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Hercufleas
“A resonant story about family, friendship and loss, and the power of hope and unity. Gayton reminds us that small things are sometimes the most important.”— Sunday Times [UK]
To protect her village from a giant, Greta recruits a Hercufleas! He may be tiny, but this young flea is certain he’s destined for greatness. Being a hero is harder than it seems, though, and Hercufleas and Greta face unexpected choices—and consequences—in their desperate attempts to save the village, and each other.
Big heroes come in small packages in a superbly imagined tale that is part comedic adventure, part poignant coming-of-age epic, and wholly original.
To protect her village from a giant, Greta recruits a Hercufleas! He may be tiny, but this young flea is certain he’s destined for greatness. Being a hero is harder than it seems, though, and Hercufleas and Greta face unexpected choices—and consequences—in their desperate attempts to save the village, and each other.
Big heroes come in small packages in a superbly imagined tale that is part comedic adventure, part poignant coming-of-age epic, and wholly original.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2015
3 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Sam Gayton
19 books45 followersSam Gayton lives and writes in a basement, where the spiders are big and hungry. He works at a primary school in Kent. The Snow Merchant is his first book. Now it’s finished he’ll go and write another one. He can’t tell you anything except for the first line: I can’t outrun the horses.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 26, 2018
Hercufleas is the cutest book I've read this year, and it deserves so much more recognition than it's getting!
Sam Gayton has created hit that Disney might want to steal in the future! This off the beaten path "Hercules" re-telling (in a way) is one of the best action novels I've ever read and enjoyed - and it's a middle grade novel! This book outdid so many adult action novels and it wasn't even aimed at my age group! I can see so many adults reading this to their kids and getting a lot out of it as well! There was a few silly adult jokes you can pick up on, but they are harmless and adorable!
The theme behind this book about how a hero comes in all sizes was also a beautiful tale to tell. It seems so silly to write a book about a flea, but the story worked and it was phenomenal. Mix in all the "flea" jokes along the way, and this book hits it out of the park. The ending is a little bittersweet or sad, but the ending worked well. The story pays off and is woven perfectly for the target audience. Sam mixing in enough "adult" humor or silly jokes also makes the book grow to a higher level of enjoyment.
I did find about 4/5ths through the novel I got a little bored, and it winded down really slowly. If it have kept the pace and excitement up, it might be a five out of five for me. Instead, I give it four out of five because it was just fantastic! I couldn't find any other problems with this novel while I was trying to pick it apart to find any cons for the readers.
Overall, the hero and heroine learn lessons about themselves, the theme is a tale as old as time and the story was unique and fun! What more can you ask for in a middle grade novel?
Four out of five stars.
I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads.
Sam Gayton has created hit that Disney might want to steal in the future! This off the beaten path "Hercules" re-telling (in a way) is one of the best action novels I've ever read and enjoyed - and it's a middle grade novel! This book outdid so many adult action novels and it wasn't even aimed at my age group! I can see so many adults reading this to their kids and getting a lot out of it as well! There was a few silly adult jokes you can pick up on, but they are harmless and adorable!
The theme behind this book about how a hero comes in all sizes was also a beautiful tale to tell. It seems so silly to write a book about a flea, but the story worked and it was phenomenal. Mix in all the "flea" jokes along the way, and this book hits it out of the park. The ending is a little bittersweet or sad, but the ending worked well. The story pays off and is woven perfectly for the target audience. Sam mixing in enough "adult" humor or silly jokes also makes the book grow to a higher level of enjoyment.
I did find about 4/5ths through the novel I got a little bored, and it winded down really slowly. If it have kept the pace and excitement up, it might be a five out of five for me. Instead, I give it four out of five because it was just fantastic! I couldn't find any other problems with this novel while I was trying to pick it apart to find any cons for the readers.
Overall, the hero and heroine learn lessons about themselves, the theme is a tale as old as time and the story was unique and fun! What more can you ask for in a middle grade novel?
Four out of five stars.
I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads.
April 30, 2015
I loved it! I think I enjoyed this book more than The Snow Merchant. The amount of thought that went into this book is mind blowing. From the Flea Hat House to the giant world around Hercufleas. There's so much attention to detail and amazing imagination that went into this book. I really want to read it again because I'm sure I'll pick up on more things!
I will definitely be recommending this book to children in the library. You won't forget this raisin-sized hero, that just wants to go on a quest. He faces world changing decisions and life threatening adventures which will make you gasp!
Definitely worth a read.
I will definitely be recommending this book to children in the library. You won't forget this raisin-sized hero, that just wants to go on a quest. He faces world changing decisions and life threatening adventures which will make you gasp!
Definitely worth a read.
September 24, 2016
Hercufleas is a flea - an unusually large, talking flea, but still, a flea. Nevertheless, from the very day he hatches out of his egg, he wants to be a hero. He gets that chance in short order, thanks to his fleamily's position as employfleas - you see where this is going - of a man who rents out heroes. Along comes a girl named Greta, from a town named Tumber, whose citizens are being guzzled by an indestructible giant named Yuk. They have tried hiring heroes before, but none of them has managed to stop Yuk guzzling the Tumberfolk. Nothing will do but a giant-slayer, Greta says. At first Mr. Stickle tries to refuse to risk his valuable heroes on this foolish venture, but when Greta threatens to spread word of this, he takes her money, has the fleas type up the contract, and then sets her up with a couple of villains who are meant to kill her. Hercufleas, stowing away in her clothes for a taste of adventure, helps her escape, and Greta decides he will be the hero to save her village.
What with one thing and another, they don't even make it back to Tumber before Greta has changed her mind about Hercufleas. They end up having to go on a huge, dangerous quest together before she believes her flea friend can save her town. Along the way, he has to discover a hero he never knew he had within him - one brave enough and wise enough to refuse to fight evil with evil, yet somehow strong enough to defeat a rampaging giant before he comes back to Tumber to guzzle the last survivors.
This is an amazingly entertaining story, for an adventure featuring a bloodsucking parasite. It unfolds in a strange and whimsical world where Czars leave doomsday weapons in Arctic fortresses guarded by mouseketeers; where the woodn't (woods you wouldn't want to visit) is full of deadly creatures such as grizzly squirrels and a cross between rattlesnakes and oak trees called, ahem, rattlesnoaks. It has a flightless bird that can be ridden like a horse, a pig that can shoot bullets out of its snout, a musical instrument that enables its player to fly, and various other magical and alchemical innovations. It also depicts feelings of grief, anger, guilt, and despair with touching honesty, respectfully observing Greta's quest for healing in a world that can, nevertheless, never be the same for her. It shines a light on the essence of heroism, the ethics of fighting evil with evil, and the links between faith, friendship, and bravery. It carries a suprising amount of weight for something seemingly so lightweight, and carries it, moreover, with flawless charm and grace.
Sam Gayton is an English author and playwright whose other books include The Snow Merchant, The Adventures of Lettie Peppercorn, His Royal Whiskers, and Lilliput. I already want to see more of his work. This book, published in 2015 in the U.K., is scheduled for U.S. release Oct. 4, 2016. This review is based on a pre-publication proof made available through Netgalley dot com.
What with one thing and another, they don't even make it back to Tumber before Greta has changed her mind about Hercufleas. They end up having to go on a huge, dangerous quest together before she believes her flea friend can save her town. Along the way, he has to discover a hero he never knew he had within him - one brave enough and wise enough to refuse to fight evil with evil, yet somehow strong enough to defeat a rampaging giant before he comes back to Tumber to guzzle the last survivors.
This is an amazingly entertaining story, for an adventure featuring a bloodsucking parasite. It unfolds in a strange and whimsical world where Czars leave doomsday weapons in Arctic fortresses guarded by mouseketeers; where the woodn't (woods you wouldn't want to visit) is full of deadly creatures such as grizzly squirrels and a cross between rattlesnakes and oak trees called, ahem, rattlesnoaks. It has a flightless bird that can be ridden like a horse, a pig that can shoot bullets out of its snout, a musical instrument that enables its player to fly, and various other magical and alchemical innovations. It also depicts feelings of grief, anger, guilt, and despair with touching honesty, respectfully observing Greta's quest for healing in a world that can, nevertheless, never be the same for her. It shines a light on the essence of heroism, the ethics of fighting evil with evil, and the links between faith, friendship, and bravery. It carries a suprising amount of weight for something seemingly so lightweight, and carries it, moreover, with flawless charm and grace.
Sam Gayton is an English author and playwright whose other books include The Snow Merchant, The Adventures of Lettie Peppercorn, His Royal Whiskers, and Lilliput. I already want to see more of his work. This book, published in 2015 in the U.K., is scheduled for U.S. release Oct. 4, 2016. This review is based on a pre-publication proof made available through Netgalley dot com.
August 1, 2017
After A Slow Start This Tale Builds Nicely
This book opens with the birth, (hatching), of Hercufleas. We meet his family and visit the hat in which he lives. We are showered with flea puns and flea words, (we meet Hercufleas' "fleamily", and so on). After a few pages of that this looked like it would just be a little-engine-that-could tale with flea jokes. But boy, that's just a piece of the story.
I sympathize with authors who have to set up an arch, slim and maybe cutesy premise before they can really take off and tell their story. Well, Gayton gets that dirty work out of the way fairly efficiently, and then we get to the good stuff. The village of Tumber is demolished each month by a terrible, huge giant. It needs a hero savior. When Greta, who has been tasked with hiring a hero, ends up being swindled and almost killed by a crooked hero renter, Hercufleas hitches a ride on her shoulder and heads off with her to be the hero Tumber needs.
Greta's attempts to hire a hero are amusing. The way she is cheated is dramatic. Her escape from the crooked villain is gripping. Moreover, by this point the characters have become interesting, the action is unpredictable, the dialogue is snappy, and the flea-ness of the humor has been put on the back burner. The world around Tumber is fascinating and the odd characters, (grizzly squirrels!), rival those from any other fantasy adventure. This becomes a real quest adventure, a coming of age tale, and a very clever and imaginative name check and homage to fairy tales of all stripes. Wow, you think to yourself, this has transformed from a cutesy kiddy cartoon into a story with some weight.
And Gayton pulls it off right up to the end. We actually get some gross humor, some flea jokes, a quest, some moral and ethical dilemmas, gripping action, lots of jokes, wordplay, and appealing characters in a mix that somehow never drifts into the childish or indulgent. Rather, it's a friendship tale, an exploration of family and loss, and a consideration of what it is that makes a hero. There's an ending that's upbeat and bitter-sweet at the same time, and a sense that we've been off on something with a little more gravity than just a funsy lark. That's quite a payoff for a book that starts off as a bunch of flea puns.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This book opens with the birth, (hatching), of Hercufleas. We meet his family and visit the hat in which he lives. We are showered with flea puns and flea words, (we meet Hercufleas' "fleamily", and so on). After a few pages of that this looked like it would just be a little-engine-that-could tale with flea jokes. But boy, that's just a piece of the story.
I sympathize with authors who have to set up an arch, slim and maybe cutesy premise before they can really take off and tell their story. Well, Gayton gets that dirty work out of the way fairly efficiently, and then we get to the good stuff. The village of Tumber is demolished each month by a terrible, huge giant. It needs a hero savior. When Greta, who has been tasked with hiring a hero, ends up being swindled and almost killed by a crooked hero renter, Hercufleas hitches a ride on her shoulder and heads off with her to be the hero Tumber needs.
Greta's attempts to hire a hero are amusing. The way she is cheated is dramatic. Her escape from the crooked villain is gripping. Moreover, by this point the characters have become interesting, the action is unpredictable, the dialogue is snappy, and the flea-ness of the humor has been put on the back burner. The world around Tumber is fascinating and the odd characters, (grizzly squirrels!), rival those from any other fantasy adventure. This becomes a real quest adventure, a coming of age tale, and a very clever and imaginative name check and homage to fairy tales of all stripes. Wow, you think to yourself, this has transformed from a cutesy kiddy cartoon into a story with some weight.
And Gayton pulls it off right up to the end. We actually get some gross humor, some flea jokes, a quest, some moral and ethical dilemmas, gripping action, lots of jokes, wordplay, and appealing characters in a mix that somehow never drifts into the childish or indulgent. Rather, it's a friendship tale, an exploration of family and loss, and a consideration of what it is that makes a hero. There's an ending that's upbeat and bitter-sweet at the same time, and a sense that we've been off on something with a little more gravity than just a funsy lark. That's quite a payoff for a book that starts off as a bunch of flea puns.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
November 18, 2019
Begins with a prologue setting the scene for the need of a giant slayer, I didn’t find the prologue very enticing, and the characters in that didn’t inspire me to carry on reading. However the introduction of the fleamily in chapter 1 changed that and the story started to unfold. It is a story of how self belief and all working together can triumph over evil. The choice to do the right thing and not resort to the use of lethal weapons (the black death) to overcome evil. To believe, even though hercufleas didn’t know how they were going to win rather than.
Illustrations dark and used sparingly. I didn’t particularly like their style, but others might do. Language – uses made up descriptive words, reminiscent of Roald Dahl ….rattlesnoak, woodn’t.
When the fleamily were first introduced, I felt that the book was starting to develop well, but after their initial characterisation and the beginning of the adventure it felt that the story was slow developing. It could have been more concise and fast moving.
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2016 (7-11)
Illustrations dark and used sparingly. I didn’t particularly like their style, but others might do. Language – uses made up descriptive words, reminiscent of Roald Dahl ….rattlesnoak, woodn’t.
When the fleamily were first introduced, I felt that the book was starting to develop well, but after their initial characterisation and the beginning of the adventure it felt that the story was slow developing. It could have been more concise and fast moving.
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2016 (7-11)
November 19, 2016
A hero's journey story centering around a flea with big dreams and an embittered girl who has lost all she loves but wishes to save her town from a dreadful monster. There are many lovely moments in this book, some centering on when Hercufleas drinks a drop of Greta's blood and senses the sweetness when she is hopeful and the bitterness when she is not. He longs for his family while she has lost hers and the two finally come to an understanding of each other around this shared experience. Hercufleas has several heroic moments, like going into the icy river to be bait for a much needed fish dinner. Greta doesn't get the happy ever after ending we think she deserves but that's life...and makes the book all the stronger for that reality. An original story about a journey, friendship, faith and trust and a lovely read.
Want to read
May 25, 2015Hercufleas by Sam Gayton
An evil giant by the name of Yuk needs to defeat and many heros have failed before him. The next hero to combat this evil creature is... Hercufleas a tiny flea who is no bigger than a raison. This tiny character is small by nature but mighty by heart which is demonstrated many times through the story. Throughout the story the flea comes across obstacles and decisions which will have incredible awful outcomes if he does not succeed.
The story looks at friendship and the thrive for hope and unity. I think this story is aimed at KS2 pupils and would be perfect for pleasure and home reading.
An evil giant by the name of Yuk needs to defeat and many heros have failed before him. The next hero to combat this evil creature is... Hercufleas a tiny flea who is no bigger than a raison. This tiny character is small by nature but mighty by heart which is demonstrated many times through the story. Throughout the story the flea comes across obstacles and decisions which will have incredible awful outcomes if he does not succeed.
The story looks at friendship and the thrive for hope and unity. I think this story is aimed at KS2 pupils and would be perfect for pleasure and home reading.
August 9, 2018
Wow, this book is so incredible fun, great plot and teach reader a wonderful things everyone needs to know. That “ small” things can be important, that a flea can be a hero. Hercufleas. That is his name. Hercules + flea. The Hercules of Flea. He will have to save an village from a monstrous giant who already won so many heroes who is “bigger”, “stronger” than him. And why do he win? I recommend you to read out this epic book and find out yourself.
- Whatever the size of his enemies, the winner’s always... Hercufleas!!
- Whatever the size of his enemies, the winner’s always... Hercufleas!!
April 12, 2016
A great read! It incorporated myths and legends with cool twists. Extremely innovative and fantastical characters. The author is amazingly talented at word play in both a meaningful and amusing way. The morals of the story are easy to see, yet told in such an entertaining way that it in no way feels like you are being lectured, but in fact, the reader feels involved in the evolution of the character development.
January 21, 2018
What a fantastic riff on the hero's journey that middle grade readers will love! The action, humor, and unlikely hero of this novel will appeal to many students & the central idea - "believe something and it is halfway to being real" is a great takeaway. Young people will love Greta & Hercufleas and will be delightfully grossed out by the descriptions of The Yuk who's been guzzling people from Greta's hometown of Tumber.
November 6, 2016
Well written, a unique fairy tale, but not my cup of tea. In reviewing this book i did keep in mind that i am not the intended audience for it. I had higher hopes based on the blurb about it but it just did not live up to my expectation. yes i would recommend it for age appropriate readers.
May 30, 2017
Adorable children's story about a flea named Hercufleas who wants to be a hero. With the help of a human girl named Greta, they go on an adventure to try to save her town from an evil giant. Very well written, good character development, and excellent flow.
November 5, 2018
This book was sweet and nature filled but one thing is that in this book the main character a flea drinks blood and I found that slightly gross. Otherwise it is nice. It is not my favorite, I wish there was more action but but it was good.
May 6, 2015
Fantastic story, very unique. Loved the references to characters from Sam's other books too.
September 22, 2015
This was a bit too strange and all over the place for me, but I can see why it would appeal to a younger audience.
March 30, 2016
A classic adventure with an un-classic hero. I would have loved this book as a child.
October 9, 2016
Really cute story that doesn't have a love aspect. Family, friends and fighting giants, great read for MS students.
November 15, 2016
Wonderful story
May 7, 2017
I won this book through a good reads giveaway. This book was really unexpected. I had a lot of fun reading about Hercufleas and his adventure though this book.
March 7, 2017
Full of heart it was a nice story
April 29, 2018
An excellent adventure. Thoroughly enjoyed this minuscule hero
January 22, 2022
Read this as a bedtime story to my kids and was even more captivated than them. What seems to be a silly premise soon carried us along in a beautiful narrative with richly painted characters in a consistent universe. A wonderful story with a collosal climax and an even more enchanting denouement.
December 29, 2020
4 stars because my kids liked it and there were some clever parts.
June 6, 2025
Sam Gayton is one of the most underrated middle grade authors. It's sad that a few of his most recent books didn't get released in the US. Hercufleas is perhaps the best example of his wild and insane fantasy stories, and seems to take place in the same world as The Snow Merchant, and His Royal Whiskers, yet they are not sequels, even if one could argue that The Snow Merchant could be read first. Gayton has created such an original world here, and the result is a book that is equal parts funny, charming, gross, and memorable. I also have a soft spot for Lilliput, but Hercufleas is probably my favorite of his books.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews