“A Hero Must Be Alone” was the very first book I read from the works of Henry Lion Oldie. Probably because I’ve loved Greek mythology since childhood. I remember how this novel opened up a new author for me back then. Soon after, I read the next book in the “Achaean Cycle,” but I didn’t get to the third one until many years later. Although “The Grandson of Perseus” is the third book in the cycle, it’s the first one chronologically, as it tells the story of Amphitryon, the mortal father of the legendary Heracles.
After reading it, I decided it was time to go back to the beginning and reread “A Hero Must Be Alone“, the book I loved so much in my younger years. This year marks a special anniversary for the novel—25 years since its first publication. A solid milestone for a test of time. I’ll admit, I was a bit apprehensive because I’ve been burned a few times when rereading novels I had the fondest memories of, only to realize that each book has its time, and now it no longer resonates with me as it once did.
But my concerns about “A Hero” were unfounded. I devoured it in one go and still consider it one of the best fantasy novels in my personal ranking.
The book tells the story of perhaps the most famous hero in Greek mythology—Heracles. However, unlike the myths, the authors don’t focus on his Twelve Labors. In fact, these feats are only mentioned in passing. The central theme of the book is the conflict between gods and mortals. The gods need heroes, and the mythology is filled with divine offspring. There’s Theseus, Perseus, and all the others—Achilles and Odysseus. Heracles’ fate as a hero was predetermined even before his birth, because that’s what the gods need. But is that what people need?
Oldie masterfully constructs the story by playing on various ambiguities and contradictions from the myths we’ve known since childhood. They reveal the “underside” of these myths—the things left unsaid. It’s hard to discuss the book without spoiling the intrigue and its many unexpected plot twists, but I’ll give it a try.
Few remember that Heracles had a twin brother. And he wasn’t Zeus’s son (this is about as much as you need to know about Greek mythology, so to speak). In other words, the brothers were twins, but one was the son of Amphitryon, while the other was the son of the divine thunderer. And in the myths, Iphicles isn’t given much attention—why bother when you have Heracles? But Oldie places great emphasis on the fact that there were two brothers. You can’t tell one’s story while forgetting the other.
While Heracles’ image—his feats and madness—reveals a real person behind the killing machine of the myths, it’s the twins’ father, Amphitryon, who stands out even more. Yes, Oldie would later write a separate book about him, “The Grandson of Perseus“, which ends just a few months before the first events of “A Hero Must Be Alone“. So, in fact, “A Hero Must Be Alone“, written earlier, is a continuation of Amphitryon’s story—a father willing to do anything for his children. (Yes, one of them is Zeus’s son, but who cares?) The earthly father isn’t just set dressing; he’s almost a hero himself, with a bit of divine ichor in his veins.
Even in death, Amphitryon continues to help his children (after all, this is a world with gods, where many things are possible). And there would be no hero without his father.
I’m sure the book will be thoroughly enjoyable even if your knowledge of Greek mythology is limited to remembering that Heracles was a famous hero. Even if you only know him from the Disney animated film.
However, you’ll get much more out of the novel if you familiarize yourself with the material the authors used to build their version of the legendary warrior’s story. You don’t need to read scholarly works—just skimming Wikipedia articles about the heroes in the book will do. Many of their actions will take on new meaning.
In my review of “The Grandson of Perseus“, I mentioned that this is one of the weaker aspects of Oldie’s books—that they expect readers to have some knowledge of the source material. But I also noted that this is one of the books’ strengths—if you know these nuances, you’ll savor how cleverly the authors play with seemingly familiar facts.
This is a magnificent book, showing the tough fate of the future hero and his brother. But stories don’t need ordinary people, and so the hero must be only one. Even if, in reality… but I’ll stop here before I spoil anything.
My rating: 5/5
