If Hades, my AP Environmental Science class, and Squid Game were in a Venn diagram together, this comic would be at the center. I was not expecting such a thorough examination of soil and ground erosion when I picked it up, yet it was enjoyable. I don't love Hades being depicted as a villain as per usual, because it's not mycologically accurate, and a bit lazy at this point because it's become so expected. But over all this was a fun little book.

"Hades, god of the underworld, seeking a successor in the land of the dead."
This was a message that was sent to applicants.

Suzanne 16 years old, must make her way through Hades's cruel and hell-like challenge along with other humans. The match is disgusting and horrifying, but they should pass five levels to win it.
Suzanne and Tom are two main characters, try to defeat Hades' challenges together. Hades wants to humans understand the damages they cause on earth!

This wasn't a mythology book, this was an adventure scientific, biology, competition, and fantasy comic book for the adult readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a chance to read Underworld by Script & art by Mathieu Burniat, I have given my honest review.

This wasn't certainly what I was expecting when I requested this graphic novel. I loved the concept of a competition to be next god of the Underwold, but I wasn't ready for it to be a biology class on soil. Overall, really liked the concept, the images and the characters, but was missing more of an appealing plot and more Greek mythology.

Hades has decided to retire, and has sent out an ad to find a successor amongst the humans, but has a deadly and cruel series of challenges for them to face before they can prove themselves worthy.

From the description alone, I didn’t guess that this would be such a scientifically focused graphic novel. Hades, god of the Underworld, is ruler of the soil and microorganisms as well as the dead, and he intends to make humans understand exactly what damage they do to his realm. And may I just say, you can tell that this was, in part, written by a mycologist.

I didn’t always like the art style, but it was a fast-paced, fun read.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰
Genre: Science, Teen
Trigger Warnings: Minor gore, body horror
Would I recommend this? Yes
Would I read a sequel? No

Synopsis:
Hades, God of the Underworld, is seeking a successor. The prize? His fabled horn of plenty, source of boundless wealth. But to winnow down the applicant pool, Hades has devised a series of challenges as deadly to hopefuls as they are enlightening to readers, taking us all on a tour of the soil: its uses and abuses, riches and resources. Beneath our feet lies a world teeming with life, whose fate is intimately tied with our own. In this fantasy adventure Mathieu Burniat deftly blends pop science and mythology to educate and enthrall on a topic vital to our troubled times.

THIS WAS SO FUN. I loved the humorous/ added humanity twist on greek mythology. Also Hades is one of my faves so this was cool to read!! The graphics were so beautiful!

The twist on mythology and incorporation of humor is great! Although it was lacking in pull, it made up for that in art. I enjoyed the expressions and emotion the art conveyed that words alone could not. Underworld also brings realism into play by showing the truth of humanity. Of course, it is set in an other worldly place. Yet it still ties back to our normatives.

The two main characters are shown to develop throughout the story to work together to try and defeat these trials. Suzanne and Tom develop a bond along the way as well, showing another aspect to humanity. The ending was humorous and I'd say ties back to a loop.

Overall it was a good quick read, and I'd say anyone interested in Greek Mythology might enjoy this spin on it.

This was such a great graphic novel, I loved the illustrations in it and the cover itself was beautiful so I knew I was in for some stunning work! I loved the take on hades and mythology so much!

I had some mixed feelings about this book, and I think that overall my feelings evened out towards me just feeling very neutral about this book. 

First, the positive aspects. The artwork was really pretty. In fact the artwork was what drew me to the story in the first place. I saw the gorgeous cover, took a peek at the sample few pages on the publisher's website, and downloaded a copy to read the full thing. On top of that, I also thought the concept sounded really cool. A competition to become the new Hades, god of the Underworld? Sign me up! However, the concept and execution is where I was most let down.

The marketing really made me think that this would be a take on mythology. And yes, there's Hades, Cerberus, and some riddle asking sphinxes, but those are really just names. The personalities and overall Greek mythology wasn't incorporated whatsoever. This was in actuality an educational story about the importance of soil in our environment, and the negative impact that current farming practices are having on the environment. So if that interests you, pick this book up. If you're thinking there will be interesting mythological elements, this isn't the book for you. 

My last qualm with this book is that I want to mention that I'm not really sure who the target audience is. It certainly isn't meant for kids, since there's gore, death, and on page nudity. I guess it was marketed to young adults, but I don't think that many teens are interested in such a thorough and detailed breakdown of every aspect of the soil. I think that there could have been a better balance with how the information was presented, since at times there were a lot of facts and details thrown at you in a very short period of time.

All in all this was not a bad book. I just wish that the marketing had been a little more pointed, so that this book would reach its actual target audience, instead of luring in random readers interested in mythology.

thank you netgalley for this arc, of which i read of my own accord.

i like the premise of this, and am a huge fan of anything based around greek mythology. however, this was much more of a biology lesson than an insight into greek lore. this delved into the environment, its layers and what makes up below the earth's surface.

despite this feeling more like a comic from a biology textbook, the illustrations were great and it was a fun short read (plus the two main characters were enjoyable too)!

Interesting take on things, definitely not what I expected. A mature look at the human impact on the Earth and why we need to change what we are doing. Mature themes. A little too graphic for my taste in the death and destruction scenes. Perhaps change the description of the book to note this?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Underworld by Mathieu Burniat is a humorous, cartoonish graphic novel about a 16 year-old's journey to the Underworld. Based on the cover, I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I thought it would be darker. Instead, this book has a fairly light-hearted, comic look. The story revolves around Suzanne, a 16 year-old who enters the Underworld, and a companion who joins her on her quest. Hades is seeking a successor and has created a series of challenges a la Netflix's Squid Games to find him or her. Will Suzanne and her companion succeed in becoming the next god of the Underworld?

Overall, Underworld by Mathieu Burniat is a graphic novel that will take readers on a fantasy adventure. I think it will appeal to fans of Netflix's Squid Games, because it has a very similar concept. I took off 2 stars, because of the yuckiness factor. The book itself isn't that violent or gory, but the creatures depicted, such as giant insects and worm-like creatures really grossed me out. I can imagine that plenty of readers would be just find with those images though. If you're intrigued by the description or if you're a fan of fantasy adventure graphic novels, you can check out this book, which is available now.