Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wren_in_black 's review for:
The Iliad
by Gareth Hinds
It took me far longer than it should have to get through this book, but once I sat down with it, it was a quick read. The fast pacing means my students, mostly my reluctant male readers with an interest in mythology or battles, will devour this book. The dialogue and descriptions help the reader keep track of which names are important and which aren't, as well as remind the reader who is related to whom and who is on which side of the battle. The author/illustrator employs a masterful use of color (red for the Greeks and blue for the Trojans as well as pastels for the gods and other immortals).
As a teacher, I like that this graphic novel follows the "books" of The Iliad as written by Homer. That makes it much easier to use this novel in lessons or to assign certain sections as follow up for studying the text. If I had students of a high enough grade level, we would certainly study this graphic novel in class. As it is, I'll be purchasing a copy to put in my classroom library and will book talk it for students to read for their own pleasure. I'm sure I'll have some takers. Aside from a couple of odd turns of phrase, such as "Briseis, fairest of cheeks" (uh, which cheeks, dude?) the dialogue is well translated and keeps the original flavor of Homer's work.
My only true complaint with this graphic novel version is that it only dances around Achilles and his relationship with Patroclus. They were not simply "dearest of friends". They were lovers. They had been lovers since their youth. There are some hints to the depth of Achilles' love for Patroclus, but I feel that a more faithful approach would have been to simply state the truth of their relationship alongside the information Hinds did give readers. I will go down with the Achilles and Patroclus ship, especially after reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, so this bothers me much more than it would my unsuspecting students.
Over all, an excellent book. 4.5 stars from me.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic Advance Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
As a teacher, I like that this graphic novel follows the "books" of The Iliad as written by Homer. That makes it much easier to use this novel in lessons or to assign certain sections as follow up for studying the text. If I had students of a high enough grade level, we would certainly study this graphic novel in class. As it is, I'll be purchasing a copy to put in my classroom library and will book talk it for students to read for their own pleasure. I'm sure I'll have some takers. Aside from a couple of odd turns of phrase, such as "Briseis, fairest of cheeks" (uh, which cheeks, dude?) the dialogue is well translated and keeps the original flavor of Homer's work.
My only true complaint with this graphic novel version is that it only dances around Achilles and his relationship with Patroclus. They were not simply "dearest of friends". They were lovers. They had been lovers since their youth. There are some hints to the depth of Achilles' love for Patroclus, but I feel that a more faithful approach would have been to simply state the truth of their relationship alongside the information Hinds did give readers. I will go down with the Achilles and Patroclus ship, especially after reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, so this bothers me much more than it would my unsuspecting students.
Over all, an excellent book. 4.5 stars from me.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic Advance Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*