The Iliad: A Graphic Novel

A closely-observed, action-packed retelling of the story of Homer’s epic The Iliad from master graphic artist Gareth Hinds.

Sing to me, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles…

A crisis point in the Trojan War – Achilles, hero of the Greeks and leader of the ferocious Myrmidons, smoulders in anger against Agamemnon, the most powerful of the Greek leaders. As long as Achilles refuses to fight, the Greeks are destined to fail, pushed back ever further from the stronghold city of Troy by Hector and Paris’ Trojan army. Above the fighting on Mount Olympus, the gods watch on, each allied to a different warrior and each willing to extend the hand of divine intervention to ensure their success… Battle, glory, pride, death and revenge take centre stage in this classic epic retold by Gareth Hinds in his inimitable graphic style.

“"Sing to me, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles": a rousing graphic rendition of Homer's great epic...An expertly crafted rendition and a welcome invitation to younger readers to immerse themselves in the ancient past. --Kirkus Reviews”

In his latest graphic novel adaptation of a classic text, Hinds (The Odyssey) condenses Homer’s epic poem of gods and mortals at war, covering most of the major events and adding supplemental material that expands the story slightly beyond the original...The most striking scenes are the battles, presented in intimate detail and in awe-inspiring, sweeping overviews. Hinds’s relatively plain language retains just enough meter to hint at the cadences of the work, and, together with the dynamic art, creates an accessible entrée to an enduring classic.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Clear scaffolding, well-chosen abridgements, readable prose, and stunning art invite readers into this exceptionally compelling version of the episode of the Trojan War handed down through Homer’s Iliad...Readers who have struggled to follow the poetry of the standard text or to become emotionally invested in a summary will have no such difficulty here; Hinds has truly produced an easy-to-follow, engrossingly cinematic blockbuster on the page.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

"Sing to me, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles": a rousing graphic rendition of Homer's great epic...An expertly crafted rendition and a welcome invitation to younger readers to immerse themselves in the ancient past.
—Kirkus Reviews

This modern graphic novel retelling of Homer’s epic immediately draws in readers with its artistry and readability...This is a well-done adaptation of an important, thought-provoking poem.
—School Library Connection

As with his treatment of The Odyssey (rev. 11/10), Hinds offers an ambitious and compelling comics adaptation of a Homerian epic...By highlighting the efforts of the goddesses, along with amending Helen’s understanding of her role in the war, Hinds makes an effort to address the story’s inherent hypermasculinity, reminding readers that “the war is the work of angry gods and angry men.”
—The Horn Book

Arrestingly, Mr. Hinds depicts the meddling immortals in translucent, sugary Easter-egg colors. This initially whimsical-seeming decision has the effect of highlighting the mocking distance between the fickle, impulsive Olympians and the flesh-and-blood men and women who pay the price for divine caprice on the earth below...Those who know the epic will find an engrossing and rewarding account: gory, affecting, unforgettable.
—The Wall Street Journal

Unpacking ‘The Iliad’ as a reader is one thing; adapting it for comics is a hurdle of a different magnitude. Enter Gareth Hinds, the Vermont-born artist who has reworked literary classics from Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe and more. His magnificently realized graphic telling of ‘The Iliad’ — in its wealth of muted watercolored hues and evocative landscapes — condenses a more than 20-book-length poem into 251 pages of narrative comics. It follows an equally sweeping interpretation of “The Odyssey,” which had a loose, sketchbook-style look as compared with its spiffy successor.
—Los Angeles Times

This is no mere comics adaptation of an ancient classic. Through his intricately illustrated panels, Gareth Hinds brings us The Iliad’s depth, brutality, and power. A Herculean effort worthy of the original.
—Gene Luen Yang, Michael L. Printz Award winner for American Born Chinese

With his graphic novel retelling of The Iliad, Gareth Hinds has created a work of such scope and power that it boggles my mind. It truly lives up to the — dare I say it — epic scale of the original poem.
—George O’Connor, author of the New York Times best-selling Olympians series

Gareth Hinds is the creator of several acclaimed graphic novels based on classic works. About his previous book, The Odyssey, he says, "It was incredibly exciting to work with this material – gods, monsters, flawed heroes, intense battles, and all the best and worst of human nature, set against an ancient Mediterranean backdrop? It’s really a dream project." He lives in Massachusetts, USA. Find him online at garethhinds.com.

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