I love a Greek myth retelling and Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson is an example of a retelling done very well in my opinion. Herc tells the story of Heracles (Hercules), but through the point of view of his family, lovers, enemies, and those who's life intersects. This was a genuinely funny, heartbreaking, intense story. It humanises Heracles and doesn't shy away from some of the more awful parts of his story. I was honestly surprised at how much character development there was with this style of writing and overall I would highly recommend to anyone that loves retellings.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review voluntarily.

I did not finish this book.
The premise of Herc is what drew me into requesting it as I love mythology retellings. However, the use of modern slang and speech within this story was something I really did not enjoy. I felt like it cheapened the story.
It changed POV too many times in the first few chapters and it was confusing trying to keep up with whose voice we were now reading from.

I’m a fan of Greek myth retellings, so I was thrilled to get this ARC.
Hercules is not a likeable character (Disney’s Hercules and this have nothing at all in common), but his story is told through multiple points of view - which I think was my favorite part. We get to see so many different people and get their perspective on Hercules and there is humour, sadness, cunning - a lot to enjoy in the different points of view.
As an aside, I’m reading the Percy Jackson series at the moment with my kid and it was so fun to see characters from those books pop up here for a completely different audience.
Definitely enjoyed this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Australia & Phoenicia Rogerson for providing me with an eARC or Herc for review.

3.5 stars rounded up - Available in Australia on 4 October 2023

This is a great presentation of all the different lives that Herc impacted. We aren't often presented with this darker, more honest depiction of Heracles/Hercules from Greek/Roman mythology.

For me, Hylas was the standout narrator. His last entry filled me with so much joy and sadness. I think he stands out as he does a lot of narrating across all the different stages of the book, whilst others are more one-off or short-term narrators.

It is a very interesting way to present the life of Herc. Due to the structure of the book, I don't think it had the same impact that it could have had if we had more consistent narrators or even some chapters from Herc himself. I felt a step removed from the emotional journey the whole time (other than Hylas - that was perfect). I know that not hearing from Herc is the whole point but damn I needed to know if the dude was cursed or just a mega roid-rager.

I am a huge mythology fan and have listened to a lot of 'Let's Talk About Myths, Baby' in my time so I did enjoy the book. But if you aren't keen on the mythological stories and want a more emotional drive to your reads, then this might not hit the mark.

If you love mythology, and already know a fair bit, you will love how this book twists things around. If you love multiple POV, and adore the idea of a portrait being made from a 100 pictures from different people, then hop in immediately, you will have the ride of your life. This tongue-in-cheek portrait of Hercules shows a flawed semi-god from all kinds of critical and less critical angle. This is antiquity, though, and not the fluffy Lore Olympus one, so prepare for the world to be brutal between those pages.

Greek Mythology with a twist

✨Non Spoiler Review✨

Star Score - 4 ⭐

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

What to expect/tropes:
🗡Modern Greek Mythology Retelling
🗡Multiple POV
🗡Queer Representation

Overall Review:
Refreshing modern twist on the story of Hercules. The story is told with multiple POV’s and focussing on the story of Hercules but told by the many people he encountered in his travels.

Let go of everything you know about Hercules because you are about to be hit with a whole different side of your favourite Greek legend. You will read about a complex, flawed, queer, soft but sometimes brutal demigod who falls in love and at times commits some morally grey crimes.

Each chapter is fast paced, funny and full of clever writing. Some parts are emotional, some parts are funny as all hell and some parts feel like a documentary made my pranksters.

As always check the trigger warnings!

There are modern slang and colloquial terms used in the book which works for the modern twist the story has.
Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for gifting me this ARC, I have written a honest review of my experience reading this story.

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Herc tells the story of Hercules from the perspective of everyone around him. It shows the points of view of those whose lives were affected by his adventures, from people who loved him to people who hated him. It covers his entire life from his birth to his death and everything in between.

Going into this book, I didn't know much about Hercules outside of his marrying Megara. As it turns out, he has much more to his story than just his marriage (the first of many). I can't speak to the accuracy of the book or if it follows a particular interpretation, but it felt like it covered every aspect of Hercules' life. It was interesting to read it from the perspectives of everyone else, and it helped me form my own opinion of him as a person. The advantage of reading about him from other characters meant I was able to form my own opinions in between all the ones I was given. I certainly didn't like Hercules when I started, but as I read I found myself seeing more sides to him, and being able to better understand the good and the bad.

The characters and their different opinions and views made the book interesting to read, as you got to see more about how Hercules impacted everyone around him, beyond just the deeds he did. You got to see the lasting impact he had on people, enough for them to be included even if their time with him was short. It was a unique way to read the myth and is what drew me into the book in the first place.

I will admit that I wasn't the fastest at reading this, not like I have been with some other books. I wasn't hyper-fixated on it and I certainly didn't read it in a day, however, I don't think that's a bad thing. Whilst some books you might read quickly, I enjoyed the slower pace of this book. It was action-packed, but having it told by those outside of Hercules meant it wasn't as filled with the action as it was more reflection on the action afterwards.

One thing I did struggle with, as I'm sure many would, is keeping all the names in order. So many characters have similar names or are related in some spiderweb of connections that it was hard to keep track of them all. Thankfully, there was a list at the back that explained who everyone was and how they were related, helpfully broken into groups such as the gods, the family and the lovers. This was super helpful for keeping everyone straight, especially the spelling.

I'm a fan of Greek mythology, however, I don't think you need to be to read this book. It covers the myth enough that even I, who knew nothing going into it, was able to keep up and understand what was happening. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in mythology especially, but I think anyone is able to read it. Definitely a great book with an interesting take on a classic myth.

I really enjoyed this twist on Greek mythology. In the vein of Circe, I thought Rogerson's ability to draw on all of these characters and people orbiting Hercules's world, suffering with her and equally because of him, was skillfully done. You would think the fairly frequently shifting POV would confuse but it didn't at all. I felt like every character had enough space to come out clearly and shine! I was particularly invested in Megara's POV and the brutal way it ended. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a great voice and Greek mythology read!

Would love to be able to provide actual feedback on this book but unfortunately, the publication and archive dates were both changed after I was accepted and I received no notification of this change. The dates I was given when approved were Publication: 04 Oct 2023 and Archive: 04 Sep 2023, so I logged on 03 Sept to download and found it archived already.

Absolutely incredible. I've never read a retelling like this.

I quite love Greek mythology and this story had mentions of lots of big names, and many lesser known ones too. It gave a voice to characters often in the background, or forgotten about. It gave many fresh and different perspectives to events, and it was often as witty and hilarious as it was tragic. But, as often the case with mythology, the tragedy and comedy go hand in hand. This tongue-in-cheek retelling of Herc as some sort of homicidal oaf is quite entertaining.

Megara's chapter. What happened there was utterly brutal.

Every mention of Jason and the Argonauts, Ariadne and Atlantia, the centaurs and the Hydra. The stories just kept on flowing with such a different take than what's been done before.

I really enjoyed this!

Herc is the story of Hercules/Heracles, told from the varying perspectives of those who were close to him; friends, family, foe and colleagues.

I love the way this book was written, its use of colloquialisms and jokes made the story fun and refreshing, it was such a good contrast and break from some of the more serious and sadder events happening within the plot. Some parts really had me laughing out loud and the injection of modern vernacular and slang at times made the story feel all the more accessible and like it wasn’t trying to take itself to seriously. Additionally, the varied points of view that made up the story made the story flow quickly and meant that plot didn’t get stale or lag at all. The different voices driving the story made it well rounded and gave the story an added dimension, because Hercules is such a prolific figure in Greek Mythology, the cast of characters is extensive. Keeping track of the names can be difficult at times, utilising the list of characters in the back is a helpful tool that I recommend.

I liked that Hercules could be the subject of the story, but it didn’t glorify him or try to excuse any of his actions. If anything it was quite critical of him, even when the protagonist was one of the characters who had largely positive relationships and interactions with him we saw him in a less than glorious, certainly not Disney positive manner. I am personally not the biggest Hercules fan and the structure of the story was really gratifying at times, but there is a large amount of loss in it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own. 4.5 Story Graph rating, rounded up to 5 for NetGalley and GoodReads purposes

I am bored by Hercules as a hero. But as a character in other people's lives - as a messy, complicated, often unheroic, flawed, and realistic person - I am THERE.

The man named Heracles by his parents (who then changes his name to Hercules (which is a cute way of getting around the Greek/Roman thing) because reasons) never speaks to the reader in Herc. Instead, it's all the people around him who tell his - and their own - story, from birth to death: father, brother, sister, nephew, cousins; wives; lovers (male and female); cousins; others met along the way. This variety showcases the different ways that people interact with the man. Some love him, while others hate him. Some continually forgive his flaws, while others are unable to.

Hercules rarely comes across well. He is strong - but he has little idea how to mitigate that strength around ordinary people, and even seems unaware of what he's capable of. He is aware of the terrible crimes he has committed - killing his music teacher as a child, murdering his first wife, Megara, and all their children, amongst other things - and accepts that there needs to be consequences... and yet. And yet he is still seen as a hero, by those outside of his immediate circle, and indeed often by himself. And yet he seems to largely get away with being terrible. And the book does not forgive him for that.

This story dives deep into the consequences of Hercules' actions for those around him and it is pointed, it is complex, and it is deeply thoughtful. I would read more in this style any day of the week.

If you’re looking for a unique, modern, fresh perspective and queer retelling of Hercules then Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson is the book for you. I went into this book with my own ideas of how Herc’s story would be told and almost immediately my expectations were shattered as if by Hercules fist themselves.

The many perspectives used to tell Herc’s story by this characters family, lovers, enemies, bystanders and even the Greek gods themselves is at times confusing. Fear not though, there is character break down at the back of the book which will help you immensely. It was a refreshing take to read about Herc’s life being retold by everyone but himself. How his impact affected those around him and his decisions created a ripple effect throughout the entire book.

Herc’s portrayal isn’t always the clearest one but I enjoyed the almost dark madness that afflicted him. This book describes him not as a hero but as a queer man trying to prove his worth and atone for past failures simply because he is Zeus’s son. I very much enjoyed the polarising point of view from each person particularly his wives who despised him and his lovers who adored him.

The language Phoenicia uses at times didn’t quite fit the book but I still enjoyed the occasional well placed swear word or insult. The humour woven through the book was certainly a palette cleanser that is needed when you approach the darker aspects to Herc’s story. Overall I give the book 3.5/5 stars. It took me awhile to get into the book but once I was in, I was in. I hope Phoenicia plans on writing more Greek mythology books like this because I would definitely read them!

DNF @ 32% - This one wasn’t not for me. The book was essentially a collection of short stories from people who knew Hercules but I just couldn’t get interested in the story or keep up with who was who, nor did I find it appealing enough to want to keep up.

This book may appeal more to someone who knows more about the legend, and understands who the characters are and what stories are being told.