I think that this graphic novel holds true to the story of the Iliad and is a fair re-telling of the epic. I really didn't enjoy it though and made me want to go find my copy of The Iliad by Homer and read that instead. I think I would have preferred the pictures to tell the story more than the words themselves, which is really hard to do with an epic life The Iliad. Overall, I think this adaption was okay, but I probably won't be reading it again.

The Iliad is something that I want in my classroom. Like, now! This is the story of Iliad told in a graphic novel. Um, hello, reluctant readers?! This is perfect for students who oftentimes shy away from classics simply because they’re either too long or too difficult to understand, or simply because just the term “classics” makes students disinterested. Whatever the reasons are, this graphic novel is a brilliant way to capture the audience’s attention, especially since the text is simplified and the pictures are stunning (especially the colors).

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

So.. This while being a faithful and well written adaptation of the Iliad its art style was actively bad. I really disliked it and thought that it could have done better. I am the graphic novel librarian for my branch and if one my student asked for a Iliad adaptation I would have a hard time recommending this title because the art style looks so old fashioned. My teens would assume that I was losing my touch.

I remember reading Homer's The Odyssey back in high school, but unfortunately never read the "prequel," The Iliad - so this was a nice way to be introduced to the classic.

Although Gareth Hinds definitely put a lot of work into his illustrations, and I did enjoy them, they also didn't seem to fully fit with the story as I felt they were a bit too "cartoonish.". They were good - just not great. Further, there was a lot of text that accompanied the illustrations - which is to be expected since The Iliad is a long epic - however, it was all too much.

However, I do appreciate the author's attempt to make this book more "readable" by including footnotes and other helpful commentary.

All-in-all, this was a good adaptation of The Iliad.

If you would like your epic stories condensed into a graphic novel, this can be your thing. There is quite some graphic content in this one. Bloody battles galore!

This graphic novel retelling of Homer's Iliad was not quite what I expected. It's much too word-heavy for a graphic novel, and I found myself bogged down in the text. Most of the panels have so much text that there is barely room for the artwork. And the artwork itself is nothing special. I didn't care for the cartoony look, and it just didn't grab my attention. It looks somewhat amateur, or hastily drawn.

If you are a big fan of the Iliad, you might like this, but I did not enjoy reading it. Usually I love classical literature, and I have read The Iliad before, so I was happy to be revisiting the story of the Trojan War with all the drama. But this book does not deliver drama. It feels stale and static, like the characters are all made of stone.

Disappointed in this one.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

My thanks to Candlewick Press for a digital edition via NetGalley of Gareth Hinds’ ‘The Iliad’ in exchange for an honest review.

I was jumping with joy over the idea of a graphic novel based on Homer’s epic poem about the Trojan War.

However, I quickly discovered that this was an illustrated book not a graphic novel in the accepted definition of the term.

There are certainly lots of illustrations and some maps and while the art was a little simplistic for my taste, it served to give another dimension to the text. It would be interesting to see how the text and illustrations are laid out in the print editions.

At the end Hinds provides extensive notes including ‘What Happens Next’, the historical background to the poem, and page-by-page notes on the text, his illustrations etc.

Overall, even if not a graphic novel, I felt it was a well illustrated introduction to Homer’s Iliad and one that certainly would be a good choice for schools, libraries, and those looking for an accessible format as introduction or companion to a more formal text.

I received an eARC from NetGalley. I was really hoping to enjoy this but unfortunately I DNF'd it 19% of the way through. I could not follow the story largely because the format was all over the place. The text and the graphic novel images didn't align correctly and sentences would overlap with each other. This made it incredibly hard to follow the story and know who was speaking. I'm not sure if this is an issue which is unique to the format I received it in or all ebook versions, but it lessened my enjoyment of what I thought was going to be a fantastic graphic novel.

I enjoyed experiencing this classic in graphic novel form, since it really brought the characters and the tale to life. The gods were still petty, the "heroes" were still self-absorbed jerks, the battles were still gory as hell, and the book still ended on a cliffhanger - but the colorful illustrations added another dimension to the story and made everyone seem more...human, in a way. I really liked the author's notes at the end of the book - well-researched yet easy to read tidbits on the history of the Iliad, of Homer, of the ancient world and it's myths and truths. Very fascinating stuff.

This is sort of a mixed bag. I really wouldn't call it a graphic novel--more like an illustrated story. You have the pictures that go along with the narrative describing what is happening. For me it was hard to get into.

Okay, so I'm honestly not sure if this review is going to be the best or not, but I'm going to do the best with what I can, so just bear with me. The reason I'm starting off my review like this is because this was literally the hardest book to read as an e-book... At least, the copy that I received from Netgalley was. The writing was all jumbled and there was hardly any organization to explain who was talking or which character was being talked about. That being said, I'm going to try to focus solely on the content so that this is a fair review because it's totally not the author's fault that the e-book was all wonky.

First, the book itself wasn't entirely what I was expecting. I was expecting a graphic novel, like a comic. Instead, from what I can tell, at least, this is more like a book with illustrations, except the illustrations are in graphic novel form... If that makes sense? *shrugs* I did really like the artwork, though! The colors were beautiful and the style was really cool, though it could be kind of graphic at times.

I also really liked the cliff notes for certain terms and references throughout the book. I'm a huge Greek mythology fan, so it was really cool to read the facts behind certain parts of the story. Along with that, I also loved the Historical Accuracy section in the back of the book! I really enjoyed learning the history behind the Iliad; I honestly didn't know that the Trojan war was a real event, so I thought learning that was really cool!

All-in-all, I feel like I definitely would have enjoyed reading a finished physical copy of this book, but I did enjoy the story! I definitely recommend this if you're into Greek mythology or history, especially if you're trying to ease yourself into it. It really shows that Gareth Hinds put a lot of thought into the details of this book, and I would definitely be willing to give it another chance if it shows up at my local library one day. This book was just released on Tuesday, so if it sounds like something you'd like, be sure to check it out!

I haven't read The Iliad by Homer yet, but this seems to be an interesting adaptation, even if I think that the ratio of text and images wasn't always optimally balanced. I could imagine giving this graphic novel to teens as an introduction to the epic of Homer.

“I’ll never follow your orders again if you take Briseis. And should you lay claim to anything else of mine, your blood will soak my spear.”

The Iliad has always been my favorite of the three classics. I don’t know exactly why, but I guess there’s something unequivocally sad and melancholic about Achilles’s character and the madness he experienced after Patroclus’s death. The same madness that drove him to kill Hector and fulfill that atrocious prophecy.
This graphic novel was interesting to the point I didn’t want it to end. Told in prose, lines and stunning drawings, it’s one of the most beautiful versions of the Iliad I have ever seen. I would recommend it to adults, but children as well. The drawings were engaging and those who portrayed Patroclus and Hector’s death were poignant and quietly eloquent.
Loved the electronic version. I am wondering about the paperback…

Thank you Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me this copy in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow. There is a lot going on in this book. Like a super lot. For me, someone who is not well-versed in the Iliad or Greek mythology, this was just too dense.

Reading this felt a bit like trying to watch all 8 seasons of Game of Thrones condensed into one season. The result is a massive info dump of character names and relationships and that doesn't leave a ton of room for engaging story. I chose to read this because I thought it would be an easier way to familiarize myself with the stories. I think the opposite is true.

This material will be much more enjoyed by those who already have some understanding of the story. My 10-year-old nephew who has been absorbing these stories since he was about 6 would LOVE this. He already knows the background information, so reading this would not nearly be the same struggle for him. I think this is well-suited for that kind of reader.

The art here is good, and I appreciate the efforts Hinds made to try to differentiate between the characters. I also quite like the notes throughout that explain certain words or ideas.

Overall, I give this 3 stars, but think that people familiar with the story will like this much more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing me with a DRC of this book.

Mythologies of all types have always been one of my weaknesses. Anything related to Greek mythology including the Trojan war and anything like that, just hand it over. That is the reason for which I jumped at the opportunity to review this book. I was a bit disappointed. While Mr. Gareth Hinds did not disappoint in his adaption to The Iliad, (the art is wonderful), the storytelling could have used just a little help especially since this book is aimed at Teens and YAs. There was a lot of poetry that while beautiful, I felt will confuse the younger audience. That being said, I love the historical accuracies to the original story. Recommend to younger audiences

I like the idea of making classic literature accessible to modern audiences via graphic novel. The language is understandable without being babyish. My largest qualm is with the art. While the panel that focuses on Andromache after Hector's death is very well done, there is bias and colorwashing throughout. In a story about ancient Greece, why is Helen blonde? Why are so many blonde and pale? Of course Helen was portrayed as very Barbie!

There are some explanations in footnotes, but the text dances around the issue of Achilles and Patroclus that have been interpreted by critics in other ways. I do appreciate that the role of the women is represented and Hecuba and Cassandra are shown. I would be interested in seeing all of the other texts regarding the Trojan War also given the graphic novel treatment, and see if the fate of the Trojan women is given its due.

I love this concept of telling the story of the Iliad using a graphic novel, but I confess that I did still struggle to push through this, often caught myself skimming, and probably didn’t absorb much of it. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, as it has very text heavy panels and the art is a bit rough around the edges, with an almost biblical feel.

It can be a challenging read in its original format, with all of the different characters. They did a good job of trying to include identifiers to help you recognize certain characters, and they even included a character key/chart at the start. However, if you aren’t the type to just memorize all the names, facts, and pictures, it’s a bit like information overload. You aren’t going to remember any of it when you actually need it.

In other words, they did everything they could to help me successfully read this graphic novel, but I still fought against the archaic language and overwhelmingly quick introduction of characters whom I was just expected to know.

The panels are very text heavy, and while I understand why, it became tiring. I think this is like a retelling of the Iliad with pictures, and I wanted a true graphic novel format, which might have been unreasonable of me. What I really hoped for, when I opened this one, was for the story to be broken down into easy to follow scenes and everyday language. But maybe I was asking for and expecting too much from this particular piece of literature. The original is a bear, and on some level, this graphic novel does make the story more readable and interesting. However, I’ve come to realize I’m just not that interested in reading this story again. It was painful and confusing enough the first time I read it in the full text version.

I think what they did was try to stay true to the original, and while this would be handy in a school or research setting, when you are forced to read or study the original version, I didn’t enjoy revisiting this story as an adult. I just wanted to really be able to wrap my mind around it and enjoy the story, but I found it tedious and often confusing. Most of the time, I wasn’t sure who was who or what was really happening and why, which I hate to confess, since I’ve studied the original Iliad before (sorry, mom!).

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher, for allowing me to read an advanced copy. This graphic novel will be available tomorrow, on March 12, 2019. If you are currently reading or studying The Iliad, then I definitely recommend this as a tool to help you better understand the literature. It would be absolutely great for that purpose. For all others, this one is for either big fans of ancient lit, or those who love to bury themselves in overwhelming details about characters and Gods. It’s definitely not for your average graphic novel reader, who will likely find this version to be tiresome.

Pages: 272

Homer's epic war poem The Iliad, set in ancient Greece, is one of the most revered classics of all time, and it's quite a tough read for many, so I was excited to discover this graphic novel version which I thought would be especially perfect for introducing youngsters to Homer's works. However, I'm afraid there were a number of issues. It was very difficult to read as the words ran into one another, and I felt describing it as a graphic novel was a bit of a misrepresentation; it's more accurately described as pretty much the entire tale in writing with a few accompanying illustrations which was not what I chose to read this for. It's simply too wordy to be called a graphic novel, and that, of course, defeats the purpose.

The inclusion of maps and charts was a nice touch and much appreciated but with all of the formatting issues, this was too messy to enjoy. I would like to think that the finalised version will have all of the problems resolved or there are going to be some rather unhappy readers. There were also far more characters than the usual telling of the story which isn't ideal and will almost certainly be off-putting to many. If I, a reasonably astute reader, have problems engaging with this then those that are younger are likely to have a similar problem. I'm also, sadly, not a fan of the artwork. A great concept but poor execution.

Many thanks to Candlewick for an ARC.

ARC Copy...well that was a much better adaptation the "Troy" movie. It was a good if thick tome adaptation of the Iliad, which I feel Greek buffs would enjoy plus interesting to depict the as colourful monochromes to emphasize their "different" nature from mortals.

It looks like an oldish book, with simple artwork (pencils, maybe?) and too much text. I love The Iliad and, although I think this graphic novel can be perfect for the youngsters to get to know the classic story, for me it was a little dissapointing. Don't expect something like 300, this is the story (not only the Trojan horse but the whole story) with drawings. I think it's great for aproaching to Homer's tale but not so much for people that have read the original many times, like myself.