I always gravitate toward an interesting attempt at a mythos retelling. I forgot this was one when I started reading it, but it didn't take me long to realize that it was.

Thank you #NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the review copy of #TonguesVol1 in exchange for my honest review.

All of this to say, Tongues was not for me. I see the attempts at modernizing this godly mythos but it falls flat. Part of the nature of these godly stories is that their actions and abilities out weigh that of what people can do. Mixing too much technology onto the side of the humans (and the Gods) starts playing with the purpose of these narratives a bit too much for my tastes. I've found that stories like Chaos have been able to modernize the God myths without losing their core interests too much because the actions of the characters aren't heavily changed in modernity. There's no God who suddenly is able to take energy from another godly being and encase it in some mad science experiment. There's no nuclear bombs that the gods are fighting over. It just feels like this story is trying to do too many things. Which is a shame, because that really kept me from getting into it right away. I can see these characters will come together in following volumes and the final section definitely did start to hook me but it just felt too little too late.

Art wise it wasn't my favorite either. That's not to say this is bad by any means but the style was rough in a way that made it hard for me to stay in the story.

I’m honestly not really sure what I just read. I have no idea what this story is even about. There were way too many words and seemingly no storyline. I don’t get it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this graphic novel.

I really enjoyed the artwork and how the panels of the story were all set up. The overall idea behind the story was really interesting as well.

However, the different POVs got a little confusing and the pacing could have been just a bit better.

I liked it mostly, but I don’t know that I will necessarily continue on with the story. I think maybe this is more of a ‘this just isn’t really for me’ situation than the story itself.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for violence.)

In the near future,* Prometheus awakens after a long sleep. At this point, the god has been imprisoned on a mountainside for several millennia; his only company, the eagle who stops by on the daily to dine on his liver. Lucky for him, the liver of a god is not without its gifts: over the years, his tormentor and her progeny acquired the use of language, and now the two are friends. Eagle brings him news of his children, the humans, and bird and god wax philosophical on love, life, freedom, and the future. Despite his dire circumstances, Prometheus is certain that he'll one day walk the Earth again.

Meanwhile, a cult known as Z traffics in children and just generally causes chaos and mayhem through Central Asia (I had it pegged as the Middle East, but I guess there is some overlap), all in service to Omega - believed to be the second coming of Jupiter. Young Astrid is swept up in their plans when she's kidnapped from a shopping mall. Or maybe her fate is sealed earlier: when her adoptive father finds an orphaned baby floating down the Nile River, strapped to a car seat; when she is visited by visions of Athena(/)Seshat; or when the gods begin to suspect that she is the only one who can stop Jupiter's resurrection. Either way, her path is about to collide with those of Nico and I.O., two mercenaries on a side quest; their monkey, Mike; Teddy Roosevelt, a depressed young man wandering the desert with a teddy bear strapped to his back; and Hermaea, in chicken form.

I wasn't sure what to expect of TONGUES, VOLUME 1, but it certainly wasn't this. Nilsen has created a story that's epic in scope, but beautiful and heart wrenching down to the smallest details. I especially loved the relationship between Prometheus and Eagle - though they were doomed to be enemies, over the years and centuries and millennia their friendship blossomed and grew into something spectacularly lovely. A camaraderie that defies both nature and the gods. After Prometheus's seeming demise at the hands (err, mouth) of Might, when Eagle has to relearn human language, and the cognition that it engenders? I got chills.

The denouement of the story involves a plot by Epimetheus to eradicate the humans - a plague on the Earth, and oppressors to the nonhuman animals that Epimetheus so loves - and honestly, the vegan in me was kind of rooting for Epimetheus. The debate between Prometheus and Epimetheus resulted in some of the most thoughtful and engaging comic book panels I've ever read, even if I'm predisposed to land in Epimetheus's camp (and recent events in American have only cemented my position ... although surely Prometheus would point out the hopeful optimism of the resistance as a reason to wait and see how things play out).

TONGUES is a retelling of the story of Prometheus, set in modern day, with some trippy science fiction elements. I also detected undertones of THE LAST OF US, thanks to the face-growing fungi; and SEVEN, aka, "What's in the box!?!"

If, like me, your grasp of Greek mythology is tenuous and relies mostly on SUPERNATURAL, no worries: TONGUES is amazing, worth all the time you'll spend googling minor characters, and will definitely leave you desperate to learn more. Pro tip: there's a handy run down of the main characters at the back of the book, so flip to the last pages before starting. It will save you a ton of time and mis-identifications (I clocked Omega as Zeus; Violence as Hera; and Might as ... I don't even know what. A futuristic android? I'm still not entirely sure what they are, tbh).

As for the art, it's breathtakingly intricate and enchanting. The products of Prometheus's green thumb; the Hecatoncheires Gyges; and our maybe-savior Astrid all stand out as especially captivating. And, again: Prometheus's daily congress with Eagle - stunning in both form and content.

Honestly, I cannot recommend TONGUES enough. I just hope we don't have to wait another ten years to find out if Astrid is indeed the Chosen One.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I think this graphic novel was interesting, however I unfortunately didn’t find it too engaging. I enjoyed reading it for the most part, but I was never really itching to pick it up. I also found the text to be a bit hard to read. Normally I read graphic novels on my phone; but, I had to pull this up on my laptop and even then some of the pages felt a bit hard to read. I think some of my difficulty might have more to do with the font choice: it definitely fits the vibe of the story, but the handwritten aesthetic makes it less legible in my opinion.

This graphic novel has beautiful illustrations that are equal parts stunning and unsettling. There's also interesting dialogue and interactions. I loved the different fragments of stories slowly intertwining, some of which were familiar, and I'm looking forward to see where they all intersect. I do wish there was a bit more of a conclusion since this book is over 300 pages long; the ending is a bit disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for the arc:

I found this novel to be very interesting and engaging, but frustratingly incomplete. This is the first part of something bigger, but it alone does not feel like a complete piece. There are a lot of moving parts but they're quite fragmented, which isn't necessarily bad, but I did not feel like they came together in a way that makes much sense at the moment. Obviously further volumes will create more context and wrap things up, but the first volume should still be able to exist as it's own piece.

This makes it sounds like I didn't like the novel but that's not true. I found this to be very good. I like how all the different myths tangle together and I'm very intrigued to see how Nilsen resolves their stories, whether he deviates from the norm or sticks to it. I very much want to see the outcomes. I especially loved the sequences with Prometheus. The dialogue in these scenes was philosophical and thought-provoking without being overdone and inaccessible. I also really liked his design and the overall motif of fungus apparent in the illustrations. The unique shapes of the panels (namely the human/monkey ones near the beginning) were so fun and engaging too. I don't normally pay much attention to the shape of panels in graphic novels but Nilsen makes them stand out so much you can't miss them.

My biggest issue with this was the quality of the arc provided. I acknowledge this is not the fault of the author and that's part of why I don't want to give this a rating just yet*. I don't know if it was just me, but the quality of my arc was very low. The entire thing was fuzzy and almost felt 'out-of-focus'. This was so bad that sometimes I was unable to read quite a few of the speech bubbles that had text on the smaller side. The smaller the text got, it started to become an indecipherable blur, giving me a headache trying to focus on them. Obviously, the final copy will not look like this on shelves or EPUBs, but because I couldn't fully engage with the book in the way it deserves, I don't want to give it a rating until I can re-read it with high quality images and text.

Overall enjoyed! Will definitely revisit and check out the next volume(s).

*NetGalley does not allow you to publish a review without including a star rating. I chose 3 as it felt the most neutral. A star rating was not chosen on Storygraph to reflect what the review says.

~ARC Reader~

Thank you to Netgalley and the Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage catalog for this ARC.

First off, this is absolutely beautifully illustrated with fascinating and stunning details. Some of the organic shapes, especially drawn around Prometheus, are just so visually engaging that I had to pause and just trace over them for a bit to see how they all intertwined together. The three intermingling stories left me really wanting for more in this first volume - I felt like we got a lot of set up and no real pay off. I'm curious to see where the stories lead, but I feel like I may have been more interested in just one of the tales being told to fruition, rather than being given three that seem to have only just begun. I think the retelling of Prometheus is interesting (though it's not a tale I'm intimately familiar with) and the artistic style chosen for the god figures is as gorgeous as it is unsettling. And while the other two tales seem to have potential (Astrid's moreso then Roosevelt's), and certainly intermingle - I'm still left with a sense of disconnect at the end of this volume. We haven't begun to knit together in a meaningful way for me yet - just loose threads leading in the direction of each other. I hope the second volume is not far out so that my curiosity can be swiftly sated.

This was interesting but confusing. I was able to follow parts of it as I am familiar with Greek mythology. The story had some compelling characters. The dynamic between Prometheus and the eagle that eats his liver once a day is fascinating. Seeing the way they interact provoked thought. Trying to figure out what is going on is not easy. It takes careful reading. This volume interested me enough to want to see where the story goes next.

The illustrations in this is so amazingly beautiful. I really loved the style and thought it was so well done. I seemed to have an issue with a lot of the words showing up on my digital copy. But the illustrations were so perfect that I have to give this 5 stars.

I don't think this was for me, despite my interest in it. I felt overwhelmed with the multiple POVs and became a bit confused. I do appreciate the art style though and the composition of the panels.

I feel a bit bad for giving this such a low rating because I think this just wasnt for me. Meaning I think it was an interesting idea and the execration was also interesting and I think I’m a bland person because it was too…interesting for me and I completely admit that. The art style didn’t grab me at all and I was just confused. Please don’t take my review as anything but personal preference!!! I would still try this out for yourself

More like a 3.5 that I’m rounding up! This is incredibly illustrated really found this style quite unique and the story telling is a mashup of various god tales and I’m really intrigued by it. Definitely worth a read and will be on the lookout for more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Tongues (volume 1) is the sort of book you bring out when people who claim graphic novels aren't reading need to be set straight. It's three parallel stories set in a future Central Asia as the chained god Prometheus waits for the day of his release and other gods, humans, and the unknown move to change the divine and humanity's own future.

It's a volume thick with words and philosophy and pondering and rife with a really gorgeous sort of storytelling that can only really be done in graphic novel format, where even the shape of the panels contribute to the story itself, and although it's marketed as a retelling it really instead feels like a continuation of the story of Prometheus (with really interesting takes on the designs of the gods themselves) and what could happen in this modern age to a god, a crow, and those around them.

I appreciated too with any character that wasn't wearing any clothes that they were lines and shapes, more impressions of a Body (as most if not all of the gods were nude, but not just them!) and no super detailed... details there. It added to the otherworldly designs of the gods themselves and didn't detract when the humans (rarely) were nude too.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon and to NetGalley for the eARC here - I'm interested in volume 2 so I"ll keep an eye out!

I love Greek mythology and retellings, but this one was too strange and loosely connected. I do think the panel compositions were super interesting.

It is all a game. These characters are all pieces on the board. No one can see the whole board.
That is the best way to describe what I just read. I’m curious to see what the next volume reveals.

#ThxNetGalley #AndersNilsen #TonguesVolume1

I really appreciated Nilsen’s approach to constructing this graphic novel, particularly the way the panels break free from the traditional grid structure. This unconventional layout adds a unique flavor to the book and is definitely one of its strongest aspects.

However, the story itself is a bit more challenging. The narrative is dense and slow to unravel, and by the end of the first volume, you’re still left with a lot of questions. It takes time to fully invest in the plot, and there’s a sense that this book is laying the groundwork for something larger, making it difficult to grasp without the future volumes. The references to Greek mythology add an interesting layer, but as someone who isn’t an expert in that area, I couldn’t help but wonder if I missed key clues that would have provided more clarity. There may be deeper connections that went over my head.

As for the art, it’s a mix of innovation and inconsistency. The presentation is engaging and fun, but the quality of the drawings didn’t entirely win me over. While I admire the creativity behind the illustrations, the style itself didn’t resonate with me as much as I had hoped.

All in all, this is a promising start to what could be a fascinating series. The first volume is heavy on plot but can also feel vague at times. It’s a slow burn, and while I enjoyed the experience, I didn’t love it. I’d give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars, hoping the next volumes bring more clarity and depth to the story.

Quite weird and quite a ride through three threads that combine to make up one story. I haven't read any of the three Greek tragedies by Aeschylus that this work is based on. The artwork and writing are first class and I enjoyed this book very much.

My thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon Graphic Library for an advance copy of this graphic novel that takes the ideas of classic myths and creates a story involving Gods, men and women, greed, violence, and talking animals, the magic that is all around us, along with the regret of past mistakes.

There is a reason why the myths and legends still resonate with people who have little understanding or knowledge of the civilizations that created them. One doesn't need to know about the everyday life or history of these people, as myths are universal. The seek to explain things that are unexplainable. How did this happen, why is their night and day, why do fools fall in love, and what gave us the inner fire to know. Many writers have used the myths to tell their stories, and many of these stories have become legends themselves. Especially in the graphic medium. Superheroes stories started with Gilgamesh, and will continue long after stories about the man from Krypton cease to be published, but will never be forgotten. Myths fill in holes in what we understand of the world, and why we continue looking for answers. And in the hands of Anders Nilsen make for wonderful, beautiful stories. Tongues, Volume 1 written and illustrated by Anders Nilsen is a story about a chained god, the plot to free him, greedy humans, lost souls and woman capable of far more than they look.

This is a story with a lot of plot and even more going on, so I will try to summerize without ruining the tale. The story involves the God of Fire in Greek myth, Prometheus, who despite being told by the head of the Gods not to help humans, did so, by giving humans fire, and even enlightenment. The punishment for Prometheus has been to be chained to a rock while every day an eagle was to partake of his liver, and continuing for the rest of time. Years have passed, and Prometheus has become friendly with the eagles who carry out the punishment. This eagle comes across a familiar seen in Central Asia, an ambush of of troops working for local oil companies, with dead men in the field, and a monkey trapped in a Humvee. The eagle frees the monkey, and flies away, missing the young woman, a girl crawling from the back of another Humvee, along with two other bodies. Flashing back we meet a man trying to cope with his actions traveling a desert road with a teddy bear, a teddy bear that tells him what to do, even if it isn't nice. Meanwhile the God who has punished Prometheus has found there is a plot against him, a plot that might be in a suitcase, pulled by the young girl from the Humvee, that might lead to his end.

I missed a lot in that description. There is really a lot of plot. However, unlike my description the story unfolds slowly, and doesn't seem overwhelming. There is a lot of plot, but as it slowly comes together one is not, oh come on, but more oh I get it. Much can be attributed to the art and the sequential story telling techniques that Nilsen uses. The word amazing is an understatement. At first one thinks of it as a simple, but detailed style. But in reading one can see the planning in the layouts, how the panels move the story along, making the eye follow along and seeing that even the panels are making art on the page. I really enjoyed the use of color, of detail and how even at the weirdest points I still could understand, and even more, enjoy what was happening.

One of the best looking graphic novels I have read in a long time. I was unfamiliar with the works of Anders Nilsen, now I want to see more, and know more. This is volume 1, so I eagerly await further tales in this story, and will have to content myself with reading older works. If one likes well illustrated comic stories, that have a deep stories and meaning, this is a perfect book. Also for those who just like to look at the pretty pictures. There are a lot of pretty pictures.

Three stories are being told at once, all of which are so visually compelling that it’s hard to look away. It’s because of the strength of the illustration (and the interesting premise) that allow the reader to forgive moments of expository weakness in the first volume.

Not the easiest read to follow from the start if you aren’t familiar with the Greek myth of Prometheus. Volume 1’s dedicated to world building and so there are chunks of expository dialogue that weren’t a slog to get through, but weren’t a whole lot of fun either. We already see the story begin to approach its philosophical ambitions (to unpack human nature) in the first volume. If it means one thing at all for the future of the series, I’m going to bet that every major character’s going to monologue like it’s their day job.

The art style reminds me of animated shows like Scavenger’s Reign—a visually stunning piece of work that lingers with you. Fans of that sort of visually rich, complex world-building will enjoy this as well.

Though the end of the volume is rather abrupt, there’s enough here to make you want to keep reading. Looking forward to what Volume 2 brings and how the promethean myth continues to be turned on its head.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon for the ARC! All opinions are my own.