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Herald
Herald is the story of Hermes, divine messenger of classical mythology and son of mighty Zeus, ruler of the Olympian gods. Born secretly in an ancient mountain cave, and possessing abilities that make the young god a friend to both the living and the dead, Hermes becomes a valuable aid in Zeus’ efforts to bring the final Olympians to power. Told from Hermes’ unique perspective are many beloved tales from ancient Greece, including those of Orpheus, Persephone, and Perseus, interwoven with Hermes’ own attempts to forge a place for himself among mortal and immortal beings. Herald pulls the reader into ancient Greece and into the mind of a legendary mythological figure as he struggles with power, death, and the carnal treachery of a goddess.
- GenresMythologyGreek Mythology
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 16, 2021
An excellent novel about Hermes, the herald of the gods in Greek mythology, that I didn't think I'd find so engrossing given my little interest in this particular deity. But I loved it! Hermes is so human, sometimes way too human for a god, and very relatable, he has flaws and is as much a victim as a hero, and he does things you want to shake him for, but he never ceases to be interesting and easy to understand.
Houck did a superb job weaving a thread to connect the all-over-the-place Hellenic myths, which are more often than not a big headache for lack of continuity and consistency, and managed to insert Hermes in them in a very plausible and seamless way. My admiration goes to the author for that. I'd have gone mad trying to make heads or tails of the mythic tangle myself. I also appreciated the excellent characterisation for other gods and assorted side characters, as they're in line with what we know about them. Apollo is Apollo, Athena is Athena, Aphrodite is Aphrodite, Zeus is Zeus, and so on. Some are more typically god-like and others are basically just mortals with a little bit of magic. I think that sometimes mortals are too blasé about interacting with the gods, and that the background of ancient Greece is sometimes hard to grasp for how little it's explained, which could be said are the downsides of this novel.
It also does require that the reader be at least passingly familiar with Greek mythology, because it is going to read like it's assumed you already know. A great read nonetheless, that shouldn't frighten readers that aren't that familiar with Greek myths.
Houck did a superb job weaving a thread to connect the all-over-the-place Hellenic myths, which are more often than not a big headache for lack of continuity and consistency, and managed to insert Hermes in them in a very plausible and seamless way. My admiration goes to the author for that. I'd have gone mad trying to make heads or tails of the mythic tangle myself. I also appreciated the excellent characterisation for other gods and assorted side characters, as they're in line with what we know about them. Apollo is Apollo, Athena is Athena, Aphrodite is Aphrodite, Zeus is Zeus, and so on. Some are more typically god-like and others are basically just mortals with a little bit of magic. I think that sometimes mortals are too blasé about interacting with the gods, and that the background of ancient Greece is sometimes hard to grasp for how little it's explained, which could be said are the downsides of this novel.
It also does require that the reader be at least passingly familiar with Greek mythology, because it is going to read like it's assumed you already know. A great read nonetheless, that shouldn't frighten readers that aren't that familiar with Greek myths.
January 20, 2018
Herald is book that went beyond my expectations. I have read books similar in concept before, whereby a figure from mythology has been taken as a main character and narrates the mythology from their own perspective, and none have ever truly grabbed me. Herald takes that concept, solidified it, and then raised the bar. It follows Hermes (bias warning: Hermes is one of my favourite gods in Ancient Greek Mythology) as he, with the help of the Muses, writes down his history and his involvement with varying episodes in the mythology. Not everything is covered and, while numerous different events in the mythology are included, the main focuses of the book are Hermes’ role as an Olympian, his relationship with mortality and his relationship with Aphrodite.
It would be very easy for a book such as this to be heavy, yet Houck manages to take the reader through the mythology with a light, readable hand. Indeed, I found reading Herald to be quite a comfortable read, as if opening the pages were akin to curling up beneath a blanket with a fire blazing. The material is handled respectfully, and it’s very easy to see that Houck knows what he’s writing about. The main strength of the book, however, was the characters. Despite it being a book about gods, none felt domineering while also emitting a steady strength that identified them as gods, despite their almost-human like personalities. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Ancient Greek Mythology, even if it’s just a small, passing interest.
Rating: 4.5
It would be very easy for a book such as this to be heavy, yet Houck manages to take the reader through the mythology with a light, readable hand. Indeed, I found reading Herald to be quite a comfortable read, as if opening the pages were akin to curling up beneath a blanket with a fire blazing. The material is handled respectfully, and it’s very easy to see that Houck knows what he’s writing about. The main strength of the book, however, was the characters. Despite it being a book about gods, none felt domineering while also emitting a steady strength that identified them as gods, despite their almost-human like personalities. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Ancient Greek Mythology, even if it’s just a small, passing interest.
Rating: 4.5
July 31, 2010
My initial reaction is "Holy crap, what a book." This author takes the weird history of Hermes, and rolls into it even the myths that seem so bizarrely out of character (the rape of Apemosyne, which still does happen and is surprising after the softening of his earlier behavior) in a consistent manner without pinning the rap on some other poor diety. It's framed as an autobiography of Hermes, complete with asides to his sisters the Muses. This allows him to express regret and remorse while recounting the darkest deeds and humility and charm when recounting the triumphs. The author also manages to accomplish what I never thought possible, and turns Apollo into a likable character. Apollo may be my least favorite god in a story, and he's a delight everytime he's onpage here.
If you're a fan of Aphrodite, she suffers a bit in the majority of this book as she's occupying her darkest aspects. As a result, a lot of the joy and fun in the Hermes-Aphrodite relationship is replaced by steady animosity and horrible crimes against each other and mortals. Conversely, Zeus appears in his lightest form and his greatest atrocities are never mentioned. From the POV of his son who doesn't have a great deal of luck with Aprodite, this makes a great deal of sense.
Hades and Persephone comes off quite well here, with Hades demonstrating wisdom and compassion several times, and Persephone displaying far more agency than she's usually allowed.
I'd advise you to avoid the book if you have a trigger against sexual assault, because this book is set in Greek Mythology and doesn't shy away from the worst parts.
If you're a fan of Aphrodite, she suffers a bit in the majority of this book as she's occupying her darkest aspects. As a result, a lot of the joy and fun in the Hermes-Aphrodite relationship is replaced by steady animosity and horrible crimes against each other and mortals. Conversely, Zeus appears in his lightest form and his greatest atrocities are never mentioned. From the POV of his son who doesn't have a great deal of luck with Aprodite, this makes a great deal of sense.
Hades and Persephone comes off quite well here, with Hades demonstrating wisdom and compassion several times, and Persephone displaying far more agency than she's usually allowed.
I'd advise you to avoid the book if you have a trigger against sexual assault, because this book is set in Greek Mythology and doesn't shy away from the worst parts.
April 7, 2007
Herald is, in essence, a "best of" book for Hermes. It's written as a narrative biography and takes liberties with the gods (i.e. makes them moderately compassionate), but I'm okay with that.
Rumor has it that this is the first in a trilogy. Color me excited. I'd love to see some other gods (maybe Athena perhaps) get this treatment.
EDIT: I'm bumping this book up to 5 stars. The author really brings the gods to life. He writes in such a way that what counts as incest really does seem to bad (a must if we are to feel for these characters). He covers some of the earliest myths, specifically the creation of the Olympians, and does it with style.
If he puts out a second book I'll be there in a heartbeat.
Rumor has it that this is the first in a trilogy. Color me excited. I'd love to see some other gods (maybe Athena perhaps) get this treatment.
EDIT: I'm bumping this book up to 5 stars. The author really brings the gods to life. He writes in such a way that what counts as incest really does seem to bad (a must if we are to feel for these characters). He covers some of the earliest myths, specifically the creation of the Olympians, and does it with style.
If he puts out a second book I'll be there in a heartbeat.
November 18, 2017
Hermes has always been my favorite of the Greek Gods, so I was looking forward to reading this. I wasn't disappointed. Although Hermes appears in many myths, there is very little written from his point of view. This is the first book of a planned trilogy. If they are as good as the first, they will definitely be worth reading.
July 6, 2015
Rating : 3 stars
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews