Unfortunately I will not be posting a review for Herc. This retelling didn't really work well for me although I did read about 50%. I think the language was perhaps a little bit too modern for my taste. I enjoyed finding out more about Hercules but the story felt more like a series of short stories all connected by Hercules and short stories don't usually work well for me.

I'm so sorry to be unable to complete this one and thank you for the opportunity to review it.

I find it entertaining and well written. It's sort of biography of Hercules told by the women in his life.
The voices are very moment and I found it interesting even if the mythological aura was lost
The women in Hercules' life were quite strong and I think it would be great if their voice could be heard.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me an arc.

I love reading mythology fiction, and thus I loved reading Herc.

As you're probably aware, Herc follows the story of Hercules, also known as Heracles. Phoenicia weaves a brilliant narrative into who Herc really was, and not the hero he's made out to be. Death and misfortune follow him everywhere.

We are treated to many monologues from Iphicles, his twin brother, to Hylas, his lost love, to Megara, who suffered a horrible fate, along with their children. Along the way you come to see that Herc isn't the hero he claims to be, but rather a petulant child, and then a petulant adult who can't handle the word 'no'.

A must-read for any mythology lover.

Herc is the latest in our current spike of Greek mythology retellings, but instead of avenging mythological misogyny or justifying ancient war crimes, this story takes on a whole different tone and angle - plus a whole new Hercules.

This, like some other mythological retellings, is the chronological tale of a character from birth to death. The big difference begins with tone, for though we start with Hercules’ birth and the characters surrounding it, the reader will instantly realise that these insightful snippets are written an almost interview-like style. This creates a rich tapestry of voices and characters, all whilst running the risk of sounding too colloquial – e.g. how can I take a mythological character seriously, when they keep saying ‘holy cow’? The second tonal quirk is the humour and wit. Parts of this book, for all intents and portents, could be read as comedy – a fact that I did not accept until I finally turned the last page.

Yet, for all of my uncertainty, it made the reading experience feel original and current, something that it continued via the scrutiny of so-called ‘heroic feats’ and the madness of Hercules, alongside its impact on countless innocent young men, women, and children. This is further enriched by fragments: letters, documents, announcements, which almost make it feel like a court case: was Hercules just damned by the Gods or was he to blame for his own fate?
It is ultimately the reader who decides.

There is also a clever blending of mythological stories and characters, including Apollo, Theseus, and Jason. However, I did feel like the author was trying to catch a galaxy in a jar and fling in extra myth knowledge, for the sake of it.

It is this, amidst its other strengths, that caused this book to have a few Herculean letdowns. Due to cramming so many mythological references and plotlines into one place, the book had an episodic and over-written feel. Within these episodes, serious topics would also jostle for place and often be undermined by humorous quips - especially the ‘Fifty’ chapter – because a combination of the blasé interview-style and modern language made it seem like this book was incapable of being serious, even when it needed to be.

Overall, despite being let down by tools meant to elevate it, Herc is a book that shall appease both lovers of Hercules and haters of Hercules, all whilst painting a picture of a man inflated by greatness and usurped by his own wrongs.

A very different and unique retelling of the life of Hercules. A documentary style narrative with many POV’s building a rounded and robust portrait.

The writing style is ultra modern, making it fast paced and very accessible to everyone. Ultimately though the style of storytelling, using such contemporary language didn’t work for me. But I can see an audience for this type of retelling.

Thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Herc in exchange for an independent, honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology retellings, and was really excited about reading and reviewing this book. From the start, Hercules was instantly dislikeable, as were a number of the characters! It was quite refreshing to see the hero as the ultimate anti-hero: bully, psychopath, bumbling idiot and, actually, a bit of a wally. My favourite character had to be Meghara, and Herc's treatment of her and their children was horrific.

The book weaves through Herc's trials, which were intended as punishments but, at no time, did he ever appear to be sorry for his actions. There weren't any saving graces within this character, which is probably the reason I gave up before I got to the end.

I've given 3 stars due to the amazing female characters and the sympathy and empathy evoked through them. I was hoping for an Achilles-style character in the style of Madeline Miller, but I just could not stick with him!

An interesting take on a Greek myth retelling, from multiple POV from those around Hercules / Heracles. This is not in the least stuffy or academic, it's super accessible and with a full list of characters to refer to its great to see how all the stories relate to each other. Solid 3 stars from me.

Herc is an astonishing book. This is an incredible, often darkly humorous and impeccably crafted work of art.

This is one of my favourite Greek mythology retellings I have read for a while. It paints such a complex picture of an idolised figure, showing him as hero and destroyer. You are taken through every aspect of his life, but through the voices of those often found at the margins of his story. There are those he loved, killed, destroyed. They are often just incremental mentions in his story, but his actions had huge ramifications for theirs. It is the original edition of the whole superhero destroys the city but from the perspective of a civilian trying to live their life narrative. Rogerson’s endlessly fascinating narrative choices allow all voices to be heard and imbues them with heart, soul and character. I was not expecting the elements of humour to be woven in here, but they really landed for me. Though some of them are bleak and dark humour, I loved them.

Rogerson keeps the ethics murky, not shying away from the years of blood staining his hands, but also shows glimmers of love and humanity beneath the heroic veneer. This book tears apart putting anyone on a pedestal and romanticised narrative of heroism. It is just people, and those more powerful than people, and they are messy, flawed and often heinous. There are few purely good things here. Part of that is the incredibly polarised environment of survival at all costs, but part of that is an innate greediness and a definite element of toxic masculinity. Within this narrative, there is a huge pushback against that toxic masculinity, with elements of feminism and queer pride woven into the story. That kind of undermining traditional expectations of a heroic narrative is sublime.

Herc is everything you would not expect from your traditional heroic narrative. It flips the script in all the best ways, as I always love to see from my favourite mythological retellings.

This moving and mythical retelling of Heracles was one that I did not know what to expect. I wasn’t wholly familiar with the entirety of his myth and therefore really enjoyed the way that Rogerson wrote his origins and development. The characters was rich and full of life and I really liked how the medium of the narrative changed as well as the perspectives, it was so engaging to see Heracles through the eyes of others and the mixture of narrative techniques to tell parts of the story keeps the reader engaged with the story. I truly enjoyed this retelling of his story and learning about his myth in this rich and evocative book.

I loved the LGBTQ+ representation in this book. it was just beautiful. The story was very well written, and had a solidly gripping plot. However, if you don't have much prior knowledge of Greek Mythology, I'd definitely recommend brushing up on it before reading this book.

Although I usually adore mythological retellings, this is not one that I found myself loving.

I expected a thirlling saga, detailing all of Herarcles exploits - the brave, the violent and the interesting - but instead I got a confusing and not particularly engaging collection of short stories about Heracles told from a number of different perspectives. Whilst I do prefer to read stories from one singular perspective, I've never been put off a book if it's multi pov, but I felt as though the story suffered from being told from multiple different angles.

I'm not sure this is a book that I'll ever recommend to others, but I would be open to reading more by Rogerson.

I really enjoyed this!

It was such a unique take on how to write Greek mythology stories and I’m here for it!

The entire time I was reading this book, I forgot that these were not real stories, that these were myths from long ago!

It’s written in such a way that it almost felt like a journalistic article or a modern biography of a recently passed celeb!

I love that it’s so true to the original stories, we’re just getting a fresh perspective from the people around Hercules!

It follows his life from birth to the end and I devoured it! And there’s also some amazing queer rep thrown in, in such a natural way!

If you’re a lover of mythology or if you want to deep dive into some of the original tales this would be such a great read for you!

So I really did enjoy this book. It's the story of Hercules' life but told completely via the people in his life from his parents, siblings, wives, lovers, acquaintances, enemies, and many more.

I liked the multiple POV and found it really easy to understand who everyone was not only because the chapters are named after the POV but because it was clear as to where we were in the story of Hercules life. The fact that we have this whole book based on the usual 'side characters' was a really interesting take.

This is a must for anyone who enjoys a Greek mythology retelling.

This is the story (made up of many individual stories) of Hercules as told by his family, friends and enemies with a contemporary twist.

It was a really interesting view of Hercules told by many voices. I don't have huge knowledge of Greek mythology and the vast majority of this book was new to me and although I didn't find it an easy read I feel much better educated. I read this as a digital download and didn't realise there was the character list at the end of the book, and although it contains spoilers I think it would have helped me keep track (I envy those who will read the physical book after publication and have access to it as they read).

I am giving this book 4 stars because of the author's ability to tell so many stories in one story and the vast amount of research they must have done.

Thanks to HqStories and netgalley for this copy ahead of publication on 31 August 2023.

Telling the story of Hercules through the other people in his life (his mother, his wife, and his boyfriend amongst others), this is a modern take on Hercules' tale, and yet takes from the original myths perfectly. Great fun, sharp and witty

I love a mythological retelling, but unfortunately this just wasn't for me.
Told from a dizzying array of perspectives, and mashing mythology with modern language and themes, Phoenicia Rogerson's Herc tells the story of Herecles and his exploits.
While the format might be interesting to those with a short attention span, and Rogerson clearly has a encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject, I found it confusing and a bit frustrating. Unfortunately I'm not sure who I could recommend this to.

This book has different points of view from which we get to know the story of Hercules.
I liked it a lot, it is a different way of telling the myths, the changing perspectives and opinions according to the narrator gives us a broader view of one of the most famous heroes of Greece, but also gives us a deeper insight into the characters that accompany Hercules in his myths, putting in the spotlight characters that are usually silent and secondary.

This was 4.5 stars for me. Phoenicia’s writing was so compelling and enthralling and I really did love this story. It was something different when it came to the retelling. The characters didn’t have to be introduced, they were just there and stayed throughout. Personalities were so strong and at times the book was devastatingly sad. I would recommend this to anyone who loves Greek myth retellings.

Really thoroughly enjoyed this book, loved seeing the different views of the people that were in Herc’s life and how they felt. Its nice to be able to see more of the people that are not usually written about in depth in greek mythology, the author has done a really good job at portraying them and the things they felt.

Could have been an interesting retelling however this was just not my cup of tea.
I did not enjoy the multiple POVs, too many for me and I was not a big fan of the writing and the modern vocabulary that was used. It took the characters out of the story and was distracting to hear a Greek God speak in a modern way. I can see why that would be appealing but I just was not the right target audience!