🔈The multiple POV was another aspect that made this story stand out. Throughout the story, we hear from many different characters, who were affected by Hercules. At times this was a little confusing so I decided to treat each chapter as a short story, which helped me to process it better.

🌟If you’re looking for a mythology retelling with a twist then this would be right up your street.

This was a really interesting take on a Greek Mythology retelling.

I really liked how it was spread out across many different characters, and not at all sugar coated to make any of it sound a little sweeter like we're typically used to in retellings.

I enjoyed the different takes but also how fluidly the book transitions between each character, it made it a really pleasant read which was easy to get through.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC of this book!

3.5 stars
A different take on a mythological tale. I enjoyed the different views of Herc shown, it was interesting to see the different opinions and perspectives on what is essentially a well known character. It felt more like a series of little novellas to me rather than an overall story and therefore a lot of characters became a little lost to me.

I’ve always enjoyed reading Greek Myths, and after reading ‘Stone Blind’ by Natalie Haynes have rediscovered my love for them!
I especially enjoy them when they are super descriptive and full of wit. This book was both and an absolute delight.
Cannot wait to read what Phoenicia Rogerson does next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for my eARC

Herc is unlike any other retelling I've read so far. It breathes new life into an old hero by telling his story from those who knew him best.

While I found the format fresh and new it was sometimes a little jarring. Constantly jumping between characters was a little taxing on the brain and at times confusing. Especially once you get to Megara's chapter and it jumps into second person narration.

That said I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's fast paced and refreshing. It's not overly complicated and it lays bare the story of Herc for everyone to see.

While I have been enjoying the majority of the current trend in retelling of Greek myths, I did not find this up to the usual standard. Maybe more for a YA audience! Thanks to Netgalley.

Herc is a queer retelling of the Greek myth of Hercules. Phoenicia provides a fresh insight into this myth, and she stands apart as a fantastic writer in this Greek retelling space that’s normally quite saturated. I love the cover design for the book as well, and was lucky enough to see the author at an event at Harper Collins and it was fantastic to hear her talk about the book with such passion.

Huge thank you to HQ for the copy, it’s a gem