Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell

I fell in love with John Wiswell’s writing when I read his story “Open House on Haunted Hill”, which blew me away. Last year, I was thrilled when I got an eARC of his first novel.
I adored Someone to Build a Nest In and was eagerly anticipating his next book. I was over the moon when DAW and NetGalley gave me an e ARC of Wearing the Lion in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the story of Heracles and Hera and their relationship. As a lapsed classicist who loves mythology, this seemed like the perfect book for me. And it was! This was the best, most human, and kindest version of Heracles I have ever seen; likewise, Hera and the other deities are at the most relatable.

This book kept surprising me. As someone with a passing familiarity with the 12 Labors of Hercules, the nontraditional ways this Heracles solves the problem of how to deal with the Nemean Lion and the Lernean Hydra were surprising and ultimately delightful. The murder of his children hit hard, and I would’ve appreciated a content warning, but all in all this is a sad, warm, loving book.

As I said about his previous novel,everyone who loves monsters should go buy this book. It was that good.

I admire John Wiswell for having the courage to try this. And the book was well written. But it wasn’t for me, and I gave up halfway through.

No spoilers in this review that aren’t on the back of the book, which is Greek myth anyway.

The idea of a pacifist retelling of the Twelve Labors of Heracles is a good one. Heracles needs to bring the hide of the Nemean Lion to King Eurystheus? Well, nowhere does it say that Heracles can’t bring the rest of the Nemean Lion along with the hide, sooooo….

That part was good. It was fun and it was funny.

The problem, and why I give Wiswell the guts for tackling this in the first place, is *why* Heracles undertook the Twelve Labors in the first place. Wiswell stuck to the mythology here: Hera had sent a Fury to drive Heracles mad, and in his madness he slew his children. The Twelve Labors were his atonement for that.

Obviously there’s a tonal clash between that and a fairly lighthearted take on the Labors. That was a problem.

The much bigger problem here is Hera.

In this telling, Heracles, ironically, is a devoted worshipper of Hera. The book alternates between Heracles’ internal monologue, which is almost entirely epistolary in the form of prayers to his chosen goddess, “Auntie Hera.” The other chapters are Hera’s.

Hera could, if spun right, have been a very sympathetic character. The first line of the book mentioning “my dipshit husband” made me laugh out loud. She’s more or less the epitome of the Woman Wronged, with Zeus out impregnating half the Hellenic world all the time. But, as in Greek myth, Hera can be furious at her husband all she wants but she can’t *do* anything to him; he’s the immortal lord of the Olympians. So rather than rage impotently, her anger gets channeled towards the most prominent reminder of Zeus’ infidelity: his son Heracles.

But like literally every child ever born, Heracles is completely innocent of the circumstances of his conception. The fact that he is sincerely devoted to Hera (who hates his devotions) makes it worse. And then when Hera, goddess of home and family, *kills his children* (even though it wasn’t her intention) … that’s a swan dive right over the moral event horizon.

Maybe it could have been salvaged, if Hera set out to atone in some way. Instead, for the rest of her chapters (which is literally every alternate chapter) we get Hera mostly squirming mentally and trying not to think about what she did.

Hence the DNF. Hera was too big a presence and too thoroughly unsympathetic a character.

Wearing the Lion was my first book from John Wiswell and undoubtedly won't be my last. This story is a raw masterpiece of a Greek myth retelling that will leave you breathless. I am stunned by how beautiful the story was, and how perfectly it balanced moments of laughter, tenderness, and deepest despair.

This is overall a sweet tale of found family, but the tone shifts at some point when a great tragedy strikes, and Heracles is sent on a quest for truth. The premise is unique - what if Heracles decided there was too much hurt in the world already, and instead of killing legendary beasts as he follows the trials assigned to him, they simply became friends, and ultimately family? Be prepared to go deep with this one. There is no surface-level storytelling here, as each character is explored to their deepest core and gets plenty of time on page as they develop their relationships. The alternating POV also works wonderfully and gives the Olympian gods a chance to tell their side of the story, for better or worse.

I can't recommend this book enough. If you're a fan of Greek myth retellings like Stephen Fry's series, and emotional tales of found family, this is the book for you.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

I adored Wearing the Lion! Besides that I love John Wiswell writing and unique voice, the premise intrigued me a lot. Who doesn't want a menagerie of mythological creatures? Especially when you've lost your family, animals know how to bring you comfort. You'll find others who know what you've been through. Heracles makes a different choice in this book, and it leads to an interesting outcome. I really like the emotional journey he goes on, aside from making new friends. Hera is my favourite though. She's fiesty, Queen of Olympus, but she has her human side (even though she denies it's human).

It's a really interesting take on the Heracles stories, one where a different choice leads to very different outcome. I appreciate retellings like this, especially from a mastercrafted like John Wiswell. His presentation of the story, although not unique, feels unique because it's so immersed in the characters voices. I'd recommend this to anyone who like Greek Mythology and historical fiction.

This is an interesting take on a mythology retelling. It's full of modernisms, for one, and while I found it amusing it also kept me from really taking much of it seriously - and if I have to read "dipshit husband" one more time I might just commit an atrocity. It is, for sure, a new approach to writing a retelling (though not the first of its kind of course) but the tone rarely fits the story for me personally. I do think it's a case of a book not fitting the reader though.
I didn't really care for Wiswell's portrayal of pretty much any god or mythological creature but I especially didn't enjoy the way he turns Hera into an entirely sympathetic figure who regrets every wrong she's ever done and is more or less changed for the better by a man, and said man, Heracles, is a goody two-shoes perfect hero who has never done any wrong whatsover. He doesn't even kill monsters because the monsters in this book are family. And this could be fun - I love reimaginings of mythological creatures - but it also makes him really boring in the end. All he has is perfection and grief, there is no edge to him not even in his worst moments. He's just a big ol' sweetheart and in the context of this story it turns him into a rather dull protagonist.
There are good messages and themes in here but I often felt like the Heracles myth was a mere backdrop for what the author wanted to say. Still, it's a fun little romp and it's well-written enough, though the prose is pretty simplistic and the emotional moments didn't manage to hit at all for me. It's a different kind of retelling, I give it that.
2,5 stars, rounding up to 3 for the Nemean lion because he's cute.

Wearing the Lion was a solid and enjoyable read, especially for someone newer to Greek mythology retellings. It puts a softer, more emotional spin on the Heracles myth, which was a nice change of pace. One thing I think John Wiswell did really well was adding layers to characters that often get flattened in traditional myth—giving them emotional depth and nuance you don’t usually see. Not my favorite in the genre, but definitely worth the read.

I love a good Greek Mythology retelling but this book wasn't it. It had a really strong start where this book is the Movie Hercules but what if Hera was the villain instead of Hades. But then the story quickly devolved into fight monster, then monster becomes friend. Which it keeps going like that for a good chunk of the book. I get that Heracles is suppose to be a Himbo dealing with grief but being so completely in denial that it was Hera that he doesn't realize till well over half way through the book was frustrating.

I get found family is at the core of this novel but the execution was lacking. Also I don't like that Megara essentially abandons Heracles to his nephew. Unfortunately this book fell flat. Interesting concept, poor execution.

It's such a wonderful, warm-hearted, healing story - one not to miss for the fans of Greek mythology and like, recovering your faith in humanity. John WIswell did it again: Shenshenshen's story was a great debut, and I am so happy to see the author take on different story types and bring the best of their worldview along. Heartily recommend.

Real Rating: 4.5* of five

"Mythology" might be one of the English language's biggest mistakes or disservices or just downright screw-ups of all time. It has a lot of competition, to be sure...you'll have your own ideas about that, I don't need to elaborate...but walling off the best possible way to understand human nature's thorniest problems behind this etymological fence:
mythology(n.)
early 15c., "exposition of myths, the investigation and interpretation of myths," from Late Latin mythologia, from Greek mythologia "legendary lore, a telling of mythic legends; a legend, story, tale," from mythos "myth" (a word of unknown origin; see myth) + -logia (see -logy "study"). Meaning "a body or system of myths" is recorded by 1781. (etymonline)

...is wasteful, even dangerous. Thank goodness we're embracing retellings, modernizations, again. And even more praises be sung to the Divine that John Wiswell joined the chorus.

What Author Wiswell excels at in this story is upending your expectations...seems to be a trope in this case, go read my review of Someone to Build a Nest In, 2024 Nebula Award-winner AND Best First-Novel Locus Award winner that it is...of what love, grief, trust, and faith mean, require, and offer to you. Hera and Herakles, the Fury, the monsters, all get bound in unquestioned roles, then get jailbroken by Author Wiswell's perspective shift. It's a great way to de-mythologize a violent and triumphalist myth, putting it into a twenty-first centurian's comfort zone while making its subtexts very sharp. That contrast between the meaning we've learned to associate with the multiple millennia of unacknowledged retellings of Heracles' story and what Author Wiswell does with it is *chef's kiss* piquant.

Introducing a goddess to the idea of accountability is permaybehaps the most satisfying part of Author Wiswell's reimaging of the tale. That a being who was, until now, entirely untouched by any sense that her actions having consequences in others' lives was in any way a cause for her own emotional involvement is so in keeping with this #MeToo moment. It's also in sharp contrast...I'd even say rebuke...to the rising tide of publicly-flaunted bigotry and intolerance. Hera never faces up to the devastation her setting of the Furies on Herakles for something simply not his (Zeus's infidelity that resulted in his birth) doing caused in the original. Of course not! Divine beings aren't subject to rules like mere mortals are, say the myths of a culture that contended their royals are divine.

The entire story revolves around that most current of cultural concerns, accountability. Herakles facing up to his murderous rampage's consequences, then his puruit of revenge's limitations; Hera to her misuse of power and her misplaced anger; "Granny" the Fury's, well...existence; all in the end are changed in some very relatable, and pretty satisfying, ways. How that happens with Hera and Herakles as equally unreliable narrators is predictably sort-of stop-and-start in effect on the pacing. It becomes a bit more choppy than I as a reader prefer. My one other complaint, more of a whine actually, is that including all twelve canonical Labors made the read slower than was optimal for a humorous tale. Brevity is the soul of wit became a maxim instead of a truism because its self-evidence is actionable.

So the missing half-star is explained. The four-and-a-half remaining are slathered in the cream-cheese-and-pecan frosting of contentment. The happiness I felt at Herakles loving the Nemean Lion...the way every act of violence (after the inciting act) results in Hera, and Heracles, figuring out their wounds and their capacity to endure and even recover from them...the sly, quiet side-eye humor...I was badly in need of them all.

Dunno about y'all, but fiction that transmutes an ancient tale of violence and rage and hate into one of healing and chuckles feels damn close to miraculously soothing in my 2025 world.

Author Wiswell, thank you. I needed this story at this moment and you made it so good to read I couldn't stop.

I worked on this title HOWEVER my review is totally unbiased. I can say without a doubt that this is one of the best books of the year. John is such a talented author who manages to capture the humanity of even the most fearsome of gods and goddesses.

Heaps of credit to John Wiswell for actually giving us something truly original amidst a raft of mythological retellings that are all pretty much doing the same thing.

This is a fun spin on Heracles and the twelve labors, and I love the way Wiswell reimagined the story, both in terms of the root causes of Heracles’ adventures as well as how those adventures shake out.

I’ll echo other reviewers in saying that one place where the book isn’t as successful is in the fact that there are 12 of those pesky labors, and after a few it gets pretty repetitive and predictable.

Heracles’ perspective is also a lot better rendered than Hera’s. It’s tough to buy a Greek god coming to terms with remorse and accountability because, y’know, part of what defines them is that they don’t go in for that sort of thing. Rick Riordan actually did a convincing job of this in his Trials of Apollo series, but that’s the only time I’ve ever seen it work.

The modern language (particularly the idiomatic humor and cursing) felt out of step with the story and frankly, a bit obnoxious. The way Hera’s dialogue is written is a real problem in this regard, whereas Heracles and the other male characters’ dialogue is not. Make of that what you will.

In all, if you love mythological retellings, this is fun, clever and unique. It could use some edits (especially in the dialogue), but it’s an entertaining read.

DNF'd around 25%.
I couldn't get a grasp of the vibe of the story. Parts are treated so flippantly it seems that the characters don't even care what's happening. Other parts have a lot of weight and heart. I was getting whiplash from chapter to chapter. I loved Someone You Can Build a Nest In and was hoping for another story with a big heart, but instead we have Hera whose only emotion is 'scorned wife' and Hercules who is only able to process the world at the level of a kindergartener.

What a surprise and delight this book was! I had heard many good things about John Wiswell's Someone You Can Build a Nest In so I was already curious about his work, but then the fact that this was Greek myth-inspired just made me that much more intrigued (I always think I'm burnt out on Greek myth, but as a Classicist, I fortunately never really am!). I was so enamored both Wiswell's narrative voice and prose in this one and how he managed to mix so much humor and wit with some of the more serious/realistic aspects of the somewhat brutish aspects and demeanors of the gods, especially when dealing with mortals. I really enjoyed the storytelling/narrative style Wiswell chose featuring Heracles and "Auntie Hera" and thought it was expertly done. Highly recommended to Greek myth fans who appreciate a not too serious yet authentic-feeling portrayal of the gods and anyone is simply looking for an entertaining read.

In "Wearing the Lion' John Wiswell proves that (Zeus') lightening can strike twice. Weswell takes two of the most unlikable characters in Greek mythology, Heracles and Hera, and makes them... likeable? Or at least relatable. Heracles isn't the boneheaded brute eager to slay every monster. Instead he finds other ways to complete his godly tasks- including befriending the Nemean lion! And Hera, a goddess we typically see cursing mortals who have the misfortune of meeting her husband, is shown to be capable of change and caring.

There are so many great moments in this book, but I want to touch one two specific points in my review. There are two brief moments where transgender people are mentioned. One, when a male sheep herder is giving birth alone. And two, when there are female Amazons who were born in male bodies. These are two sentences in the whole novel, but they make such a strong point. If Hera, goddess of birth, and the "girls only" Amazons see these trans people as the correct gender, who are mortals to disagree?

'Someone You Can Build a Nest In' was brilliant, and 'Wearing the Lion' proves that Wiswell is a storytelling powerhouse. I don't know what he's writing next, but sign me up!

A well done, emotional, engrossing, fast paced retelling of the myth of Heracles. I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the attention to the details and how the characters sounded ancient and modern at the same time
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Book review: 4/5 ⭐️
Genre: fantasy
Themes: Greek mythology, found family
📖 Read if you like: Stone Blind, Herc

This book attempted the unthinkable - to make Hera understood and Hercules compassionate. It made for a very compelling retelling that attempted to give all the monsters a home, a place where they could be accepted and loved. A rare glimpse to see the world through their eyes, be they those of a god, a so called hero, a hydra or a species confused boar man. It tried to delineate from monstrous acts and monsters themselves with the journey to change and growth central to both main characters.

Narrated by both Heracles and Hera, we get a rather hilarious and humanizing perspective on a relationship built on hatred and adoration. Heracles is unabashedly devoted to his namesake Hera. It was of course at his mother’s behest to avoid Hera’s wrath, but he is blind to this fact and steadfast in his adulation. Hera on the other hand loathes the oaf whose very existence marks another indiscretion from her husband. When Zeus slights her yet again, she breaks and takes out her anger on Hercules. Sending a fury to drive him mad and murder his children, she thus sets him off on a series of labours of attrition that he believes will finally reveal that gods that caused this atrocious massacre.

Hera can be vapid and mercurial, self-centred and controlling. She is deeply unlikeable and capricious in general, but her character arc in this story is one I never thought I would see. The whole world of the gods was given a reality TV makeover with slang, petty grievances and a lot of cussing. I didn’t love this element of the storyline, nor the idea of servile monarchy on Olympus. I also thought there was excessive use of the word “dipshit”, even if I rightly agree that Zeus is one. That being said, her character development was well done and the idea of hesitant sisterhood with power and betrayal throughout made for a complex personality

Hercules on the other hand is a “hero” I have already decided is more boastful monster than any of the creatures he was forced to slay. So I was pleasantly surprised by the narrative of him seeing a mirror. A lost man viewing the hurt of these creatures given the mantle of monster and choosing to offer companionship in place of isolation. It was a rather sweet and beguiling depiction of a broken man trying to right a wrong and find answers to the unimaginable. The band of misfits that eventually accompany him is the story I never knew I needed. A feel good and humourous camaraderie of broken souls.

Overall, this retelling really put motive onto centre stage. It imagined the inner workings of both goddess and hero and held space for each to deal with their own kinds of grief, betrayal and isolation. It was lighter and more modern than I was expecting, but I enjoyed the very humanizing interpretation. Thank you to Netgalley and DAW for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it did not disappoint!

The book starts out as a lighthearted comedy. We follow Hera as she tries and fails to murder Heracles, while Heracles, oblivious to the murder attempts, worships and thanks her for her blessings. If you know anything about the myth of Heracles, however, you'll know it doesn't stay that way for long.

Even after the book takes a darker turn, there are still some lighthearted moments, but the author does an excellent job of balancing the two. I appreciate how the heavy moments are treated with the respect and solemnity they deserve, while the funny moments are interspersed to provide some respite.

Pop culture has created a popular image of Heracles as a super jacked, stoic guy who goes around doing violence (who is also called Hercules even in Greek settings), so I love how this version of Heracles subverts that impression. I love that he's not buff, and that he looks like a regular guy, with skinny legs and flabby arms and a paunch. I love how this version of Heracles is genuine and sincere, and chooses to be kind, even when he has every reason not to. We also get to see his struggles, and his grief. This was kind of wild because, I didn't realise it, but I had never even considered that Heracles might have, like, feelings. The way his grief was portrayed felt so raw and visceral. No spoilers but the part where he meets the Nemean Lion moved me to tears, straight up I was reading and crying into my mashed potatoes.

This book is just as much Hera's story as it is Heracles. Hera often gets depicted as a villainous figure, but here, we get to see things from Hera's perspective. She is a complex and flawed character; she makes some terrible decisions, but you can see why she does so. I feel that this book is in part a story about generational trauma and abuse. It's clear how the hurt Hera has been through affects her relationship with not just Heracles, but also her own children, and how that hurt gets passed down to them in turn.

I don't think I loved this as much as Someone You Can Build a Nest In, but I found Wearing the Lion to be much more cohesive as a whole, especially in terms of plot and message.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It's hilarious and I loved Hera's commentary on the other gods. It hooked me from the very first time she referred to Zeus as "my dipshit husband".

'Wearing the Lion' is such a different take on the Hercules myth; it goes between Hera's POV and Hercules'. Herc is a devoted worshiper of "Auntie Hera" and she hates his guts. It's only when a tragedy befalls his household that things really start to shift for them both. Little does Hera know that Heracles is too wrecked from said tragedy to cause more suffering for others like she wants; which infuriates her. While on his journey to find out what really happened to his family, he finds himself healing and in turn helping Hera to heal.

This is definitely one you don't want to miss if you like Greek mythology and retellings/reimaginings. It's not like anything I've read before and has put Wiswell on my list of authors to watch. He has taken this myth that everyone seems to know well and turned it on its head. The core of the story is still the same, but told in a way that really shows the vulnerability of our hero. This is definitely a book I'm going to be recommending for a while to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4⭐️/5

A unique retelling of the labors of Hercules with Hera as one of the main characters. I thought Hera was portrayed so well instead of normally the spiteful goddess, she is a scorned and betrayed wife seeking revenge. She’s vulgar and ruthless and has a great character arc at the end which I loved.

I would definitely give this one a read! Full of revenge, grief and fun spins on Greek mythology.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a wildly original and unexpectedly cozy Greek mythology retelling. If you're expecting a dark, gritty dive into Heracles' trauma—you'll get the grief and tragedy, sure—but what makes this book stand out is its witty tone, clever structure, and tender monster-loving heart.

Told in a sharp and snarky second-person POV that alternates between Hera and Heracles, the story offers a refreshing twist on the familiar myth. Hera, goddess of marriage, is tired of being worshipped by yet another illegitimate child of Zeus. Heracles, meanwhile, is entirely unaware of the insult his very existence causes her, dedicating all his heroics to "Auntie Hera" with painfully earnest devotion. That devotion breaks after a tragic accident (that Hera may or may not have caused), sending Heracles on a monster-slaying quest fueled by vengeance—and grief.

Except...he doesn’t slay the monsters.

Instead Heracles befriends them. Names them. Cares for them. Forms a found family with them!

It's weird, wonderful, and laugh-out-loud funny—especially if you're a fan of Greek mythology. The Easter eggs are golden: Apollo the domain stealer, the Nemean Lion dubbed Purrseus (yes, really), and Hera spiraling as Heracles keeps thanking her for the “blessings” she meant as curses.

If there’s a critique, it’s that the story slows down in the second half, with a bit of repetitive inner monologuing as both characters sit with their guilt. But for me, it didn’t overshadow the charm of the story’s heart.

Despite themes of loss and vengeance, the tone is more cozy fantasy than dark myth, making this a fantastic read for fans of quirky retellings, introspective gods, and emotionally intelligent heroes. A great blend of myth, mischief, and monsters who just want to be loved!