So I read the 2nd book in english. Which sounds weirder than the reading experience actually was. Ha!

I really liked where Rubin went with Hercules in this one - if I had to describe both books, the 1st is the perfect pass for the 2nd one to smash it into the goal. So, both books are quite different in that sense, and the really work well together. But this is the one that "strays" in good ways from what you'd expect from an adventure-action book. Yes, it still has humor as well as modern-day references that are fun and creative - but it also adds so much more.

I've been thinking if the 2nd book is "better" than the first. Would I recommend reading only the 2nd? My sense is that the 2nd is great because of the work the 1st book does - and that it wouldn't be half as good without that.

So, read 'em both. :-)