Herc

A queer, revisionist retelling of the story of Hercules, for fans of Song of Achilles, A Thousand Ships, and Ariadne.

This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labors, his endless adventures…everyone’s favorite 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: Princess of Thebes (she’ll tell you about the 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, and his victim It’s time to hear their stories. Told with humor and heart, Phoenicia Rogerson's transporting debut gives a voice to silenced characters in this intoxicating retelling of the classic Hercules myth.

About the Author

Phoenicia Rogerson is altogether mortal with a rather less chequered past than Hercules. After a decade of not being able to find his complete story on bookshelves, she decided to pull her socks up and write it herself. She's had two short stories published in the UCL Publisher’s Prize. She lives and works in London. Herc is her first novel.