I love history and literature! Combine them both into a fun children's book and you have a great combination!

A Fun Modern Adventure With Greek Myth Heroes

The first book in this series came out about a year ago titled "Tim Baker and the Ancient Curse", as part of a new series - "Gormless Gods and Hapless Heroes". It's been reissued as "Here Comes Hercules!", and the series is now to be called just "Hopeless Heroes". That's just fine by me because the first book was a fun and exciting adventure and I'm happy to see it getting a second life. And now we already have this second book, "Hera's Terrible Trap", and a third book, "Arachne's Golden Gloves" on the way.

It would probably be a good idea to start with the first book. In that one we meet Tim Baker and his Mom, set up the background to the tale, break a vase that releases Hercules from a trap that was set by Hera, and have a rousing adventure with poor dim Hercules, set in modern times. We come to know and like Tim and become rather fond of Hercules, who comes across as a well-intentioned but slightly goofy character.

This second book picks up where the first left off. Tim is bored and lonely at home and Hercules is back in ancient Athens. Tim ends up being transported to ancient Athens and his adventure involves mostly Tim and Hercules' daughter Zoe, with cameos by Hera, Theseus, a gorgon, and some other familiar figures. The plot revolves around keeping Hera from re-trapping good-natured and slightly gullible Hercules. If there's a problem with the second book, it's only that the author sort of assumes that the reader knows Tim, is familiar with the first book, and already has a grasp of the underlying premise. An effort is made to bring in new readers, but it really all works much better if you've read Book One.

In any event, Tim remains a clever, good-hearted and engaging kid. Zoe is a bit of a spark plug with some ancient Greek girrrrl power and she serves quite nicely as an appealing and fully realized second main character. Lively drawings add some extra personality and highlight the action. The adventure itself involves lurking, sneaking, escaping, finding one's way in a maze, and gorgon outsmarting, so there's plenty of action. The dialogue is fairly sharp, and there are a few sly or edgy lines to keep things a bit jazzy and pointed. This doesn't seem to be intended to teach a lot of Greek mythology; it's built more about borrowing Greek characters and introducing their stories to add color and interest to the festivities. Given that this seems aimed at a younger reader that struck me as a fine way to go.

The upshot was that this was fun and snappy, with an agreeable angle and engaging characters. I thought it to be an entertaining and nicely crafted find.

(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.)

Tim is having another bad day. This time he is dragged to the garden centre by his mother, in order to buy some plants to replace those burned by Hercules. The ghastly Leo is there, and Tim feels that life is unlikely to improve, now that Hercules has left, and he is once again pretty much friendless, and definitely defenceless.
Back at home, he is just in time to catch Hermes trying to fly off with the ancient vase that had kept Hercules imprisoned. Quick thinking on Tim’s part, enables him to grab hold of the vase – but instead of keeping it in his bedroom, both Tim and the vase are transported to Ancient Greece. The upside of this, is that he gets to see Hercules again – and to meet Hercules intelligent and adventurous daughter, Zoe. The downside is, that Ancient Greece also contains the terrible Hera and her vicious peacocks.
Tim and Zoe have to get back the vase before Hera can use it to trap Hercules again. They are (sort of) helped out by two great Greek heroes – Theseus and Perseus – and discover that the vase is much more important than anyone had previously thought.
As with “Here comes Hercules”, this book is a great introduction to Greek myths and legends. The illustrations of all the Greeks, as they strike their poses, could have been copied directly from ancient Greek vases. Only Tim, and the people of modern times are drawn ‘normally’.
I loved the way in which ancient myths and heroes were woven into this story. And particularly liked the portrayal of the hero Theseus as a vain pop-star type, followed by myriads of adoring female fans.
I can recommend this book to children of all ages, and am really looking forward to the next ancient Greek instalment.

I must admit that I really love this series. This one was no exception. I love mythology and having it combined with fiction is something that I have always enjoyed. There's a scene in the beginning that may not set the best example when it comes to bullying though. The author does say that the main character felt like it wasn't a smart move, however no repercussions seem to come of it. Other than that, I really couldn't find any faults with this book. The situations the main character finds himself in can be funny at times but they also encourage kids to think outside of the box. There is a bit of violence which follows the story of Perseus, although it's not descriptive at all and is very brief. I feel like this is appropriate for kids who are starting to transition to harder chapter books, but, as always, it depends on the child. Also you do not have to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this one, although I recommend both of them.

I would like to thank the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.