The Iliad [Gareth Hinds]

 

I’ve always loved the story of Troy and the great battle that happened there and resultingly have read and watched my way through quite a number of renditions. I definitely have my favorites, and this graphic novel The Iliad by Gareth Hinds is one that I deeply enjoyed. It’s really quite a lot of fun to read this story in a way that gives you a great visual of the characters and what is going on with each of them within the course of the battle. The inclusion of the gods and their roles in the battles, especially in the images, was something I found quite fun to see, especially when the story went aside during the repetitiveness of battle to instead focus on the events and goings ons with Zeus and the other residents of Olympus.

This novel lives up to the name of graphic for there is quite a bit of blood and death portrayed–which makes sense as it is telling the story of a war–however, it was all done tastefully and never once became too much for me to handle. I deeply appreciated this about the novel, especially after having read one prior that ended up being far too graphic for my tastes. It is possible to depict horrible and terrifying events without portraying it in a deeply nauseating manner.

Each time I read this story I find myself feeling sad for Troy, joining the characters in their mourning of loved ones, particularly the character Hector. I was truly able to connect with the story, enjoy and despair at various pieces. Admittedly, I do find that it is somewhat difficult to care about all of them as many characters are mentioned quickly in name and while you understand, to a degree, their import a number of them are characters that quickly enter and leave your awareness.

I definitely picture myself reading the second portion of this story as I was definitely a little disappointed not to have had the opportunity to read the whole thing, though I did know that this would only be a portion. The most important characters were easily recognizable and a welcome sight of nostalgia as I read. I’m looking forward to seeing the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

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