The Iliad: A Graphic Novel

This is fantastic. I think that graphic novelization of classic works can make them more accessible. Picked this up because had read [b:The Song of Achilles 13623848 The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357177533l/13623848.SY75.jpg 16176791] for book club and wanted to reread The Illiad, but before the meeting.

‘'How I wish that Discord could be banished from the world.''

There have been many novels that chose the greatest war story of all time as their setting. Trilogies, plays, you name it. This graphic novel by Gareth Hinds is probably the best adaptation I've ever encountered.

Narrating the rhapsodies of Homer's immortal epic is no easy task. However, Hinds succeeds in transferring the Trojan War in the contemporary art of the Graphic novel and retaining the beauty of the Homeric language and the violent atmosphere of the bloody dispute between the Achaeans and the Trojans. I was impressed by the style of the illustrations, the way the Greek deities were depicted, the clothes, the weaponry, the architecture. Every characteristic of the Bronze Age is brilliantly portrayed. The impressive moments are many. The fury of Achilles, the interventions of the Olympians, Helen's guilt, Agamemnon's arrogance, Hector's despair. The futility of a war for power and greed, the sacrilege, the dubious glory. Brilliant translation, extraordinary artwork.

Imagine a universe where Homer returns to life, in our world, and decides to become a Graphic Novel artist. This would be his ‘'new'' Iliad. Thank you, Gareth Hinds.

Many thanks to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

The Iliad is a cautionary tale for our time.

It's an old story, from around the twelfth century B.C. and the reader can't help but feel glad we don't live in times such as these. Men grow angry with each other. They steal others' possessions. They seek vengeance for wrongs done to them. They attack each other, and they are vicious in their attacks, slashing with spears, brutally killing and maiming. They go to war against each other, and their wars last for years. They relish the cruelty they do to others. They seek the help of the gods, who are just as petty and vindictive as the humans themselves.

Yes, it's an old story, and the reader can't help but feel glad we don't live in times such as these, times we slash out at our opponents, times we delight in the cruelty we inflict on others, times we seek to build walls to protect ourselves, walls that oh-so-easily tumble and fall when the violence breaks out between conflicting tribes.

This book is a cautionary tale.