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A review by ioannap_author
Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"Herc" by Phoenicia Rogerson retells the story of Herakles (or Hercules if you prefer the roman version of the name) but with a twist. We never read Herakles's point of view. The novel is narrated by a large cast of all the people who met, loved, hated, died for, or were killed by Herakles.
I enjoyed this book. It was an easy and quick read, and I especially liked how we saw many versions of Herakles, which reflects the multifaceted array of his mythology. I appreciated the refreshing way the myths were depicted in a mockumentary style, always keeping an undertone of gossiping mentality.
The main theme of the book for me is mental health. I didn’t realise this from the beginning, but especially after Megara's chapter, it became clear to me that we watch a man who, I think, desperately wanted to atone, to be given permission to mourn but he was given irrelevant to his crime labours that offered him no relief and no lessons. Is it that surprising that he is slow to learn when no one wants to teach him how to express his emotions? Because, as the later chapters show, he CAN learn. (Not enough, perhaps, I'll agree to that. But Herakles grows.)
Simultaneously, I don't want to look at his murderous rages as simply mental health because that is a dangerous and unfair path to most people who live with mental health issues. Mental health is not a shield that excuses terrible/criminal behaviours, and those who suffer by it are most likely going to hurt themselves, not others. But outside of that, "Herc" is about witnessing the tale of a man who is consumed by his own story and prospects of glory. He hides his sadness behind his loud laughter, is clearly becoming an alcoholic and feels displaced. I did actually really appreciate the depiction of Herakles as a homeless person.
Each POV offered a very narrow view of Herakles (maybe his siblings' narration gave the more humane perspective), but altogether, they painted the portrait of a man whom I felt both sorry for and thought he was never placed under any kind of scrutiny. His punishments get increasingly more severe, but his divine lineage ensures favouritism and blaming Hera for everything that goes wrong allows him to avoid seeing his responsibility for his mistakes and, not once, do we see him express true remorse. And yet, I did feel sorry for him because myth by myth Herakles was shown to be the punching bag for Gods and maybe even humans. There were so many situations that I felt he was placed in simply to strip him of the joy of something he once depended on. The depiction of his night at Thespiae filled me with pity and sorrow for him.
By the time he met Deianeira, he was an older man, spent and with very few lessons. And yet, even at that final chance, which he was more careful with, Herakles can not escape his own vices, and these inevitably lead to his death. It was especially sad that his demise came by his attempts to be forgiven, not by the Gods, but by Iole, the human he had hurt when he killed Iphitos. It was, as if, the more he leaned into his human side, asking to be forgiven on human terms, the less the Gods cared and didn't protect him.
There were things I didn't like about the book as well. I think most originated from me being a native Greek speaker as the shortening of names always annoys me and the use of Hercules instead of Herakles to avoid saying Hera's name doesn't work in Greek. I also would have liked more geography to be given as Herakles explores all these places in Greece. However, I do note these are small issues that I was able to read past and engage in the retelling.
I would say this book combined my love of true crime documentaries and Greek mythology, which is an interesting combination. I loved the modern, gossip feel, and I think anyone who enjoys faithful to the original material retellings with a twist would also appreciate "Herc."
I enjoyed this book. It was an easy and quick read, and I especially liked how we saw many versions of Herakles, which reflects the multifaceted array of his mythology. I appreciated the refreshing way the myths were depicted in a mockumentary style, always keeping an undertone of gossiping mentality.
The main theme of the book for me is mental health. I didn’t realise this from the beginning, but especially after Megara's chapter, it became clear to me that we watch a man who, I think, desperately wanted to atone, to be given permission to mourn but he was given irrelevant to his crime labours that offered him no relief and no lessons. Is it that surprising that he is slow to learn when no one wants to teach him how to express his emotions? Because, as the later chapters show, he CAN learn. (Not enough, perhaps, I'll agree to that. But Herakles grows.)
Simultaneously, I don't want to look at his murderous rages as simply mental health because that is a dangerous and unfair path to most people who live with mental health issues. Mental health is not a shield that excuses terrible/criminal behaviours, and those who suffer by it are most likely going to hurt themselves, not others. But outside of that, "Herc" is about witnessing the tale of a man who is consumed by his own story and prospects of glory. He hides his sadness behind his loud laughter, is clearly becoming an alcoholic and feels displaced. I did actually really appreciate the depiction of Herakles as a homeless person.
Each POV offered a very narrow view of Herakles (maybe his siblings' narration gave the more humane perspective), but altogether, they painted the portrait of a man whom I felt both sorry for and thought he was never placed under any kind of scrutiny. His punishments get increasingly more severe, but his divine lineage ensures favouritism and blaming Hera for everything that goes wrong allows him to avoid seeing his responsibility for his mistakes and, not once, do we see him express true remorse. And yet, I did feel sorry for him because myth by myth Herakles was shown to be the punching bag for Gods and maybe even humans. There were so many situations that I felt he was placed in simply to strip him of the joy of something he once depended on. The depiction of his night at Thespiae filled me with pity and sorrow for him.
By the time he met Deianeira, he was an older man, spent and with very few lessons. And yet, even at that final chance, which he was more careful with, Herakles can not escape his own vices, and these inevitably lead to his death. It was especially sad that his demise came by his attempts to be forgiven, not by the Gods, but by Iole, the human he had hurt when he killed Iphitos. It was, as if, the more he leaned into his human side, asking to be forgiven on human terms, the less the Gods cared and didn't protect him.
There were things I didn't like about the book as well. I think most originated from me being a native Greek speaker as the shortening of names always annoys me and the use of Hercules instead of Herakles to avoid saying Hera's name doesn't work in Greek. I also would have liked more geography to be given as Herakles explores all these places in Greece. However, I do note these are small issues that I was able to read past and engage in the retelling.
I would say this book combined my love of true crime documentaries and Greek mythology, which is an interesting combination. I loved the modern, gossip feel, and I think anyone who enjoys faithful to the original material retellings with a twist would also appreciate "Herc."