This book was not my favourite. I didn’t like how the story kept bouncing around and I didn’t really like the way it was told. I did find it interesting because I did learn new things about Hercules but overall I was bored by most of it.

A really interesting take on the mythology retellings trend: we never hear Hercules speak directly. Instead, we hear about him through those his life intersected with: wives Megara and Deianira, relatives Iolaus and Theseus and Eurystheus, lovers Hylas and Iphitus, and dozens more. This provides a 360 perspective of the hero that is frequently critical. While the story centers a man (unlike the majority of other recent retellings), many of the narrators are women, and they provide clear-eyed accounts of Hercules' many failings towards them.

I love Greek history and its mythologies are some of my favorite stories. I almost always request these kinds of titles and I am usually incredibly entertained.

Herc was no different. I loved the different character perspectives and how it related back to Herc himself.

If you are a fan of Natalie Haynes or Madeline Miller than I think you would probably enjoy this book. And if you are just getting into Greek retellings its a good standalone book that won't leave you confused.

Disclaimer: I DNF'd the book at 44% so my opinions are based on the amount that I read.
When I first started this book, I thought I would enjoy Rogerson's take on the Hercules story. The narrative shifts between multiple characters as Hercules grows and embarks upon the adventures he is known for. It was interesting at first but as the narrative kept going and the perspectives kept switching, the uniqueness quickly wore off. Each character made the same sorts of observations about Hercules, aka he's a dumb jock and a bit of a jerk. I could not keep reading the same thing, hence the DNF.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

This book was okay. I wish more attention had been paid to the females in the story. The action in this book was exciting.

I'm not too familiar with Greek mythology so this book was probably not a great one for someone who doesn't know the personalities and relationships between characters. Although relationships are mentioned and explained, the significance of them are sometimes lost on the reader. I also think the different narrators felt a bit off at times. The story itself was pretty interesting though. I think someone who loves Greek mythology and its retellings would love this story.

Please sign me up for all the Greek myth retellings. What sets Herc apart is that it’s not really about him; it’s more about everyone around him. Their story. Their retelling if there were a do-over.

It’s funny, feminist, and with solid queer rep. Even if you aren’t familiar with the story of Hercules, I think you’d still enjoy this story that completely stands on its own.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I've never skipped over a Greek mythology retelling, and Herc is no exception to that rule! Herc sheds light on people, stories, and POVs that have been kept in the dark for far too long.

Looking forward to reading future titles by Rogerson!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

I don't think I can give this book justice with a review. I absolutely love mythology and retellings with different point of views than the stories everyone knows. This one is about his life through the eyes of others in his life. Great idea. But for me, I struggle with too many POVs and characters. It's just hard on me to keep things straight.

I enjoyed this title for the different perspectives and the "non-hero worship" that storytellers have used to tell the story of Hercules. It was refreshing to be able to hear different voices but I had a hard time reconciling the ancient story with modern language. It took me out of the story. Very cool concept.

Another great queer Greek myth retelling, this time featuring the people closest to Hercules. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs in this smart, clever reimagining. It was great on audio with a full cast of fantastic narrators too! Highly recommended for fans of authors like Natalie Haynes and Jennifer Saint. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

The modernization of Greek myths is fairly common right now, but the multiple perspectives provided on the story of Heracles makes this an intriguing read. Why should Herc have to tell his story when everyone has always done it for him? This ideology is what ensures Herc never has his own chapter or POV. The modern language is a bit jarring, but once you get past that hurdle, the story itself is told very well.

ITS GAY. ITS GREEK. ITS AMAZING! Disney's "Hercules" gets a rainbow make over in this fantastic retelling. Will be adding this to my collection of Greek Mythology.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I had really high hopes for this book based on the title and the description. I was sorely disappointed. The author tried too hard to make this relatable to contemporary readers that it fell flat. The way the characters spoke, word choices, and other questionable narration style made me feel like I was reading accounts written by frat boys. The conversations between characters were far fetched even for a mythological retelling and it felt like listening to a group of drunk 20 somethings attempt to have a coherent conversation. I can forgive how unlikable the character of Hercules was, but this portrayal painted him as a drunken troll who had zero redeeming qualities. He wasn’t relatable in the least. The chapter flow was so completely disjointed that I couldn’t bear to finish.

I think it's a really clever idea, to tell a story about a man from every other perspective except for his own. It's like the Greek Chorus becomes the main characters, and how Rogerson tried to give different voices to everyone was really daunting. I'm not certain that it's always effective, and overall Hercules was never shown in a great light, making me wonder why I was reading about this guy.

Trigger Warnings: violence, death, murder, (ya know, Greek Gods’ stuff)

Herc is a retelling of Hercules told by the people around him and how he impacted their lives - for better or worse.

So, upon reading this, I realized that I only knew the Disney version of Hercules - totally and absolutely so much different. <spoiler> It was the children’s killing that made my jaw hit the floor </spoiler>

I mostly listened to this in an audiobook and it had a whole ensemble of characters and voices, which was great because it helped with keeping everyone straight. It also gave Hercules a layered and complicated life (again, one I did NOT know about because I knew only of the Disney version). The different voices also gave way to some humor with it too because everyone obviously had different experiences with him through his life.

Overall, I’m going to be recommending this to quite a few people, especially those who like mythology and retellings. Also, this is such a nice twist of the telling of Hercules because it’s not really about him, but more about the people he had interactions with throughout his life.

*Thank you Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Received and EARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved that this was a queer retelling. The concept was amazing, and I loved the modern twist on this. I loved that there was multiple perspectives and because of that it made me more interested in this book. I highly recommend even if you don't like Greek mythology.