The Iliad
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4.3 • 17 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
More than three thousand years ago, two armies faced each other in an epic battle that rewrote history and came to be known as the Trojan War. The Iliad, Homer’s legendary account of this nine-year ordeal, is considered the greatest war story of all time and one of the most important works of Western literature. This stunning graphic novel captures all the grim glory of Homer’s epic. Dynamic illustrations take readers directly to the plains of Troy, into the battle itself, and lay bare the complex emotions of the men, women, and gods whose struggles fueled the war and determined its outcome.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In his latest graphic novel adaptation of a classic text, Hinds (The Odyssey) condenses Homer's epic poem of gods and mortals at war, covering most of the major events and adding supplemental material that expands the story slightly beyond the original. The Trojan War has been raging for nine years when King Agamemnon slights Achilles, his best warrior, beginning a feud. A cascade of resulting tragedies leads to ever more bitter battles between the Achaean and Trojan armies, with terrible losses on both sides. Hinds takes painstaking efforts with his fine-lined watercolors to depict each character in a readily distinguishable way, even while in pitched battle, fully armored. The excellent visual guides, maps, and notes aid in this task and further contextualize the epic's time, place, and significance. The most striking scenes are the battles, presented in intimate detail and in awe-inspiring, sweeping overviews. Hinds's relatively plain language retains just enough meter to hint at the cadences of the work, and, together with the dynamic art, creates an accessible entr e to an enduring classic. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 12 up.
Customer Reviews
A Lean, Well-Executed Retelling of a Classic
For those wanting the full experience of Homer’s epic poem, it is (or course) much better to go directly to the source material. But as a well-illustrated summary that stays true to the core events of the Iliad, Gareth Hinds has done an admirable job capturing the essence of these stories in an entertaining and concise format.
This is the meat-and-potatoes version of a book that really should be savored in it’s full glory, but if that’s all you are looking for, than this is a faithful (albeit lean) retelling.