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!

This book retells the life of Hercules through some of the people he most affects, from his parents, to his siblings, to his wives, and lovers. The reader is presented with all these different perspectives on Hercules, all people with their own motivations and feelings. There's no definitive Hercules and it's left to the reader to decide whether he's a hero, villain, or something in between.

You're either going to love this or hate it due to the writing style. It's informal and irreverent, almost like a conversation between friends, spilling all the gossip. Personally, I loved it and it kept me turning the pages. I think this is a unique addition to the recent spate of Greek mythology retellings and I look forward to seeing what the author does next.

I really enjoyed this - was sceptical at first of another greek retelling - especially hercules a story we know so well... buttl this one focuses on the women in Herc's life and is such a fresh and original take on the story.

Bit of a slow burn but eventually I was invested - I would say persevere through the first few chapters - especially if youre a fan of greek legends

Thanks to HQ Stories for my copy of HERC.I loved how we have the preselected of the 4 .Being a fan of Greek mythology, the thought of Hercules' story being recounted from the viewpoint of others around him rather than from his seemed like a fresh take on an old tale. The story demonstrates how his decisions affected individuals around him throughout his life and how he handled the fallout. I liked the novel because it focused on the people Hercules affected through his travels rather than his fame and demise. Herc was told from a variety of perspectives, some of which were funnier than others but all of them were entertaining in some way.

Due to his pure sass and absolute contempt for others, Eurystheus was my favourite point of view. When the author penned those chapters from this POV, it added a much-appreciated air of superiority and lightheartedness to a novel that was rife with murder.

The humorous points of view are all told in a casual, colloquial style, which felt out of place in the time and place of the novel but also made it easier to follow the plot rather than utilising a more formal, flowery style.

I must admit that my knowledge of Greek myths, particularly Hercules peaked in primary school and was only really strengthened later in life by the Disney movie. When I read the blurb for Herc – a retelling of Hercules’ story from the perspective of the friends, family and enemies in his life, I was instantly intrigued.

What a story it is – and much less PG than Disney would have you believe! There was a lot about the crazy story of Herc that had been left out of my primary school education and perhaps for good reason. I think going into this mostly without context is a great way to read it as I honestly didn’t know where the story was going to go or what madcap adventure would be next. I’d heard of Theseus and the Minotaur, the Hydra and Jason and the Argonauts who turn up in the book but I had no idea of his Godly curse, what actually happened to his wife Megara or the cross-dressing Queen Omphale.

The chapters alternate between a wide range of characters who interacted with Hercules throughout his life, some just as a one-off to further the story, some as reoccurring characters who usually come back a few times before encountering their deaths. This was a really refreshing narrative device and really kept the pace high and was in part sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking. Occasionally these narratives would sound a little samey - they didn’t all have a distinctive voice and some of the expressions they used were quite modern, but to be honest, I didn’t really mind. Keeping them all in your head got quite difficult as you got further into the book (something the author agrees with in her notes!). There’s a bias on the queer side of Hercules’ relationships although it is said that he had ‘male lovers beyond counting’. These characters in particular all meet quite a sad end, and it was so fascinating to paint Hercules, not as a hero, but a man who just ran through life, went on adventures and had multiple relationships, not really caring who was destroyed in the process.

Overall, Hercules is a crazy myth and this is a great way to introduce that story to a modern audience in a way that is engaging and fun, but also heartbreaking and sad all at the same time! Thank you to NetGalley & HQ Stories for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an arc from Netgalley.

As a lover of Greek Mythology, the concept drew me in immediately, the idea of the story of Hercules being told not from his perspective but those around him seemed like a new twist on an old story. The plot shows how his actions impacted those around him throughout his life and how he dealt with the consequences.

The book took me a while to get into at first but once I did I enjoyed being swept along with the story. A downside for me was that it felt like there were almost too many different points if view which made me feel like I was getting bounced around a bit making it a bit hard to keep up at some points. Overall I probably would read it again and would recommend it for those who love mythology retellings or those who are fans of Madeline Miller.

I always enjoy reading mythological retellings about Gods/Goddesses that are rarely written about. And while Hercules is someone we are familiar with from TV and Film, I believe this is the first book I have read based around him. Told from the POV of the women in his life, this is a rollercoaster of a story full of all kinds of emotions. A wonderful read!

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Herc
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Phoenicia Rogerson
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mythology
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 31st August 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.5/5

”He’s half mortal, half god, and he never worked out how to be either.”

This was a fresh and original take on the story of Hercules. I’m familiar with the Hercules from other myth interpretations who seems to consistently come across as unlikable, distasteful, and not very bright.

Well, the author doesn’t change much there.

But I did learn so much more about Hercules than I thought I would! And I enjoyed that the story wasn’t about the glory and downfall of Hercules, but rather the people he impacted on his adventures. Herc was told through multiple points of view, some more scathing than others, but all of them amusing in some way.

I think that Eurystheus was my favourite perspective due to his pure sassy attitude and utter disdain towards others, when the author wrote those chapters from this POV it provided a very welcomed lighthearted and superior tone to a book that was full of killing.

Not only are all the point of views amusing, they’re all told through an informal colloquial tone, which felt incongruent with the time period and setting, but also made the story easier to follow rather than utilising a more formal and flowery sort of language.

I did think it was a bit repetitive due to the many POVs. Sometimes matters were dragged up again and again and again because somebody in Herc’s orbit interpreted it differently.

The feminism is quite subtle. There are strong female characters with feminist ideologies, but for every strong female character, there’s two male characters with inflated egos. So I think it’s quite easy for the feminism to get lost when much of the novel focuses on the men and male heroism in general.

Overall, Rogerson takes the myth of Hercules and shines a light on his character to reveal the shadows, the flaws, and the undeniable inconvenience of being loved and hated by gods in equal measure. On the cover of Herc it states, ’hero, husband, father, villian’ and this story isn’t about a progression from glory to evil, but how one man can be all things at once. With its easy tone and introductions to many Greek mythological characters and places, I think this is a fabulous book for those just starting to dip a toe into the deep waters of Greek mythology.

—Kayleigh🤍

Another mythical retelling, this time about Hercules and is narrated by the women in his life. They portray as a very unlikable character. More like a bully and used his strength to get what he wanted. It was an interesting read but the thing that spoilt it for me was that there were too many pov's and it did get confusing at times. All in all a good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

A very different imagining of a Greek myth and I really enjoyed this. This is the story of Heracles/Hercules but it is not told in a linear fashion, not told through his eyes. There is a sort of chronological thread running through the book with the odd deviation backwards which does not detract from the story of the man/hero. But this is not a biography. What we have here are narrations from people who knew him - his family, his lovers, his wives and those who come up against him and each person dishes the dirt. We have their opinions of Hercules - good and bad. Some of these perspectives are humourous and some - especially towards the end are really sad. I loved the correspondence between Eurystheus and Augeas when the former was trying to arrange yet another labour for Hercules to perform. The language is more modern than ancient Greek but that does not spoil anything. What we get is a portrait of a complex character, one surrounded by death and destruction, one who loves deeply but whose love is not a safe haven for those in his heart, one who feels guilt and desires to atone. A character who has a good and a bad side. A character who is fearless. His is a story of love, loss, and pain. I loved it.

Oh this book. I love a good retelling, espically if it is from the greek or roman side of mythology. This is the tale of Hercules, the one with the 12 labours as well as many other myths. However, its not told from his side of the story. It is told from the point of views of his wives, his lovers, his cousins, his companions, others that came into contact with Hercules. This is a breath of fresh air in this genre. I love retellings that take the point of views of the forgotten, overlooked or not the heroes of the myths that we know and love.

This definitely paints Hercules in a different light from the brave and heroic side that we know to the more boarish, brutish, rough sides that we get to see him in, because of the different views of the people, he comes across on his travels / labours.

Massive thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have access to the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own

An interesting retelling of the Hercules myths.
I think a lot of people will get a lot out of reading this.

I love multiple points of view, unfortunately this was way too many for me. I can see what the author was trying to do and it’s a great idea to look at who Hercules from the perspective of those around him. It was just really hard to connect with the story and felt quite bitty to me. Which I guess reflects the Greek myths, I just prefer more flow in my fiction reads.