For a genre that has seen so many new books in the last few years, Herc was a really fresh and new take on mythological retellings. 

With so many different perspectives, but never Hercules' own, you really get a sense of the entirety of his personality; the good, the bad, the potentially-godly-possessed-episodes of madness. It builds a really emotional picture of Hercules and you learn to really feel for him, whilst also fully acknowleding all of the awful things he does. I really enjoyed the dichotomy of these awful acts too - with some characters the negatives are absolutely highlighted whereas others (mostly his brother and nephew) excuses are consistently made around these acts made for a fantastic read. 

One of the reasons this book works so well is that it's so easy to forget how long Hercules' story actually is. Most people are very aware of the myth up to the end of the labours but (myself included) completely forget everything that happens afterwards (and even during with the Argonauts), and Rogerson explores this in great detail to great effect. 

I'm absolutely here for more books taking these characters who are the 'epitome' of Greek heroism and fully acknowledge all their awful characteristics.