Wearing the Lion

 Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell, 376 pages.

Heracles has spent his whole life utterly devoted to his "Auntie" Hera. Hera is completely incensed by this devotion, resenting the constant reminders of her husband's infidelity, and the general insult of his existence. One day she snaps, and orders a Fury to drive him to madness and self-destruction, but in a horrifying twist he instead murders his children. Heracles is nearly broken by the grief and shame of this action, and follows a trail laid out for him to find which god was responsible and get his revenge.

This is an extremely fresh take on the very old story of the 12 labors of Hercules. After his actions leave him unable to stomach any violence, the many monster hunts become much more creative problems, which must more impactful emotional results. This book felt deeply in conversation with the original myth, while not being so married to it that it was afraid to go it's own way. I also found the dual perspectives very effective, and liked them both when used for humorous or dramatic effect. This book is very well-crafted with a great emotional core, and I would definitely recommend it. I know I certainly plan to read more from this author.