A very straightforward comic addressing the Chernobyl incident. I was not particularly captured by how this story was told. The artwork uses muted colors almost on a blue-grey scale which decreased my general interest in reading through it as well. It's a serious comic, not your usual type.

Has a history textbook ever made you think "ugh, why can't they make this a graphic novel"?

If so, Chernobyl: The Fall of Atomgrad is here to fix that injustice by providing us a graphic novel that illustrates how a major historical catastrophe happened. This goes into both the human and technical details of what went wrong leading up to and in the aftermath of the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl atomic power station.

Reviewing this graphic novel is meaningful to me on a personal level. My grandma worked at the research institute that developed the nuclear reactor that blew up at Chernobyl. As a side note, she worked on a completely unrelated project, the tokamak, which is trying to create renewable energy from hydrogen by emulating what happens inside the Sun. Nevertheless, she worked with some of the technocrats mentioned in these pages. I'm happy to say that this graphic novel is more faithful to what she's told me about them as people than the HBO series about Chernobyl.

The creators were hardcore about making an in-depth and accurate historical account. The back cover includes credits for a nuclear expert (Ondřej Novàk) and a history expert (Ondřej Civín). Be prepared for a more technical read than what you'll find in the emotion-driven accounts like the HBO series or Svetlana Alexievich's Voices of Chernobyl (which is spectacular, by the way).

Still, it manages to treat this subject with a kind of poetic feel that I haven't seen before, when, for instance, it shows an enormous concrete anvil with the words "The flower of Soviet megalomania is beginning to bloom".

In just one image, it captures the Saint-like status that technocrats enjoyed in the USSR.

In another, death incarnate drops hypothetical bombs on the nuclear power plant, sending shivers down the reader's spine with a glorious Cold War memento mori.

The graphic novel concludes on a beautifully simple note that slowly fades into the vibrant quiet of a town that was never quite completely abandoned. No longer can you hear the discordant noises of human error or technological disaster. You can only hear a young family of storks welcoming new life into their nest at the top of an old telephone pole.

3.5 stars for this tragic and interesting graphic novel that offers much to the history of the Chernobyl event. The passage of time has allowed an historical perspective that those of us did not have when the event initially occurred.

Matyas Namai does a great job of using technical language and presenting it in a digestible way for understanding. The illustrations and color scheme add to the tenor of the text.

This topic presents a tricky presentation because the area still exists. Actual photos of it are extremely intriguing and haunting, which is difficult to capture in this format. Contemporary stories talk about the animals left behind and the potential effects of the radiation on them. Perhaps a Volume 2??

Recommended for readers looking for an explanation to the Chernobyl disaster, history buffs, and anyone who was alive during the initial explosion, as it offers explanations. All-in-all, this book causes the reader to pause and wonder and question, which a great feeling for a reader.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #PalazzoEditions for the ARC.

This was my first graphic novel. And as I’ve read other books about Chernobyl I thought this one just didn’t do it well for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.75⭐

This book managed to capture the Chernobyl disaster's essence from a somehow different angle than usual. While some representations were a bit too political and technical for my expectations, other parts presented the situation from the shifted perspective of the affected ones. I enjoyed the style of the graphics and the choice of colours, and the artistic elements fit well with the story.

All in all, this is a short, nicely condensed read about anyone who wants to learn more about this dramatic event or to see it from a different direction than the usually approached ones.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free graphic novel.*

If you've watched HBO's Chernobyl, you will enjoy this graphic novel. It does a great job at explaining what happened before the accident, even the technological bits were well done. The drawing style is compelling too. I overall enjoyed it even though the content was not new to me. Some bits could have been expanded though, parts felt slightly rushed. But a good graphic novel about a tragic event of recent history. 4 stars

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Palazzo Editions for an advance copy of this graphic novel telling the history of a nuclear disaster the fallout for those involved and the many lessons that were learned, ignored or even erased by time and history.

Graphic storytelling is a wonderful mediums to tell stories that are as fantastic as the imagination can make them, and as honest and real as catastrophic events can be. A picture tells a story that words can sometimes can not convey. Combined words and pictures can make a horrific story grounded and relatable to readers. Showing the evacuation of town, with a family dog looking out a window, wating for their family to return. One can show the corruption of the system as police for a bottle of vodka allow looters to steal contaminated items from evacuated homes. These images combined with facts, mixed with the eyewitness tales of those who survived, sometimes while everyone they knew died are at the heart of this graphic novel. Chernobyl: The Fall of Atomgrad is written and illustrated by Matyáš Namai, and tells of the nuclear disaster that might be familiar to many video game players, but is considered one of the worst human catastrophes ever in history, and one whose legacies still haunts us today.

The story starts as the Cold War between East and West is running red hot. Nuclear energy was going to change everything, and a country that could harness the atom in all ways, energy, production, weapons would be considered a great power. Secret atomic cities were built, cities that appeared on no maps, but cities that has thousands of people living in them, working on the study of nuclear power, and how best to harness it. Chernobyl was designed by one man, who was pressured by those about him to get this reactor off the ground and producing. Power and prestige were at stake, as were payoffs and bonuses. Corners were cut, training was lacking, and things were starting to slowly fall apart. A safety test, delayed for too long and finally done by a team who were unprepared and unaware of the risks, caused an explosion, a fire, and the start of a meltdown, releasing tons of radiation. Radiation that began to effect the firemen fighting the blaze, the technicians trying to turn off the reactor, and those living nearby. Sand was dumped by helicopter, causing pilots to get sick and crash. As radiation was starting to be found in other countries, evacuation plans were announced. Evacuation plans that expanded into the countryside, and plans that became more abandonment, than anything else.

A very good graphic novel that encapsulates the Chernobyl incident, the reactions, the efforts to stop the radiation, and the aftereffects. The writing is very good and Namai is quite adapt at making technical issues, control rod, water, different forms of radiation, containment easy to understand and follow. The narrative is very clear, and covers the history, the loss of people, show trials, the corruption in the system and more. The art is really good. The simple use of colors really brings out the starkness of the Soviet system. The backgrounds really fill in the story, and the people are very expressive and give an emotional pull to the story. A very interesting read, that really gives the reader of what happened, and why. Perfect for those just getting into world events and would like to know more, or for those who enjoy historical graphic novels. A really well done story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Chernobyl by Matyas Namai.

Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorite nonfiction graphics, but still worth reading if you want to learn about Chernobyl in a short period of time. The text moved along a little too slowly and was a bit heavy. Still, I don't think there are other graphics about Chernobyl, so it's a welcome addition to the graphics world.

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

Maybe 2.5 stars. I liked the limited palette of the artwork. My issue with this comic is it just felt like text boxes were copied and pasted on the panels. Even when most people spoke, it was just more clunky exposition. I'd give this a higher score if it were rebranded as an educational picture book for young people.

I am not a big reader of graphic novels (I'm not the most visual of readers!) but CHERNOBYL: THE FALL OF ATOMGRAD retells the story of the biggest and best known nuclear disaster. As someone doing a PhD in nuclear physics linked to the decommissioning of power plants, this disaster is one I've studied, so I was curious how this graphic novel would present the incident.

It tells a very clear story, detailing the events that lead to up to, during and after the disaster. It covers the creation of the Chernobyl power plant, the critical flaws in the design of the reactor, the various internal Soviet politics that lead to poor management and pressure on unprepared people, the deaths, and the cover up.

I was very impressed by the section on the reactor failure itself. I'm studying nuclear physics, particularly reactions within a reactor (and I need a good working knowledge of the parts) but most people don't have that. This book uses the analogy of an oven to explain what went wrong and why. It's really clear and easy to understand.

The story is told from a number of viewpoints, both the officials, the soldiers, and the ordinary people caught up in the disaster. It's based on the stories of those involved, and this wide approach shows the wide ranging impacts on people across the city, the country, and the Soviet Union.

The overall tale is very stark. There is a human aspect to it, but the overall tone is matter of fact story. This is well reflected in the black, yellow, and blue artwork that's very simply, very moving, but also very brutal and industrial at times.

In all, I enjoyed this graphic novel and think it does a great job at explaining the Chernobyl disaster.

A well-done graphic novel that provides a good explanation of what went wrong at Chernobyl. The author does a great job of interweaving the story into the various stories of those who were there and affected by the disaster. The author portrays the Russian government and less than honest business dealings as well as the unwillingness to question the way things were being done as the hidden cause to the event. The artwork is well defined and complements the story well. Overall, a great read that will be understood by the reader.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Absolutely incredible story. Full of interesting historical facts, it provides an other view into the Chernobyl accident. Incredible that is wasn’t even worse. This is a highly recommended graphic novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Detailing the events leading up to, during, and following, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Chernobyl: The Fall of Atomgrad covers the harrowing story of one of the worst disasters of human history, and does so in a detailed and informative way. The illustration was beautiful, detailed, and emotive, and the colouring gave a real sense of the bleak atmosphere.

I have recently found myself wanting to read more non-fiction graphic novels, and this is definitely one of the best I have read for some time.

This was an incredibly well thought-out graphic novel depicting such a storied event in history. The Chernobyl disaster has long been mythologized in the minds of modern humans, and media portrayals often discuss the horrors of the aftermath of the explosion of the V I Lenin reactor, but Namai's graphic novel goes much deeper.

This short tome gives you the complete timeline of events. It also provides more detail than I have ever received in any of the other books I've read about this disaster. The art style is evocative while maintaining a clear theme throughout. The yellow and blue color palette that harkens back to Ukraine is a wonderful choice that I feel honors those who were displaced from their homes or whom directly died by the actions of those in charge of the nuclear program. This is a great graphic novel that I'd recommend for more mature high schoolers and adults alike.

Thank you to the author and to Palazzo Editions for the ARC of this fantastic book in exchange for my honest review. I wish this book all the success.

I would like to start by thanking NetGalley and everyone involved in allowing me early access to this ebook.

This graphic novel brings us the events of nuclear explosion in Chernobyl, which have been told in several other books. I don’t think it adds new information, but the graphic format definitely adds dimension to the events, showing that, indeed, “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

I would say this is a good complement to other books out there, not a replacement, but definitely recommend it if you want to get a clearer notion of how things happened.

This review will also be available on my Goodreads and Storygraph profiles and, later on, on my Instagram account (@cat.literary.world)

This is definitely a great book to learn more about Chernobyl, it gave me insight into the background of the disaster than I had previously known.

I was a little sceptical about this graphic retelling of the Chernobyl disaster, just because the recent TV mini-series was so comprehensive and good it was hard to see what other angle this could take. And while it covers the same ground, it tells some other stories and of course can be more explainatiory with its facts and figures where appropriate (for example it opens with a hand chart comparing relative radiation dosages). The art style i thick, with an almost linocut look in places and is ink in yellow and blue blocks where necessary - though the inking is largely used for effect - particularly on the splash pages of disaster which have an impressively impressionistic feel. Sober and comprehensive, this would also be an excellent teaching aid as its sad but not horrific beyond the understanding of what is going on. The writing occasionally hangs on the shortcuts being a Soviet issue which I doubt is the case (capitalism will happily cut corners too), but certainly the scale of damage and aftermath is very tied to the Soviet system, and whilst this doesn't linger on the show trial, its still and important footnote. Really rather impressive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ad Lib/Palazzo Editions for a digital review copy of "Chernobyl: The Fall of Atomgrad" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

This is a powerful, exploratory graphic novel that delves into the build up and fall out of the Chernobyl disaster. It gives us the Party perspective but for me, most importantly, also looks into the impact on the people of Pripyat.

The artwork is bleak, stark and doesn't pull any punches but also touchingly tells us the story from a very human perspective with technical and political elements seamlessly interwoven throughout.

It's a fantastic and moving introduction to the disaster and gives a grounding that would make it suitable for a YA audience as well as anyone older who wants to read more without being overwhelmed by in depth political intrigue.

At just over 100 pages its long enough to tell the story and make us connect to the people and feel for them and what they went through but isn't too long that it gets bogged down in detail. This is definitely a must read non-fiction Graphic Novel for 2024 and is released in April 2024.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.

This was a powerful, extraordinary book, which detailed the events both before and after the catastrophic meltdown in Chernobyl. It deals with the situation very sensitively (although it is obviously a great tragedy.) The illustrations are beautiful and truly add to the entire retelling. I remember this happening (although I was only six at the time) and found it truly terrifying (and now I'm an adult and understand the full horrors of it, am terrified even more of it potentially happening again.)

I read the English translation of this book.

Loved it

The illustrations are beautiful, and the graphic novel covers the events in a way that is easily understandable to anyone regardless of your knowledge of nuclear power while also giving a lot of importance to the causes of this tragedy and the many victims.

A superb book that I recommend to everyone, if only as one of the best examples of the dangers of bureaucracy and lack of transparency from a government.


Thank you NetGalley and Palazzo Editions for the opportunity to read this ARC. This book comes out on April 4th, 2024.