【 HERC 】

Genre: Mythology (retelling)
Audience: Adult
Author: Phoenicia Rogerson
Published: September 2023
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Pages: 384 (paperback)

There are so many mixed reviews for this, and I don’t know what everyone is on about. This is totally awesome and I was completely absorbed from the first to the very last page.

I love a good Greek myth retelling, and I think what Rogerson has done in this one is extremely clever. At no point do we hear Herc’s story told from his own POV. It is always told from someone else’s POV who was present at whatever point in his life we are exploring, and it paints him as an almost hapless villain.

And I loved that so much.

When you read about Heracles, you can’t help but admire the trail of destruction he leaves behind him. He is a bit of a conflicted hero, and this book throws this into sharp relief, really exaggerating some of the iffy parts of his character.

I loved every bit of this book. The bitterness, the wittiness, the heavy-heartedness – it’s all there. There are so many extra ‘supporting’ characters whose heads we get to get inside and see Herc through. It’s absolutely fascinating the way that Rogerson has imagined this. I just loved her characterisation; there are so many characters she has to bring to life throughout this novel and she does each one so well.

The best part about this book is that you come away still feeling uncomfortably confused about how you do feel about Herc. Like, you’ve got to kind of hate him, right? But at the same time, there’s enough sympathy and empathy drizzled throughout the POVs to make you think that maybe he really was trying his best, but was bested by the gods at each and every turn. Maybe.

The thing that makes this so enjoyable is the simple literary device of toying with the idea of ‘what if’ the hero was actually villain. Because who doesn’t enjoy the thrill of imagining things slightly differently – nothing inherently is different, you’re simply invited to change your own perspective ever so slightly – and suddenly, everything has changed.

Love, love, love. Please read this if you’re a Greek myth fan.

If you’ve never read a Greek myth retelling or interpretation about Heracles before, however, I strongly recommend you do so (personally, I recommend Stephen Fry’s Heroes), because otherwise, the immense cleverness of this book will be lost to you. You’ve got to know him as the good guy before you can come along on this topsy-turvy retelling and have fun imagining him as a quasi-villain.

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Title: Herc
Author: Phoenicia Rogerson
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This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures…everyone’s favourite 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 (Definitely did not hide in a jar)

His friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims.

It’s time to hear their stories.

Told with humour and heart, Herc gives voice to the silenced characters, in this feminist, queer (and sometimes shocking) retelling of classic Hercules myth.

Perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and Joanne M. Harris.