Rebecca's Thoughts

Originally posted in best books of January & February 2024

Goodreads Synopsis: 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.

I really, really enjoyed this book. Do I think it is the perfect retelling of the myth of Hercules… umm no. But it was really enjoyable and an ultimately quick read. I think that the letter qualities of the story mixed with the multiple POVs made it a very original and new take on retellings. It was a story that I had never really heard in full before and I thought it was interesting. Despite taking place over a lifetime, the book was really fast-paced and held my attention for the whole book. 

One of the main complaints I see about this book is that it has many anachronisms and uses very modern language. I didn’t really mind this and even thought it added to the very modernized take the book was trying to accomplish. I can see how it would be annoying if you were just looking to read more about the story of Hercules but again, it didn’t bother me. 

That being said, this isn’t really like the other books that get compared to it. It’s not as well written as Madeline Miller’s work and is not as tight in its storytelling or direction. This book has a major flair for the melodramatic and reads almost like reality TV confessionals. So, if you are going to read it keep that in mind and don’t expect like the Illiad or some deep and sprawling story. 

At the end of the day, I really enjoyed this book for what it is, and came to find it really endearing and an interesting read!