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 s sad warm, loving book. 

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