I am really enjoying the recent spate of mythology retellings so I was immediately intrigued when I saw this. The cover is gorgeous and really eye catching. A retelling of the Hercules story which may change your view of him compared to what you already know!

Recently I have been obsessed with mythology and this is a fresh and interesting take. I was hooked from the get go and loved having the different perceptions and views of such an iconic figure!

An interesting retelling of the legend of Hercules and the myths he intersects with, told through the voices of those around him.

The narration uses a mix of different styles, some epistolary sections, some parts written to the reader, and others directed to Hercules. The voices all use a very modern tone, speaking in a casual way which lets the reader feel like a contemporary to these ancient sorties. I really liked the style, but it might be a little off putting if you're hoping for something more akin to The Song of Achilles.

The story is hilarious in some places and deeply tragic in others. I never knew much about Hercules' story before (except for knowing that the Disney film is great, but entirely inaccurate) and it's shocking to read just how tragic parts of his life were.

The story jumps around a little as it's split between so many different POVs, but that makes it easy to dip in and out of, and it's interesting to see how everyone's opinion of Hercules differs.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this to anyone who loves Greek mythology.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Herc is a pretty fun retelling of the Hercules/Heracles myth, all told. Presented from the point of view of everyone except Hercules, it’s an interesting look at how myths are formed. Depending on whose POV you’re reading, Hercules is alternatively a true hero plagued by a goddess’s curse of madness or a conniving murdering liar (or something a little in between).

And it’s an interesting take on the myth, that’s for definite. I enjoyed reading it, not knowing much of Hercules’ myth beyond the twelve labours. For the most part, it keeps you engaged, although because of its focus on retelling from other perspectives, there’s no real drive to the plot it feels at times. Of course, that might be right up your alley and, mostly, it didn’t bother me.

Really, the main issue I had was that all of the perspectives sounded very similar. The only two that really stuck out in terms of tone were Megara (and she only got one chapter) and Iolaus. Eurystheus was amusing, but he sounded exactly the same as half of the other POVs. It was handy that each chapter heading told you whose POV it was because, that aside, I’m not sure I’d have been able to tell. I get it, it’s hard to make quite so many POVs sound all distinct, but I think there could have been perhaps a little creativity in formatting or style in that case. As it was, tonally they all blurred into one. But at the very least, it was a tone I didn’t mind, leaning into humour as it was. Eurystheus’ POV was probably the most amusing of them all, and his was the one I most enjoyed reading.

Another issue I had with the sheer number of POVs is that the story came to feel quite bitty, jumping around as it was between characters who were there at particular times, sometimes having to skip back a few months to someone else’s POV to get the full story. It was almost (although not explicitly) framed as a series of interviews, in that sense.

Despite having only mentioned things that didn’t work for me about this book, I did enjoy it overall. I think, though, this illustrates the sticking point: for all that I did like it, what stuck out most for me were the things that didn’t quite land. Perhaps that’s the usual way, but on the whole, it meant I ended up just a little disappointed.

This was such a glorious, eye-opening read! I’ve always loved mythology, but haven’t read much about Hercules past his heroic endeavors and of course, the much-loved Disney film. This book has such a fresh, modern voice which in turn makes these tales so much more accessible without resorting to moving us into a modern setting to make it relatable. I laughed, I cringed; and loved when familiar faces came into the picture. There were so many times when I went ‘wait, what??’ And moved to our good friend google for verification, only to go ‘oh no’ when I realised YEP, that’s how that tale actually goes. I only knocked off a star because the book became repetitive and predictable (even as someone who hasn’t read the fables it’s based on) and I think I would have liked maybe one story at least where he wasn’t a total arse, or an idiot, or just irresponsible. However from reading this…perhaps there wasn’t one. Overall, this was an absolutely amazingly written account of greek mythology perfect for fans of Lore, Song of Achilles or Circe.

Absolutely loved this telling of the life of Hercules. I expected all the delicious Greek mythology and folklore, but what I didn't expect was how contemporary this book felt. The characters are so relatable and downright quirky that I found myself genuinely laughing out loud. To the point that my dog thought there was something wrong with me and started bringing me his toys, out of concern for my mental wellbeing.
The only criticism I would give is that it would have been more user friendly to have the list of characters at the beginning rather than the end. As it was I jotted down names and connections as I read, as a lot of the Greek names were unfamiliar to me so it didn't affect my enjoyment in any way.

4/5 stars! I have never liked Hercules. With the exception of singing along to the Disney songs when I was kid, I've always thought he was kind of a jerk that got painted in a sunny light due to having Zeus be his father. So when I learned that a book existed around everyone BUT Hercules, I was excited to read it. This was a really well-done take on Greek mythology. I did occasionally struggle with how many different POVs took place, but overall a really enjoyable mythology read.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This was such a fun, modern and hilarious take on the Greek tale. I’d never heard Herc’s family’s perspective before., it was a nonstop conversation of home truths and absolutely on the comedic money, Huge thank you to the publisher for the ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book deals with the Greek myth of Hercules and is told through the eyes of all those that knew him. His parents, his brother, his teacher, his wife, his nephew, etc.

At the beginning of the book, I thought the tone was a bit too flippant (think more immature Disney Hercules than Greek mythology Hercules), but was hooked by the time Hercules' wife told the story of - spoiler alert - how he killed their children and her.

I was delighted by all the things I learnt from reading this book. I didn't know for example that Orpheus had a brother named Linus and that Hercules was a student of his.

To summarise, this is definitely a book for mythology lovers. It is a bit of a split from this to say Madeline Miller's Achilles, but I managed to put my reservations to rest and enjoyed the read thoroughly.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the advance copy.

Herc is a brilliant retelling of the story of Hercules, but with a unique twist - it's told through the eyes of the people around him. Each chapter features a different person - from his parents and siblings to lovers, wives, kings, and queens - adding depth and complexity to the story. What makes this book truly enthralling is the fact that you never know whose point of view you'll get next and whether they love or hate Hercules. This dynamic makes the book incredibly engaging and a real page-turner.

The author's writing style is both witty and captivating, holding the reader's attention throughout the story, and keeping you on the edge of your seat as you follow Hercules' journey. The way the book is formatted is very new to me, but I found it to be quite cool. It added a fresh perspective to the story and made it all the more enjoyable to read.

This book is the perfect introduction to Greek mythology for those who are new to it, as I was. It provides a unique take on a classic story and leaves you wanting to read more. Each chapter adds a new layer to the story, making it more intriguing with every page turn.

Overall, "Herc" is a captivating, well-written book that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a fresh take on Greek mythology. Phoenicia Rogerson has done an excellent job in bringing Hercules and his world to life, and I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

I can see why this would be an appealing book but it just didn’t work for me.

The casual style and POV of Heracles family and friends starting from his conception onwards seems like a fresh idea but this is just too casual in my opinion.

Not for me.