Guest Review for Herc
We very kindly received an advanced copy of Herc, a modern retelling of the myth of Hercules from HQ at Harper Collins. One of our regular and valued customers, Joolz, has read it and written the below review for you all. Joolz is a New Forest resident, who loves Science Fiction and Fantasy, and is an expert game maker for RPG and DnD. Take a look and see what Joolz thinks of this upcoming release.
HERC
by Phoenicia Rogerson
A review by Joolz
I thought I knew all about the legend of Hercules and his famous 12 labours and subsequently his life story, well as it turns out I was wrong. Herc is a refreshing, modern retelling of an age-old tale from the point of view of the people who’s lives Herc touches more often as not with tragic results.
Each chapter deals with a part of the Demi God’s legendary tale illuminated by the voices of Herc’s wives, numerous family members, friends, enemies, lovers, and fellow heroes. As I previously mentioned it’s a modern retelling of a tale, we all think we know but pitched as it is using very 21 st century language and colloquialisms to give voice to the people commentating on how the mighty Hercules has enriched or, more often than not, ruined their lives.
It’s these very individual voices that bring all the flavour, humour and, let’s face it, the Greek tragedy to tell the story of Heracles soon to be Hercules, sired of a mortal woman by mighty Zeus the poster child for absentee fathers, and then cursed by Hera the scorned wife of Zeus, to have a mighty temper and suffer the bouts of madness that would bring ruin to all Herc loved throughout his life.
In the book we meet many of the famous names of Greek myth, Jason and Theseus fellow heroes blessed by the Gods of Olympus; the scheming cousin Eurytheus whose hatred of Herc drips like poison from every page, his loving twin brother Iphicles who seems to spend a lot of his life apologising to everyone for the brutish behaviour of his overly strong and seemingly immortal older sibling. Then there’s the hero worship given to Herc by his young nephew Iolus, in who’s eyes he can do no wrong. The tender romantic side of Herc is bought into focus through his relationship with his lovers Hylas and later Iphitus.
In the end you the reader are left to decide whether you’ll judge Herc to be the hero of the story or the villain. Personally, I loved having my eyes opened to see another side of the Hercules I thought I knew from the books I’d read and the films I’d watched in my youth. For a lot of the book, he certainly comes across as a boorish oaf, with a hair trigger temper and a predilection for mass murder that puts him firmly into the monster camp along with the Hydra, three headed Cerberus and the Nemean lion. However, hero he still is, and Rogerson carefully balances both sides of Herc’s nature to tell a rich, engaging, enlightening and often very funny story that deserves to find its place among the ever-growing pantheon of books that are bringing the worlds of ancient mythology to modern readers.
So there you have it, our very first guest blogger reviewing a book. This definitely seems like one to read if you’re a fan of historical fiction, and I think I’ll be adding to my ever growing TBR. Thanks to Joolz for taking one for the team and making sure it’s worth adding!
Herc is out on August 31st in hardback. Published by Harper Collins, it’s £16.99. Please let us know if you would like us to order you a copy.