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Herc

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About this listen

Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award

Waterstones best book of the year 2023

'A remarkable feat of storytelling' Rosie Hewlett

This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures…everyone’s favourite hero, right?

Wrong.

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.

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

©2023 Phoenicia Rogerson (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Classics Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Humorous Literature & Fiction Magic Science Fiction & Fantasy Marriage Mythology Ancient Greece Greek Mythology Heartfelt

Critic reviews

‘Alternately hilarious and shocking, this is an astonishingly vivid retelling of the story of Hercules, and these are not the Greek myths I learned in school.’ Jodi Taylor, author of Just One Damned Thing After Another

‘A brilliant debut! Rogerson has produced a fresh and totally original retelling of the Hercules myth. For the first time, long-silent characters from the hero’s story are given a voice. They provide a sparkling new perspective on the club-wielding, all-daring son of Zeus. A Herculean triumph of creative writing... Finally, a Hercules for the twenty-first century!’ Alex Rowson, author of The Young Alexander

‘A rollicking ride through Greek mythology, Herc tells the story of the famous hero through his impact on the people around him. By turns quippy, hilarious, and shocking.’ Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros
All stars
Most relevant
Loved that characters and the different voice actors. Truly amazing. I loved the story and how it went back to previous characters. If you love Greek mythology then listen to this

Amazing

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I wasn't sure this would be for me (a different vibe from favourites like Circe, Clytemnestra, Stone Blind etc), but I have adored it and am sad to have finished it. It has so many wonderful characters (with some amazing narration) bought to life in a colourful and sympathetic and clever way, I cried, I gasped and I laughed so many times. I hope the author writes another book ♡

So charming!

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This is a new and modern retelling of Heracles/Hercules’ stories from the perspective of those he met, loved, hated, killed. The detail and range of myths included in this book are outstanding and rewritten for a modern audience, giving a fresh angle to old favourites. The range of cast reading the different characters adds another level of excellence. The voice acting is as brilliant as the storytelling. I cannot rate this book and audible production high enough.

Excellent

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Writing feels forced and childlike - I can see it’s an attempt to differentiate between the narrators but it’s not done well enough. The younger characters made me cringe. The modern language use was not for me either

DNF

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