This anthology of short stories features Robin Hood in a space western, Beowulf fighting Nazis, and Gilgamesh at the top of the leader board in an online game. The retellings span myths and legends from different countries and cultures, each with the authors individual spin, though many share features of sci-fi with futuristic landscapes and AI technology.

The hero's journey, the basis for so many stories in every medium, lends itself well to retellings. Just as each author can present a well-known tale in a new light, each reader can see different things in the story. Many of the stories here question who the real heroes are, and who are the villains? For example, “The Envoy” focuses on whether someone can really be a hero if they haven’t ever been given choice. “Lab R Inc”, a retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur, questions the motives of the characters in the story as they come full circle, showing hero and villain are often two sides of the same.

My favourite story, “The Call”, features Jo, who hears a voice telling her the right place to be. She is able to be a witness to, and even stop certain crimes from happening. And yet, as she sees her society letting more of these crimes go unpunished, despite her testimony, she realises how powerless she is as one person in a corrupt system. The story resonated, as the world around us seems to mirror it more every day, but it also gave me hope. And that hope, I think, is why the stories of heroes are so timeless and eternal.

Heroes edited by Brennan Cupp, Ashley Hutchison, Brett Mann & Emily Rozmus

Kenzie Millar