Hercules is back! My old friend Rik Hoskin has just released the first novel in a whole brand new series of fantasy adventures. It follows the adventures of the legendary strongman and adventurer as he travels across the ancient world, protecting the weak while battling monsters and supernatural evils. Six books are already plans with intentions for more.
The series opens with Hercules Versus Vampires. Hercules washes up at the island port of Baltus as a broken man. His legendary Labors behind him, he’s disillusioned and desires only to be left alone. But when he stumbles into a town where supernatural abductions are commonplace, and whose residents live in nightly fear, Hercules must once again find the hero within—or die trying!
Frequent readers of this blog will know Rik’s work. A New York Times bestselling author, and an award winner thanks to his graphic novel adaptation of Brandon Sanderson’s White Sands. He is a superb ideas man and depictor of action sequences. His characters are rich and dynamic. Hercules is a character he has enjoyed since he was a boy and these books are a dream project for him. He’s written many books for the Deathlands and Outlanders ranges of pulp novels, moving from guest writer to editor and principle writer, under the name James Axler. Amongst the franchises he’s written for are Star Wars, Doctor Who, Disney Princesses and Wallace and Gromit. Not to mention original novels like Bystander 27, a comic strip adaptation of stories from the the Mahabharata, The Vampire Invasion and numerous horror stort stories. I’ve not even mentioned the Terror Trumps card game yet. He’s also been a recurring guest on my podcast Very British Futures.
Hercules is one of the defining figures of Western mythology since ancient times. His name of course the Roman variation of Heracles from the antient Greek tales, who was worshipped as a god. This hero has been reinterpreted many times. In the 20th century, there was a whole Italian film industry built on him and similar strongmen, most famously portrayed by Steve Reeves, although I have fondness for Yorkshire bodybuilder Reg Park and his laid back appearances as the character. Marvel Comics added him to their roster of heroes. In the 90s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was a big hit, whilst Disney made a movie about him that in time became a Broadway musical.
Read all about Hercules Versus at the dedicated website https://herculesversus.com Hercules Versus are available to buy on ebook and paperback from Amazon New titles will be appearing every two months. I’ve bought the first one and I’ll be publishing a review before too long.
