Phoenicia Rogerson – författare

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. Perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and Joanne M. Harris 'It. Is. Fantastic' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'An absolute delight' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Astonishingly vivid' Jodi Taylor

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 (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.

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

Perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and Joanne M. Harris

From the author of Herc, a Waterstones Best Book of the Year ‘Particularly skilled in evoking the strangeness and contradictoriness of Greek myths’ Sunday Times‘A joyful exploration of one woman's quest for home, power, identity and ultimately, freedom from fate. A genuine pleasure to read!’ Clare North, author of Ithaca * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ‘I’m a liar, to begin with.’ I wasn’t always a goddess, you see. My only real power was my beauty – you’ll have heard. It’s legendary. But that was never going to be enough for me.It took a web of lies to convince the gods of Olympus I was one of them. But I did. I was that good. Zeus gave me a title and riches and loved me. And all he wanted in return was for me to love him back.But of course, Zeus was a tyrant. (Not entirely surprising when you’re ninety per cent insecurities and ten per cent raw power.) I couldn’t live at someone’s mercy. Really, I had no choice. I had to take on the mightiest Olympian of all. And this bit’s not a lie… I intended to win. A wonderful tale set in Ancient Greece where a being with no power rises to the very top by outwitting other gods all while maintaining a sense of exactly who she is – a goddess who intends to always do it her way. Perfect for fans of Ferdia Lennon, Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Authors and readers ADORE Aphrodite: 'Sparkles with wicked humour and boundless imagination' Kate Heartfield, Sunday Times bestselling author‘Welcome the Real Housewives of Olympus. Stunning, brilliant, witty, so delicious it could only be divine’ Reader review'Wit and verve, contrasting laugh-out-loud humour with moments of surprising tenderness' Luna McNamara, author of Pysche and Eros'With sharp dialogue and dynamic scenes, it plays like a divine reality show' Woman&Home'I can't emphasise enough how much I adored this version of Aphrodite – wickedly funny, caustic, fierce, playful and cheeky yet with a soft centre' Reader review'Aphrodite gives a human voice to the inhuman goddess that you can’t help but love' Lizzy Tiffin, author of Bad Girls of Ancient Greece'If you’ve ever wondered what Tina Fey retelling your favorite myths would be like, Phoenicia Rogerson has the answer' Ian Doescher, author of the William Shakespeare's Star Wars series'Greek Mythology has never been so engaging, witty and clever as now!' Reader review

From the author of Herc, a Waterstones Best Book of the Year ‘Particularly skilled in evoking the strangeness and contradictoriness of Greek myths’ Sunday Times‘A joyful exploration of one woman's quest for home, power, identity and ultimately, freedom from fate. A genuine pleasure to read!’ Clare North, author of Ithaca * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ‘I’m a liar, to begin with.’ I wasn’t always a goddess, you see. My only real power was my beauty – you’ll have heard. It’s legendary. But that was never going to be enough for me.It took a web of lies to convince the gods of Olympus I was one of them. But I did. I was that good. Zeus gave me a title and riches and loved me. And all he wanted in return was for me to love him back.But of course, Zeus was a tyrant. (Not entirely surprising when you’re ninety per cent insecurities and ten per cent raw power.) I couldn’t live at someone’s mercy. Really, I had no choice. I had to take on the mightiest Olympian of all. And this bit’s not a lie… I intended to win. A wonderful tale set in Ancient Greece where a being with no power rises to the very top by outwitting other gods all while maintaining a sense of exactly who she is – a goddess who intends to always do it her way. Perfect for fans of Ferdia Lennon, Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Authors and readers ADORE Aphrodite: 'Sparkles with wicked humour and boundless imagination' Kate Heartfield, Sunday Times bestselling author‘Welcome the Real Housewives of Olympus. Stunning, brilliant, witty, so delicious it could only be divine’ Reader review'Wit and verve, contrasting laugh-out-loud humour with moments of surprising tenderness' Luna McNamara, author of Pysche and Eros'With sharp dialogue and dynamic scenes, it plays like a divine reality show' Woman&Home'I can't emphasise enough how much I adored this version of Aphrodite – wickedly funny, caustic, fierce, playful and cheeky yet with a soft centre' Reader review'Aphrodite gives a human voice to the inhuman goddess that you can’t help but love' Lizzy Tiffin, author of Bad Girls of Ancient Greece'If you’ve ever wondered what Tina Fey retelling your favorite myths would be like, Phoenicia Rogerson has the answer' Ian Doescher, author of the William Shakespeare's Star Wars series'Greek Mythology has never been so engaging, witty and clever as now!' Reader review

From the author of Herc, a Waterstones Best Book of the Year ‘Particularly skilled in evoking the strangeness and contradictoriness of Greek myths’ Sunday Times‘A joyful exploration of one woman's quest for home, power, identity and ultimately, freedom from fate. A genuine pleasure to read!’ Clare North, author of Ithaca * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ‘I’m a liar, to begin with.’ I wasn’t always a goddess, you see. My only real power was my beauty – you’ll have heard. It’s legendary. But that was never going to be enough for me.It took a web of lies to convince the gods of Olympus I was one of them. But I did. I was that good. Zeus gave me a title and riches and loved me. And all he wanted in return was for me to love him back.But of course, Zeus was a tyrant. (Not entirely surprising when you’re ninety per cent insecurities and ten per cent raw power.) I couldn’t live at someone’s mercy. Really, I had no choice. I had to take on the mightiest Olympian of all. And this bit’s not a lie… I intended to win. A wonderful tale set in Ancient Greece where a being with no power rises to the very top by outwitting other gods all while maintaining a sense of exactly who she is – a goddess who intends to always do it her way. Perfect for fans of Ferdia Lennon, Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Authors and readers ADORE Aphrodite: 'Sparkles with wicked humour and boundless imagination' Kate Heartfield, Sunday Times bestselling author‘Welcome the Real Housewives of Olympus. Stunning, brilliant, witty, so delicious it could only be divine’ Reader review'Wit and verve, contrasting laugh-out-loud humour with moments of surprising tenderness' Luna McNamara, author of Pysche and Eros'With sharp dialogue and dynamic scenes, it plays like a divine reality show' Woman&Home'I can't emphasise enough how much I adored this version of Aphrodite – wickedly funny, caustic, fierce, playful and cheeky yet with a soft centre' Reader review'Aphrodite gives a human voice to the inhuman goddess that you can’t help but love' Lizzy Tiffin, author of Bad Girls of Ancient Greece'If you’ve ever wondered what Tina Fey retelling your favorite myths would be like, Phoenicia Rogerson has the answer' Ian Doescher, author of the William Shakespeare's Star Wars series'Greek Mythology has never been so engaging, witty and clever as now!' Reader review

From the brilliantly witty author of Aphrodite and Herc comes a story set in the court of King Arthur, featuring knights, valour, sacrifice, magic and a feminist retelling of the love story of Tristan and Isolde.Isolde, Queen of Cornwall, is on the run.She didn’t mean to drink a love potion with the king’s nephew, but that little accident has made her scandalously famous. Luckily, she and Tristan find refuge in Camelot, the legendary court of King Arthur. This ought to be her happy ending.Only it isn’t. She discovers that Camelot is full of chivalrous knights who aren’t sure how to speak to a woman, and while it houses the greatest wizard of all time, he might just be responsible for crimes against humanity. And one more thing, the love potion has worn off…Now Isolde will have to work out what sort of life a woman can carve out for herself when the songs about her have already been written. A tale of battered reputations, Isolde introduces an unforgettable heroine finding her way through myth, love and a world of magic. * * * * * * * * *Praise for Phoenicia Rogerson:'A joyful exploration of one woman's quest for home, power, identity and ultimately, freedom from fate. A genuine pleasure to read!' Claire North, author of Ithaca on Aphrodite'With sharp dialogue and dynamic scenes, it plays like a divine reality show' Woman & Home on Aphrodite'This is a stunningly witty tale' Daily Express on Aphrodite

From the brilliantly witty author of Aphrodite and Herc comes a story set in the court of King Arthur, featuring knights, valour, sacrifice, magic and a feminist retelling of the love story of Tristan and Isolde.Isolde, Queen of Cornwall, is on the run.She didn’t mean to drink a love potion with the king’s nephew, but that little accident has made her scandalously famous. Luckily, she and Tristan find refuge in Camelot, the legendary court of King Arthur. This ought to be her happy ending.Only it isn’t. She discovers that Camelot is full of chivalrous knights who aren’t sure how to speak to a woman, and while it houses the greatest wizard of all time, he might just be responsible for crimes against humanity. And one more thing, the love potion has worn off…Now Isolde will have to work out what sort of life a woman can carve out for herself when the songs about her have already been written. A tale of battered reputations, Isolde introduces an unforgettable heroine finding her way through myth, love and a world of magic. * * * * * * * * *Praise for Phoenicia Rogerson:'A joyful exploration of one woman's quest for home, power, identity and ultimately, freedom from fate. A genuine pleasure to read!' Claire North, author of Ithaca on Aphrodite'With sharp dialogue and dynamic scenes, it plays like a divine reality show' Woman & Home on Aphrodite'This is a stunningly witty tale' Daily Express on Aphrodite