Description
About the Author
John Wiswell won the Nebula Award for his short story 'Open House on Haunted Hill' and won the Locus Award for his novelette 'That Story Isn't The Story'. He has also been a finalist for the Hugo Award, World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, and Locus Award. His work has appeared in acclaimed publications like Uncanny Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Tor.com, Nightmare Magazine, and others, as well as numerous podcasts, including LeVar Burton Reads, NoSleep, Podcastle, and Escape Pod. He was most recently a finalist of the Hugo Award a second time in 2022 for Best Novelette.
You can find him on X @Wiswell and online at https://johnwiswell.blogspot.com.
Reviews
Subversive, playful and full of heart, compassion and humanity * Claire North, author of Ithaca *
This novel effortlessly ascends to the heights of Mount Olympus. Tough and tender and bittersweet. Wearing The Lion establishes Wiswell firmly on the new fantasy landscape * T. Kingfisher, Hugo Award-winning author of Nettle & Bone *
Wise, weird, and wonderful - in short, Wiswellian. Wearing The Lion is the story of Hera and Heracles as it's never before been told. An effortless blend of wicked humor, raw pathos, and monsters who aren't at all what they seem; I was utterly engrossed from start to end * Julie Leong, author of The Teller of Small Fortunes *
Someone You Can Build A Nest In made me a John Wiswell fan for life, and Wearing The Lion is an absolutely glorious follow up. Wiswell makes something new and thrilling - and funny and wrenching and tender - out of a very old myth * Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love *
If you think you've read all there is to read about Heracles, think again. Wearing The Lion takes a deep dive into a story we all think we are familiar with and creates something entirely spectacular and new. This Heracles is unlike any you've encountered: a bumbling himbo who must struggle to hold onto his humanity even in the face of unspeakable tragedy. John Wiswell has taken Greek mythology and, like Hephaestus, crafted an original, fantastic, and beautiful bit of work - giving us a tale of an indomitable hero, sympathetic monsters, flawed gods, and - quite unexpectedly - found family. I absolutely adored this book. And so will you * P. Djeli Clark, award-winning author of A Master of Djinn and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins *
Wearing The Lion's hilarious opening lures you in so it can bloodily rip your heart out, suture the wound you didn't know you had, and gently place it back in your chest. Wiswell's mythological take on found family reminds us that we are all monsters and we are all worthy of love * Caitlin Rozakis, author of Dreadful *
Wearing the Lion explains human relationships in the only way that makes sense: by suspending them between the dipshit gods we created and the loyal pets we don't deserve. I laughed, I cried, I burned incense at an ancient altar * Meg Elison, author of Big Girl *
A deeply original retelling of the Labors of Hercules that should appeal to anyone who has been craving more re-examinations of Greek mythology. I particularly enjoyed the chatty Hydra * Naomi Kritzer, Hugo-winning author of Liberty's Daughter *
Wiswell alternates between Hera's and Heracles's perspectives, painting distinctly modern portraits of both. The result is a Greek mythology retelling that stands out from the crowd through its sheer sense of fun * Publishers Weekly *
Book Information
ISBN 9781529431421
Author John Wiswell
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Arcadia Books
Publisher Quercus Publishing