Unfortunately had to DNF at 125 pages. I couldn't get along with the format and reading felt like a chore, I was bored.

Herc is an interesting retelling of the Hercules story, not simply just the story but the way the choices that are made impact the world around him. I’m not too sure how I felt initially, I couldn’t seem to get into this which was such a shame but I wholeheartedly believe it was because I was in a reading slump. As soon as I got into it I sped through this so so quickly!

I was expecting it to be more written in the way other Greek mythology retelling have been told and that was one reason why I did not love this as much. With that being said I can see why so many people would adore this!

With all of the different POVS it makes it quite easy to read and just pick up randomly. It was and is a good story if you’re looking for a tragic deeper telling of his life which most parts I did not know all of this. I would recommend it it just definitely was not one of my favourites but a good and entertaining read none the less

My first mythology retelling of the famous Hercules and what a brilliant read! Masterfully recreating the lives of those whose paths crossed Hercules. With absolute incredible writing.

This book had an intriguing premise: a retelling of the Hercules myths by the wide range of people who came into contact with him. Initially this format worked, hearing about Herc from his family members as he grew up was engaging and drew me into the story, but as it continued this format seemed to work against the story for me.

As the story develops it seems that everyone who comes into contact with Herc dislikes him, so you just keep getting a very flat, one dimensional character with the same opinion over and over. Whilst the odd male character who joins Herc on his quests do seem to like him, these characters too are created in a way that makes them seem unlikeable. You start to question why you’re continuing reading about someone with no redeeming qualities.

The prose itself seems very factual and listing, I’m not sure if this is the author’s style anyway, or just how the format of the different perspectives has meant that the prose works. Everything seems to be recounted in a very blunt way. There’s a lack of descriptive or cinematic writing which means that the world building — like the character — just seems to fall flat.

During the modernisation, a lot of the characters and their speech is overly modernised. Turns of phrase and interactions seem more like 21st century characters put into a historic setting. Again this just took away the enjoyment for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc to review, but sadly this one didn’t work for me.

What an utterly superb and enjoyable read. Did I have the Disney songs on repeat the whole time I was reading…yes, yes I did.

I am a sucker for retellings and Greek myths, and this one was so cleverly done. I liked how the book focussed more on the side characters rather than Hercules himself, the people whose lives he drifted in and out of, some I had never even heard of before. It must take a very skilful writer to bring together so many characters and not leave the reader confused, the writing is just so lyrical and well-crafted.

Can we also say what an utter douche Herc is! He just comes across like a petulant and arrogant man-child, yet he has this bizarre and annoying charismatic power over people. I really felt Eurystheus’ annoyance when he kept having to give him his twelve labours, that part did make me chuckle. Poor Meg, I always forget what happens to her, that part was so well written it broke my heart. I liked how the book didn’t shy away from his brutality, or the unfortunate tragedies of so many of the people in his life.

This has to be one of my favourite retellings I’ve ever read.

This felt like a rip-roaring whirlwind of a story, that at times was hard to keep up with. I felt like the chapters moved between characters too quickly and I struggled to keep up and made sense of the story. This is the tale of the impact of Hercules’ behaviour on the myriad of characters that came in to contact with him. Told at incredible pace with a seemingly un-ending cast of characters (some of whom communicated as if they were Love Island contestants rather than ancient Greeks, “like, bro”). The writing seemed fairly uncomplicated and may have been more suitable for the young adult reader perhaps.

This is a modern re-telling of an ancient tale and will attract a wide range of readers. It is very easy to read and told in an engaging and original style. I'm not sure that I really appreciated it as I have read much more engaging Greek mythology re-tellings but I do think it will attract new readers to the genre.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my gifted proof.

2023 has been a year of discovering Greek myth retellings for me, and HERC did not disappoint! An enlightening story of Hercules' life through everyone who knew him. Told in a unique style and offering a new take on an old hero, this is definitely one for anyone interested in the world of mythology.

I liked the story and the premise of the book. It was great to see the story of Hercules refreshed through those around him!
I did find the characters to “modern” however, I didn’t like how many of them spoke in a modern vocabulary. Great story though!

Unlike any of the Greek mythology books around know this sets itself apart. The story of HERC is told in multiple POVs, we aren't just talking 1 or 2. And how they are all affected by his presence.
This helps build the character of HERC superbly. Hercules; not just a hero but a lover, a brute, a man cursed and blessed by the gods. The good and the bad (mostly bad).
The son of Zeus is not just the version we know from Disney, (one of my fave Disney films).
Short chapters and an engaging writing style made this book easy to read and immerse yourself in. I can't wait to read more by this author!

This is a Greek mythology retelling of the life of Hercules but with a unique twist in that it is told from multiple perspectives of those people who knew Hercules. I really enjoyed the way the story was told. It provided a unique look at the impact of Herc’s behaviour and actions throughout his life. There was a lot of humour and wit I n each chapter and I enjoyed the different opinions and perspectives given by different characters and how they perceived Herc’s actions.
Overall an enjoyable and unique retelling!

Firstly, please note that may not be the official blurb, as it hasn't been uploaded anywhere yet so I just copied it from my proof! Secondly, look at that amazing cover - I can't wait to see it in person, with those blues and golds.

I read the myths growing up, like everyone, but most of my exposure to Hercules comes from the TV series, now mostly better known for creating the character of Xena, and for Hercules' actor becoming a Trump fan. Although it's a fantastic show, funny, clever and heartfelt, it is - in the nicest way possible - not faithful to the myths, repurposing characters and mixing up myths with different outcomes. This is a much more faithful adaptation, taking a more serious look at the myths and weaving a coherant story out of them.

Everything is from the point of view of people around Hercules. This is partly annoying - most of his labours happen off screen during Eurystheus' sections - and partly very clever, as the sections overlap and twist around each other to build a coherent story. If I wanted to be mean, I could say that there's little difference in tone between the sections - Iphicles sounds like Hylas sounds like Iole sounds like Deianira - but that keeps the story from being jarring and makes it flow more smoothly. The index of characters at the back is very helpful when trying to remember which Iph or Iol we're dealing with at any given time!

There are literally dozens of versions of these myths, and I'm very impressed at the effort that has gone into reconciling them and making one coherent story out of them. It even makes sense of the Heracles/Hercules conundrum! This does read very smoothly and it's a really clever way to look at one of our oldest myths. It will sit beautifully beside Stephen Fry's books and may well start a new run of mythological books retold by the side characters. I can't wait.

(Also, watch the show. It's very funny. Just pretend you don't know what happened afterwards.)

Description:
Hercules' life, told through the eyes of a bunch of different folks who knew him.

Liked:
I liked the premise: it's clever to tie up a whole lot of (often contradictory) stories and spotlight the contradictions by showing that different people had different views on him. Some of the stories themselves are very interesting, and I assume the author has made quite an effort to provide context and justifiction for some of the weirder bits of this mythology.

Disliked:
Found the tone really irritating. It's very jokey and self-consciously, colloquially modern in its vocabulary. Every time an ancient Greek said 'eejit' or 'fuck that', it rubbed me up the wrong way. There's a feeling that this vocabulary, and the tendency of some characters to behave like teenage twitch streamers, is clever or subversive. It made what could have been a really interesting experience into a painful one.

Wouldn’t recommend, unfortunately.

A unique retelling of the mythology of Hercules/Heracles and the experience of those characters overshadowed by the infamous story. Though this follows Hercules, none of the chapters are written from his perspective. It is a fascinating way of developing a vast plot and multiple relationships through a cast of characters. This is a darker retelling and lacks some emotional impact. Still, it is such an exciting approach that this book is worth reading.

this is so raw, funny and absurd. no spoilies! but if you love mythical retelling but told in a Family Modern mockumentary style, this is for u.

Hercules/Herakles is a mystifying and emotionally/physically/mentally complicated character - which is essentially what has made him such an enduring and fascinating protagonist since his debut in the ancient world. Hercules straddles mortal and immortal realms. He is neither one nor the other, and he himself has to struggle with this limbo which no one, not any characters in his world(s), nor any readers (ancient or modern) can fully understand.

This makes Hercules an incredibly challenging character to write about, especially with our modern world being (in some ways) so removed from the ancient one within which we know him best. Many contemporary authors, directors, artists, skip over the nuances of Hercules’ character and focus too heavily on a black-or-white situation. He is either very very good, or very very bad. He can’t possibly be a bit of both. That would be too much.

In ‘skimming’ Hercules’ character, we lose the essence of what has made him endure the two millennia between us and the ancients. In many modern adaptations, he has been reduced.

Phoenicia Rogerson has found perhaps an ingenious solution to the Hercules problem - by writing about him from the perspective of others, the lives he touched, rather than from Hercules’ own (potentially impossible) perspective. To a degree, this works very well. The relationship between Hercules and Hylas is crucial, and poignantly written. Xenoclea and Omphale make great characters. A sense of Hercules’ true nature does evade the reader somewhat, which is the point, and that does work well.

However. I’d say that the vast majority of the characters had incredibly similar voices. There was a strong sense of sarcastic/modern/American humour throughout that worked for a couple of characters (Amphitryon, for example) but grew to be repetitive and felt ill-fitting for many of the others. There is a skill to writing about the ancient world and making it relatable for modern readers, but there are too many ‘modernities’ (for lack of a better phrase) which distanced me further from the narrative rather than drawing me closer. The repeated nicknames for a whole host of characters, for example, and the strange explanation as to why a character might use the phrase ‘holy cow,’ which felt like a slightly lacking cover-up for an Americanism. At times I felt like I was reading some kind of quasi-Disney narrative.

Overall, I’d say the author has come up with a brilliant solution for writing about an incredibly tricky character. It’s a great read, and it’s certainly more balanced than other contemporary novels involving Hercules. But it’s still not quite right.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HQ for the privilege.

Plot
This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures…everyone’s favourite hero, right?

Well, it’s not.

This is the story of everyone else:

Alcmene: Herc’s mother (She has knives everywhere)

Hylas: Herc’s first friend (They were more than friends)

Megara: Herc’s wife (She’ll tell you about their marriage)

Eurystheus: Oversaw Herc’s labours (Definitely did not hide in a jar)

His friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims.

It’s time to hear their stories.

Review
If you’ve seen the Disney masterpiece or the one that has The Rock in that we don’t really talk about, then forget everything you know. Hercules wasn’t all that and then some according to those who knew him and that’s what I loved about this book.

Told in an interview style with all those he wronged, this gives an insight into the personality of the most famous son of Zeus and he’s a right…. Person shall we say.

I love the use of modern language and attitudes of the characters, eve the dead ones - yes we get a trip to Hades - it makes the prose so much easier to read. The humour and sarcasm drips in every page and I foible myself giggling more than a few times.

There are of course some seriously dark moments which are very triggering, especially what happens to poor Meg and her kids and if you know the myth then approach with caution.

All in all this is one of the best myth retelling I’ve read and I utterly adore it.

Rating
5/5

Recommend
Hades to the yeah! Beware triggering themes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for allowing this.

Herc tells the story of Hercules (Heracles) from birth to death. It stretches over many years and is told from the perspectives of many different characters. It is largely a collection of different people recalling specific moments of their interactions with Hercules. There are also some moments that are told in letters between characters.

There was a lot covered in this book and I did find parts of it really interesting. There was some content in the Hercules lore I was familiar with but others that was completely new to me. So although some of it was recognisable, there was still content that was fresh.

Due to the volume of different narrators and the time jumps, I found I struggled to really engage with this book or any of the narrators. Some of the narrators you don’t know if you will come back to as they only have very small amounts of content, and it never circles back to them. Others have multiple chapters written from their perspective. I didn’t connect emotionally with any of the characters. I also found some of the voices didn’t feel particularly distinct. The name of the narrator does form the chapter title but they did feel a bit similar sometimes.

This was interesting and I did find it a bit different to some other Greek mythology retellings which I really liked as some of them can be a bit too similar sometimes. I liked the variety that came with covering a wide time period and there were sections, such as when Herc was a baby that I enjoyed.

I found this interesting but not enthralling. I was happy to read it but it didn’t grab me in the way some other recent reads have.

I didn't enjoy the casual, modern way the characters spoke to one another. It didn't just modernise the story, it made it seem informal and a bit daft. I did enjoy the story itself, however. Three stars

Thank you to both NetGalley and HQ/ HarperCollins for an early EPUB in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Herc is an amazing take on the man, the myths, and the legend that is Hercules - don’t let him catch you calling him Heracles! - It’ll sit in the pantheon with the great Greek retellings that have come out in the last few years. Rogerson pivots between a light hearted comedic approach that will turn and skewer you in the next sentence; consider yourself warned, some stories aren’t known as tragedies for nothing. After all, how do you overcome a spited goddess's wrath? To quote Madeline Miller “Name one hero who was happy?”

What I love that Rogerson has done to separate Herc from the pack is that we never hear from the hero himself. Herc is an exploratory novel of the demi-God told by those who knew and loved (or loathed) the man best, each narrator has their own distinctive voice and take on the main man. We hear from the living and the dead, minor characters are given their own chapters - which keeps the novel rolling with every fresh new view - and the little titbits from the original stories make for a very accessible novel for newcomers and old hats alike.

You won’t necessarily like Hercules, but you will love Herc. Like Narcissus looking in a mirror, I couldn’t put it down. It was an easy five stars and I’m very much looking forward to picking up a physical copy on its publication day (August 31st, 2023, in the UK). So put it in your diaries, it's going to be legendary.

*I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I’ve read a lot of mythology retellings but this one is definitely a favourite. From the enticing mix of different voices to the humour present throughout, this is such an amazing book. It seamlessly links many tales of Hercules, creating an engaging and well-rounded depiction of his life. The horrible things he does aren’t shied away from, with emotional scenes throughout, but the tone is kept light through the strong and distinct voices providing humorous commentary.

Iolaus is absolutely hilarious, and I love how Rogerson takes a character who’s often overlooked and makes him so memorable and iconic. I highlighted so many lines in this and most of them were from Iolaus’ perspective! Also, the glossary at the end was laugh-out-loud funny and made something I’d usually skip over into something I adored every line of.

This is such an accessible retelling, but one that also has lots of amusing references for mythology lovers. I’d definitely recommend this for people wanting to get into mythology retellings, as well as those who’ve always loved the genre. There’s love, there’s humour and there’s tragedy, all wrapped up in a tale that twists the source material to create a fresh and engaging look at Hercules. I’ll 100% be getting a physical copy of this to add to my mythology collection when it comes out. A five-star read and a new favourite book!