Beautiful illustrations, lush color palette. The characters are interesting and you can tell that the cartoonist spent much time crafting this graphic novel.

I felt it lacked good character development. The imagery, however, was beautifully detailed. The setting was lovely. I usually like fantasies and historical fiction, so I thought I would enjoy this. I feel like this has a good storyline, it just wasn't for me. This feels like it's more targeted foe a male audience.

This was alright. I’ve definitely read better but this was okay for being what it was. I may try an read it again in the future and see if I like it more then but we’ll see.

In a country very reminiscent of Greece, there's a king who has lived a thousand years ruling from his throne of stone, and has lost everything along the way, all he loved and all he cared for, and to complete his . . . misfortune? curse? he has also lost any memories he had of his past times and those he had met.

One day, he goes on a quest to Mount Olympus, where the gods are, to seek answers to the mystery of his existence and his immortality filled with so much forgetfulness. The first goddess, or rather monster, he meets plays Sphinx with him and poses a riddle to him that triggers the first of his memories coming back to him. That's the start of his adventures on his way to the summit, meeting some of the Olympians such as Hephaestus and Athena, and some of the monsters and nymphs and minor immortals, and each of them gives him a hint or a lesson, some very confusingly phrased, that slowly build up layer by layer towards the king having an epiphany by the end of his questing.

What this realisation is, isn't apparent from the story per se but from a dialogue where the king is told that "the most important thing isn't what comes after a life, but rather that the life itself is worth it. Even if it comes at such a high price." In other words, his immortality was supposed to teach him a lesson about the value and meaning of life (?). At least that's what I understood, the storytelling really isn't clear or straightforward.

The pacing and the storytelling style are difficult to get used to, Bablet doesn't make it easy for the reader. He doesn't explain much, and there's long silent sequences at the start and at the end that you have to interpret because there's no text to guide you, and scenes go by rapidly, sometimes back and forth in time, so you have to concentrate and often re-read portions to understand what's going on. It's not heavy on the philosophy, not at all, but it definitely forces you to think or you'll be hopelessly lost as to the author's point.

The artwork is better than the writing, though. At least the scenery and landscapes and general atmosphere, which are very skillfully done. The characters, not so much, especially not their faces and expressions, that are wooden and rather strangely drawn. The palette is nice and used perfectly to set up the mood, one reason why Bablet's style excels at setting up atmosphere.

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

Adrastea by Mathieu Bablet is a fantasy graphic novel that brilliantly retells Greek mythology. The story reolves around the immortal former king of Hyperborea who sets off on a quest to meet the gods and goddesses. According to the description, this book mixes "intimate character details with grand landscapes in a visual style uniquely his own."

Overall, Adrastea is a fantasy graphic novel that will appeal to fans of The Odyssey or any retellings of Greek myths. One highlight of this book is the amazing artwork, which is wonderfully vibrant and colorful. I found myself astounded by how good the art was. I did take off 1 star, because I didn't really connect to the main character. If you're intrigued by the description, you can check out this book when it comes out in June!

Amazing art style, loved the old myths that this touched on. I really likes the depictions of the gods, and how they all interfered at a certain point in the story. I was a fan of the message of the story as a whole. Confusing at times, but that may just be because I am not a huge graphic novel reader.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Diamond Book Distributors for an advanced copy of this new graphic story of both mythology and abiding love.

"Those whom Jupiter wishes to destroy, he first deprives of reason". This quote has been translated in numerous ways and been the subject of many books, paintings, poems and even Star Trek episodes, but the meaning has never been lost or confused. The gods do not play fair, and if you become their enemy, or even worse a plaything or a pawn in some grand game, well good luck to you. Adrastée written and exquisitely drawn by noted French artist Mathieu Bablet and edited by Mike Kennedy, is a graphic novel that tells the story of a great king, who seeks the gods to find out why they so blessed him with immortality, but took away his reasons to live.

The immortal King of the land of Hyperborea, whose name and past are lost to himself and others, finally gets the momentum to leave his dead kingdom and journey to Mount Olympus to ask the gods the only question worth asking. Why? Why this gift of immortality this curse that makes him outlive everything and everyone he knows. As he wanders more thoughts come to him, his parents, his wife, a war, his people long long years of emptiness. Above him the gods watch his journey, helping sometimes, hindering him many times, watching his path and those he interacts with. Finally after much walking, and much discord left in his wake, the immortal king gains his audience.

This is a graphic novel that is hard to describe. The story is not an easy A to B and C, kind of story, but one that floats in time, forward, past, and full of fragments as our endless living king walks. There is a helpful guide in the back which describes the mythology of the gods and places that he travels to, which is very helpful. The ending is a little vague, but it is supposed to be, as life is not what we ask of it, but what we make of it. The art however is outstanding. So much detail, so much going on per panel. The gods look so much different than one would think they should, which really shows off their differences to mere mortals, and really sets them apart. The cities are very lush and one wishes to explore every nook and cranny just to see the detail and the time put into it. One of the better illustrated graphic novels that I have seen.

I enjoyed this, though the story was like I said a tad vague, the art was beautiful and really worth exploring. There are so many great European artists in comics and grahic novels I feel bad that I will never know about. I'm glad that I was introduced to the work of Mathieu Bablet, and can't wait to see more.

Well, this might mean something to someone, but that someone wasn't really me. An immortal bloke of sort of Grecian king-like demeanour goes walking. And walking... And walking... His path takes him through fantasy building and estate after fantasy realm and country, and it all looks absolutely brilliant, almost Escheresque at times and utterly devoid of health and safety in the example of his own huge palace complex. He quickly gets rid of a Sphinx and her riddles, he tries his hardest to remember people he's known and loved, and his earlier memories, but someone joins in with the walking and walking, and he never shuts up.

After that there's the second half of this, as it came out in two books originally, and it's still more wonderful scenery and walking, until he gets an audience with some incredibly ugly Greek gods – Aphrodite really rocking the bulimic junkie style. It does eventually prove itself a kind of melancholic, 'hey, it's not the kind of life you leave it's the kind of life you live' moral, but if this had started with a quote from Proust, first and foremost in the world's warnings that a book is pants (either Proust or TS Eliot, both apply equally) I would not have been at all surprised. Its ravishing look demands the biggest presentation format possible, to pore over the architecture and scenery; its elusive point demands a bigger patience than some will find themselves having.

Wow. I don't really have words to describe this book. It was just beautiful: the art the story, a true masterpiece on life and it's meaning. An honestly worthwhile read for anyone.

a darkly beautiful retelling! the author's art style is so gorgeous, and the use of color and technique, coupled with the classic story, created a sort of cinematic experience for me, as a reader. the plot was a bit difficult to follow at first, but was woven together really well near the end. i admire bablet's dedication to maintaining the integrity of the plot of the original mythology, and the added accessibility of the modern language used. overall - four stars!

I read the English translation of this graphic novel by French artist Mathieu Bablet and it was visually beautiful, if a bit dark and gruesome at points. I wish I know more of the background of the story before reading, but did enjoy the illustrated glossary at the end of the novel.