The Labors of Hercules

Certainly I like the way Agatha Christie puts her stories together. Her plots are truly surprising. I love the titles of these chapters. The subjects are not what anyone would expect from these titles! Got to love it! I am only part way into this book, now it is time to delve into it some more. These stories will be read more than once. There is a lot to them, and to the characterization of Hercule Poirot.

This turned out to not be my favorite Agatha Christie book. It was an interesting concept. Short stories around a theme. Perhaps Poirot is not entirely himself here. Perhaps that is the point? These select cases to end his career. Perhaps there is too much story in too short a space. Perhaps it\’s just me. Thankfully, M. Poirot continued to investigate as Christie wrote more books after this.

This series of adventures, short stories which connect in some fashion to the themes of the mythic twelve labors of the great strong man of Greek mythology, are quite cleverly done. Christie seems to have drawn much inspiration from the apparently simple minded theme-setting of archetypal stories and nursery rhymes. Somehow she brings sophistication and humor to her interpretations. I enjoyed this bundle of tales a great deal. It is, by the way, far superior to the confusing farrago of effects pulled together from this source for the David Suchet Poirot series a couple of years ago. In this original telling, each tale has a sharp point, a single theme, and a manageable cast of characters.

Loads of stories I\’d never read before… short stories. There are 12 short stories; 1. The Nemean Lion, 2. The Lernean Hydra; 3, The Arcadian Deer, 4. THe Erymanthian Boar; 5. The Augean Stables; 6, The Stymphalean Birds; 7. The Cretan Bull; 8. The Horses of Diomedes; 9. The Girdle of Hypolita; 10. The Flock of Geryon; 11. The Apples of Hesperides; and 12. The Capture of Cerberus. I found that I like her short stories in that I could spend an hour or so of enjoyable reading when I had the time. When I read a regular book, I sometimes get so engrossed that I can\’t stop reading and many times, that isn\’t good.

I adore Hercule Poirot\’s thought process. His methods through the Laobors of Hercules, entailing British criminal twists, was quite entertaining! Wish Agatha was alive & besties with a real Hercule.

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