Rogerson's work is an enjoyable take on a retelling of Herc's mythology. I liked the story being told from the perspectives of those who know Herc rather than a set narrator or just a story that went through his exploits.
If you like retellings or reimagined stories of classical mythology, then you will probably enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

This book was unique to say the least. With the Greek Hero craze ignited by Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes, it's not surprise that these kinds of books keep popping up. The authors does their best to stick to the actualy story instead of the "Disneyfied" version, anything is better than Hera being Heracles' actual mother. The writing style just wasn't my favorite. It's told as if the story is being told to Herc himself, a strange mixture of first person and second person. I appreciate the creativity of the interludes between narrators, but it just kinds of comes off as disorganized. Perhaps it would be better as a physical book with better formatting, but I just couldn't follow some of the writing.

There is something to be said about having multiple narrators telling a story so the reader "gets all sides" but this was just a bit too ambitious. I did appreciate the use of "Herc" so that the character had their own identity instead of the Heracles, Herakles, Hercules debate.

I am very picky about reimagining and retelling of Greek myth and this one just did not resonate with me. Rogerson paints the Heracles myth with a broad modern brush which I initially found jarring but by the end found irritating. She portrays Herc and his male family members as modern bro’s, which is probably why I did not connect with this because I loathe “bro culture.”

I was reminded of Stephen Fry’s tongue-in-cheek myth re-tellings of the last couple of years, which oddly enough did not evoke the same reaction as I read them. As always, this is *my* reaction, not a reflection of the author or her work. Rogerson is clearly a talented writer and has certainly taken a new and creative approach to the myth. Based on other reviews, this is connecting with a lot of people. Unfortunately, just not for me.

Herc recounts the life of the lengeary hero Hercules, retold by the people closest to him: his mother Alcmene, his love Hylas, his wife Megara, and Eurystheus the man who oversaw his labours. History is often told by the victors, so this story told by the forgotten characters of myth makes you wonder, is Hercules the hero everyone says he is?

I really enjoyed the premise of this story. I liked the idea of reimagining Hercules's story by telling it through multiple POVS from people in his life. However, I don't feel like it was 100% effective in what it was trying to do. It was sometimes difficult to keep track of whose point of view you were reading and as a result the narrative felt like it jumped around a lot. That being said, I do think this was a unique retelling of the story. I've read a lot of retellings of Greek myths and overall I did find this one enjoyable. I think if I had refreshed myself on the Hercules story before diving in that I would have had an easier time following along.

This was a disappointing one for me. I had high hopes for a queer Hercules retelling, but this just didn't hit the mark.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big Greek Mythology fan, but despite his popularity in media, Hercules is probably one of the myths I know the least about. It isn't for a lack of trying; it is just that Hercules is a hero with so much lore attached to him that it is difficult to grasp everything that went on in his life. And unfortunately, I think this book suffered from the seer expanse of the Hercules myth.

In this book, we are introduced to a lot of characters. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. They are all people that show up in the actual myth, to my knowledge, and they all do play quite a big role in Hercules' story. But because there are so many characters and POVs to get through, it was really hard to keep track. This isn't helped by so many of the characters names being similar in spelling, or the character themselves playing similar roles in Hercules' story. The majority of the characters in this book are people that were either a. related to Hercules or b. romantically involved with him. This, paired with a lot of the character names being similar, made it difficult to keep who is who straight. This isn't necessarily the fault of the author--they seemed to stay pretty accurate to the myth--it is just a result of the original source material having a lot going on.

These issues aside, there are moments where the book shines through. I think the concept of the book itself--focusing less on who Hercules is and more so the affect his life had on others--is an interesting one. Most people know who Hercules is, either from the Disney movie or from some other adaptation, so we didn't need to follow his story through his eyes. Seeing it through the eyes of people he encountered, whether long of brief, is an interesting and compelling concept. I just feel that in order to make it work in the format laid out, it needed to focus on a portion of Hercules' life as opposed to all of it.

Overall, I don't regret reading Herc, but I just wish that adapting the tale of Hercules wasn't as challenging as it is.

Herc is a unique retelling of Hercules told through the people around him. It’s not a story of his twelve labors or his endless adventures but is instead a story of how Hercules’s actions impacted those around him. Told from a multitude of perspectives, but never from his own, Herc reveals the man behind the heroic reputation. His parents, friends, wife, lovers, kings, and more have stories to tell and many are irrevocably changed by Hercules influence. It was interesting to have so many different points of view, each with a distinct voice and perspective.

Rogerson creates a layered and complicated, whole protagonist through other people’s anecdotes, which I found fascinating. Never do we get his perspective, and he is not always shed in the best light. This is no watered-down Disney version. Instead, it’s a much darker story of the hero, and he doesn’t seem like a hero at all. I like that the story doesn’t shy away from some of the more brutal and horrific actions of Hercules. Instead, we read of the good and bad of Hercules from reliable and biased sources and see a flawed, complex, and layered man who is quite different from the hero often depicted in literature and film.

I was a bit surprised by the more modern language used. It was different and unexpected, and though it sometimes took me out of the story a bit, I generally liked it. There is some wit and humor as well, which I enjoyed. I also liked the pacing. The chapters aren’t overly long, and the constant switch in perspectives made it flow well. However, I could see some readers struggle with so many perspectives. Luckily, the book includes a glossary at the end for reference.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 Stars
The story of Hercules (also known as Heracles) told from everyone else's pov. The premise drew me in and the fact that I knew little about the myth. I don't count the Disney movie and the "D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths" which sanitized the story considerably.

Herc's story starts with his conception. Zeus seduced Herc's mother Alcmene by disguising himself as her husband and asking Helios to keep it night for three days. Things only get more complicated from there. Herc's twin (and half brother) Iphicles narrates their childhood until Herc is exiled. Hylas (friend and lover) takes up the narration until Herc meets Megara and so the story continues this way. Major people in his life take up the story and Herc's legendary exploits are laid out in a frank and unassuming way. His cousin Eurystheus (who oversees Herc's labors) is most unimpressed by the hero. Rogerson does not shy away from the gruesome and tragic bits and the whole book had me tense waiting for the next character to be killed by Herc.

The myth of Hercules is fascinating and I haven't read a re-telling of his mythology before. However, the Greek Mythology re-telling genre is pretty oversaturated right now and I don't know if this book really breaks new ground. The writing style is also very similar to Natalie Haynes and Pat Barker in that it is very casual and vaguely British (Herc is called a "cheeky git" at one point for example). I did enjoy this book and would probably check out something else by this author.

I would recommend to existing fans of the genre and those who don't mind the casual writing tone.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

Thank you to the publisher, HCC Frenzy, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Herc tells the story of one of the most famous demigods in Greek mythology through the eyes of the various people in his life bringing a fresh and imaginative perspective to this well known myth. The tale of Hercules is a classic, but this reimagining showcases a different side to this character who is often held up as a glorious hero and shows how he was perceived by the different people around him.

I’m always on the lookout for new Greek mythology retellings to add to my TBR, so whether to pick up Herc was never in question. The tone of the blurb reminded me a little of My Lady Jane (and that turned out to be so good!), and I was really excited to finally get to read this book.

The myth of Hercules is one I’m quite familiar with. In fact, I think the twelve labors of Hercules was probably my first exposure to Greek mythology as a kid. Herc was the same myth, but with a modern voice and plenty of amusing banter which was good to have in a tale that got pretty dark at times. There were quite a few absolutely hilarious moments, such as the exchange of letters between Eurystheus and Augeas while they figured out the next labor Hercules would have to undertake that had me in fits of giggles.

While this format worked quite well initially and made for an engaging read to start with, it quickly got old for me and the story began to drag. Not in terms of pacing, but one chapter after the next just followed in the same pattern, describing one or the other of Hercules’ exploits, from a different character’s perspective. It literally felt like the author had a checklist of Hercules’ stories in hand, picking one of the related characters to narrate each incident, chapter after chapter. I’m a little disappointed that this book turned out to be more of a reimagining rather than a retelling, since it didn’t deviate from the myth at all.

I feel that it didn’t need to focus on each and every story to the extent it did – to take an example, the arcs of the story from Hercules’ birth, growing up, the events that led to him having to fulfill the 12 labors, the first couple of the challenges and Hercules’ journey with the Argonauts all came out to only the first 25% of the book and it felt like I had been reading the book for ages by that point.

Then there was the extremely modern speech – it wasn’t my first time coming across something like this but it did take a while to get used to. While this style of narration makes this book a very accessible read and easy to understand, I’ve always maintained that it doesn’t fit with historical/mythical settings and reduces the impact of the location and time it takes place in. I had to constantly remind myself that this was set in ancient Greece.

Hercules’ story is hardly the glossed over Disney version, but is in fact a much darker tale in which he doesn’t really come off as a hero at all. He wasn’t a likeable character in the original myth and he wasn’t likeable in this rendition of the tale either – in fact, he came across as more of a dim witted brute most of the time.. But I think the best part of Herc was that despite it centering around Hercules, it was more about how his actions affected the people he crossed paths with throughout his life. Each of these people – his family, wives, lovers, friends, foes and the many others he encounters on his adventures – have a different opinion of him, and not always a flattering one. These POVs varied from humorous to introspective to sad, especially when the story turned to characters whom we know suffered unhappy fates, and surprisingly enough, I connected with many of these characters though they had hardly a handful of chapters and found myself caught up in their narration despite knowing how their arc would end. I think it is commendable that the author managed to do this for so many of the characters, especially given that the POVs change with every chapter and in no particular or predictable order.

Herc doesn’t tell the tale of a demigod hero, but rather portrays his life through the eyes of others weaving the image of a complex character who was very much human with both good and bad sides. It didn’t shy away from the more horrific parts of his story and is perhaps the most balanced narration of the myth I’ve ever come across.

Overall, the concept behind this book was a very unique one even if the execution could have been better in some aspects. Fans of Greek mythology, particularly if you like myths that are reimagined from new perspectives, would definitely enjoy this book. Highly recommended!

This is certainly one of the most original retellings I've ever read. It tells the story of Hercules by having the people in his life tell the story. I enjoyed the many different POVs, but I'm not sure it worked 100% for me. I think there was so much jumping around, that if you weren't familiar with Hercules you'd have a hard time keeping track. It made it feel a little more like reading a bunch journal entries than reading an entire coherent book.

Where to begin. I’ve read quite a few mythological retellings and this has got to be one of my favorite ones. Hercules’ story is told from multiple povs, by the people who met him. All of these people had their lives changed by Hercules, most of the time for the worst. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book...even though it would take me a second to remember whose pov we were reading. I definitely recommend this book!

I have been obsessed with Hercules since I can remember. This is an amazing retelling and I devoured it quickly. 10/10 this is amazing

A retelling of Hercules’ story through those who knew him! I really enjoyed this one. I thought it might be more long form chapters and ambitious narrative prose like some recent retellings. But rather, it is broken up into smaller “chapters” each told by someone other than Hercules in the story. We hear from some people more than once and others just once. But it works. It also has a queer spin with the true loves of Hercules’ life being men. This one is so different in this retelling of classic myths and so far, one of my favorites! I’d definitely read it, especially if you think Hercules was a jerk all along.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed this retelling of the legendary story of Hercules.
With so many characters in the world of mythology, the author, Phoenicia Rogerson, illustrates how Hercules and his trials connect so many of the well-know and not-so- well-known figures in their complex world.
Rogerson's fresh approach is fun and accessible (if not for the language I'd allow my 14y/o to read this in order to compare and contrast what has been traditionally taught about the life of Hercules.)
I found myself rooting for Hercules to find some peace and happiness. The poor guy never seemed to catch a break! I mean, it was not his fault that his father (Zeus) was unfaithful to a jealous, vengeful crazy lady...aka Hera.

I hope you become as invested in the life of Hercules and the characters that found themselves enveloped in his hemisphere. Rogerson managed to provide an enjoyable, untraditional approach to this well known story.
Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC.

"Herc's going to be a hero. He's going to kill monsters. His life is going to hurt."

I really enjoyed this mythological retelling. It felt vastly different than any of the others that I have read. The myth of Hercules is a vast and complicated one and I think that this story does a good job of encompassing all aspects of the myth. This is a thoroughly modern retelling, filled with more characters than I could count and just as much bloodshed. Hercules's story is told from the perspective of all those that knew and loved him, meaning that both the good and the bad parts of his story are told. This retelling does not shy away from the truly horrible parts of the Hercules myth and can be quite intense and horrific at times. I think that this is a highly accessible story, it is written in a modern context and is highly entertaining. By writing solely from the perspective of other characters, Herc gives a unique context to one of the most well-known Greek myths. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing me with an e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fresh take on a mythology retelling and I enjoyed it a lot.

The Good:
- Easy to read.
- Mostly chronological, and easy to follow the progression of the story.
- Funny and witty
- List at the end of all the people that may have been mentioned at one point or another throughout the book.
- I liked that it showed all parts of his story, the good and the bad.

The Bad:
- I found the language to be very modern, and I felt like it took away from the time period of the retelling. Not that I wanted Old English, but sometimes it felt like I was reading a contemporary novel.
- SO MANY points of view! I'm glad the heading tells you who it was or I would've been completely lost.

Overall it was great, and if you're OK with lots of POVs this is definitely one to check out.

I received this book from NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing & Hanover Square Press, as as an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Full review to be added closer to publication date!*

I was over the moon when I saw that we were getting a Hercules-inspired retelling and knew that I absolutely had to pick this book up. I was the slightest bit disappointed when I first saw that this was going to be focused on the people Hercules interacts with along his journeys rather than more focused on Hercules as I had expected, but once I started the book I quickly realized that this was going to be a fantastic idea and it ended up working amazingly well. For as much as Hercules has relevance and a place in pop culture, I do think there's an odd lack of more recent and serious Hercules stories, so this filled that gap wonderfully. I had such an amazing time getting to know all of these characters and being a part of this entire journey. It's really a book packed full of great characters, adventures, and a thoughtful look at a complex figure. I loved getting to know the different sides of Hercules through his different interactions and I think this book really did a great job of what it set out to do. I cannot wait to see what's to come from Phoenicia Rogerson!

I love this book! So excited to get a NetGalley arc for this book. I am a sucker for Greek mythology retellings and Hercules is such an infamous character it was enjoyable to get a new take on not only his story, but the stories of those in his life. Rogerson gave him a new depth that is not often seen in the heroes tale, treating Herc as a human being with flaws. It does not romanticize his story and shows us why and how the trail of death in his myth could still have him as one of the most (if not the most) famous heroes in Ancient Greece.

It's also interesting that how a complete story can be told about Herc while never once giving his point of view. It is solely told by those who loved and/or hated him. I truly enjoyed reading it.

My one critic is that it has a lot of characters and narrators to keep track of, some might say too many, Yes it is one of the fun parts of the story too but at times to got tricky to understand whose who at the beginning of each chapter. A lot of Googling was done to remind me of who each person is and how they knew Herc. There is a handy reference at the end of the book but I don't know if it's because I got an unpublished version of the book that I didn't see it until I was finished reading and it felt very rushed and incomplete.

Despite that though I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Greek myth.

Give me anything that has to do with The God's. Greece / Rome / Mythology and I am in. So when this came up as an option to read I was like "Yes Please"!

The description goes::

"This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures… everyone’s favorite 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 (He never asked for the job)
His friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims

It’s time to hear their stories."

Now, I will say, it was not my most favorite read and some of the topics were not my cup of coffee. But if you go in, open minded and take this for what it is......A STORY.....you will be fine!