My egalley of this didn't work - I've been waiting for it to come out on kindle so I could at least get a sampler and review, but it doesn't seem to be happening in the UK. My fault for getting behind with my galleys and not doing it before release.

This nonfiction graphic novel tells the story of the 17th-century thinkers - Galileo, Descartes, Locke, Newton, and more - who fundamentally changed the way mankind saw society and ourselves. These philosophers and scientists challenged the church's authority to prove that Earth was not the center of the universe; that kings were not divinely chosen to rule; that neither God nor nature makes choices: sometimes, things just happen. Period. The reader-friendly, cartoony drawings, combined with simple explanatory text helps readers understand the scandalous nature of these thinkers.

Wasn't able to get to this in the time I had before the file locked down. I downloaded it again but wasn't able to finish it before getting locked out again

BY PATRICK WOLF
I want to begin by making it clear that Heretics isn’t a traditional graphic novel: it has neither action, nor adventure, nor superheroes. Heretics is a brief history of modern philosophy in story form. I’m only emphasizing this because I need the reader to understand that since Heretics isn’t a traditional comic, I won’t be judging it as one. Instead I’ll evaluate it as an historical exposition in narrative form.

With that out of the way, you’re probably wondering, “Is Heretics worth my time?” To that, my answer mirrors my disclaimer: “It depends.” If you’re a college undergrad majoring in humanities, I’d say “Absolutely, read this book!” Not only is Heretics an excellent introduction to renaissance philosophy, but also it’s a lot of fun. The Nadlers do an amazing job of laying forth extremely complex ideas in a very accessible form, and the scope of the theories addressed is staggering. Not only is the reader acquainted with the core tenets of modern metaphysics and epistemology, but also you’ll get a front row seat to some of the leading political theories of the time.

That said, if you’re not into philosophy, I’d approach Heretics with caution. As I mentioned earlier, Heretics isn’t a traditional narrative: it has neither action nor suspense. It has some jokes and can be charming at times, but mostly it’s an historical exposition designed to provide the reader with a light introduction to modern philosophy. So, if you’re looking for the next Sin City, I’d look elsewhere.

Also, keep in mind that Heretics isn’t an in-depth analysis of modern philosophy. If you’re looking for a breakdown of Descartes’ methodological skepticism or Leibniz’s distinction between analytic and synthetic statements, you might want to check out the Reader’s guide or Routledge series instead. However, if you’re looking for an easy way to crack into the perplexing world of philosophy, I’d say this book is right up there with contemporary favorites such as Sophie’s World and History of Western Philosophy.

Another potential drawback to Heretics is its cartoony artwork. I wont’ lie, it’s not pretty, and I think that why it’s taken me so long to review this book. The art has this kiddy, medieval feel to it that kind of reminds me of my creepy uncle’s stash of cartoon porn (he has a unique taste in literature). Again, the art’s not bad, it’s just a little off-putting. That said, I understand Ben Nadler’s artistic choice. Given the historical period and the nature of the project, it makes sense to use a cartoony/medieval style. In fact, after reading Heretics, not only did I tolerate the style, but also I endorsed it. The illustrations really compliment the subject and theme. I just fear that potential readers won’t see this and—like me—may be turned off from the book prematurely.

With that in mind, Heretics is an excellent read that will not only teach you a bit about modern philosophy, but will also put a smile on your face. While it won’t provide any new insights to the veteran scholar, it certainly will nudge the prospective philosopher in the right direction. I recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested in learning a bit more about the history of modern philosophy that doesn’t involve delving into tomes like Meditations, Ethics, or Leviathan.

We live in a time when challenging the status quo should be the norm. These 17th century philosophers did so with their innovative thoughts, we must do so by resisting and fighting for our rights.

Want a philosophy book that keeps it fresh and interesting? Heretics explores the world of philosophy with interesting images to keep it more interesting than a 400 page giant philosophy textbook.

I had planned to download this title and review on my website a few weeks before it's publication date of 20 Jun 17, but when I logged in today (26 May) to do just that I have found that despite being approved to review the download is no longer available to me.

I couldn't read as the copy isn't available anymore and I tried to download it at least 10 separate times on my iPad but the adobe app just kept crashing - but other books downloaded fine.

A good graphic nonfiction novel

I confess to not really appreciating philosophy and getting bogged down reading Karl Popper’s The Logic of Scientific Discovery. But I felt that the style of Heretics was one to ease me into philosophy and I was correct. I enjoyed the book. I liked the dialogue and commentary and loved the illustrations. The book gave a very good overview of philosophy in the 1600s and it was just fun to read.

Heretics, by Steven and Ben Nadler, is a nearly 200-page graphic run-through of, as the subtitle says, “The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy”. More specifically, it covers the writings/arguments of Seventeenth Century figures, including but not limited to: Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Anne Conway, Rene Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Gottfried Leibniz, John Locke, Nicolas Malebranche, Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, and Bento Spinoza. It’s an engaging and informative exploration and one I highly recommend as a starting off point for anyone interested in the particular topic or history in general, as so much of what they wrote on rippled outward to large social/political/religion effect.

On the offhand chance someone might misconstrue the graphic form of the novel as being an overly-simplified version of philosophy for kids, the authors quickly disabuse readers of that possibility in the introduction, where they toss around words like paradigm, epistemology, metaphysics, and scholastic. Not to mention that the opening image once one reads the intro is of Giordano Bruno being burns at the stake. Not then a book for children.

What follows is an excellent job of explaining concisely in clear, precise language the major contributions of the above thinkers to the philosophies of their time, the ways in which they built on the ideas of those who came before, whether that be expanding on them, furthering them, or rejecting them. As for the visuals, because philosophy is by its nature abstract, the illustrations I’d say only occasionally add greater understanding. Certainly they carry less illustrative (in the education meaning of the word) content and effect than, say, illustrations in a physics text. Instead, they’re often more entertaining than explanatory, but with such weighty topics, there’s something to be said for entertainment and for the humor they bring to the table.

Text and visuals work well therefore in tandem to create a wonderful learning experience, and were I teaching philosophy or history in college or high school I would absolutely consider using this as a text for the class to give my students a solid basic grounding before moving on to a more in-depth look. Recommended.

Heretics could be enjoyed by all readers, but I found it to be the perfect book to get kids interested in science and history. So much information is communicated in this book.

I was so excited to receive a copy from netgalley to review. This is a wonderful book about the beginnings of philosophy and even early ideas in science. From Bruno in 1600 all the way to Voltaire this book covers many of the philosophers we know. I do admit I was not a complete fan of illustrations especially the incorrect portrayal of Galileo dropping spheres from the Tower of Pisa which never happened.

I hated philosophy in high school and I almost failed it, because everything we read in textbooks was very crude and boring and we had to know it by heart. If I had this beautiful, colorful and funny book, I would have gotten straight A's. There is an enjoyable way to learn anything, and this amazing book made me actually love philosophy and want to read more of it. The drawings are whimsical and comical, the colors are beautiful, and I couldn't stop laughing at Spinoza kicking his toe, Leibniz and Meow-Chiavelli, Newton riding a motorbike, and many more. This one is truly a gem.

If all you know of Calvin and Hobbs is that it was a comic strip, rather than who the two men were, then this book could be for you. If all you know of Issic Newton was the apple falling on his head, and not his philosophical background, this book could be for you. And if all you ever wondered where Candid came up with the idea of this world being the best of all possible worlds, then you should read this book to see where it all came form.

It is done as a graphic novel, which makes it very accessible, and easy to understand, in as much as philosophy is easy to understand. It is hard, sometimes, to think of a time when the church had all the authority, and to not agree with them would brand you as a heretic, thus the name of the book.

Things such as free will, the divine right of kings, and anarchy are all discussed.

Very weighty graphic novel, but interesting to have things written (or drawn out) for easier consumption.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Herectics! is a very educational graphic novel about the seventeenth-century important thinkers like Descartes, Pascal, Voltaire and Newton. From philosophy to science, this book teaches you about the history of those areas and their development at that time in a fun and interesting way.

Although this is only a fun graphic novel to me now, I would have appreciated it a lot back when I was studying philosophy in high school. I'd definitely give it to my sister who is struggling with philosophy herself at the moment in high school.

The 17th Century produced a multitude of free thinkers. Philosophers were no longer devoted to the writings of Aristotle and Plato. These "heretics" were determined to seek explanations for occurrences based upon reason, hypotheses and evidence.

Galileo, an astronomer, built a telescope to examine the nighttime sky. He ascertained that the moon's surface was not smooth. He viewed dark spots moving across the sun. In 1632, condemned by the church, Galileo spent the rest of his life under house arrest for defending the Heliocentric Theory of Copernicus. Galileo's book, explaining that the earth was not the center of the cosmos but a planet orbiting the sun, was banned.

Most philosophers believed that "blind fealty" needed to questioned. Descartes, a devotee of meteorology, published an essay stating that rainbows were not a sign from God but rather light passing through water droplets in the sky.

In the late 1600's, Leibniz's discourse on metaphysics explored the theory that although the number of possible worlds were infinite, God created the best world for us. To explain misfortune, plagues and earthquakes, he surmised that we could not experience joy without understanding sadness.

"Heretics! The Wondrous (And Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy" by Steven and Ben Nadler is a fact-filled entertaining book. Many philosophers populate this tome including Bruno, Bacon, Spinoza, Hobbes,Newton and Lady Anne Conway, to name a few. Many of the writings were banned in the 17th Century by The Vatican Index of Prohibited Books. The "heretics" persevered. They hypothesized, experimented, tested and revised in order to view and define the world anew.

Thank you Princeton University Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Heretics!"

This is a fun graphic novel that is very informative without being dry.