A wonderfully educative comic. It follows the ever so popular battle royal narrative while digging through the ground and teaching us why modern agriculture is a problem for earth, and in the long term, for us too. I had no idea that modern Egypt was the way it currently is because of intensive agriculture. It isn't always subtle in the message, this really is an educative book (admittedly with a fantasy plot and death and carnage) but I found the topic fascinating, it made me want to dig some more - the fiction format surrounding the serious topic makes it accessible to a lot of people who wouldn't normally care and that's to be commanded. Story wise, I really liked the main character and I must admit that I wish she had been given a companion with a little more charisma, she deserved better, but that is my only criticism.

I was surprised when I realised that this book is actually educational. It is an interesting mix of mythology and science, and an interesting read for both adults and teens. The artwork was ok and suited the story. Not one for me but still interesting to read.

Not what I expected but still an enjoyable read.
Hades, god of the underworld, is fed up and looking for a successor. We follow 2 of the wannabee gods as they work through Hades' challenges.

What I didn't expect was the underworld literally being the soil and rock beneath our feet. The different challenges educate the competitors (and the reader) about soil and the damage humans are doing to it. As a no-dig gardener, I know quite a bit about why tilling the soil is a bad thing, but it was great to read a bit more detail in a fun way. I definitely found myself wanting to read more each time I set the book aside.

I do recommend this book to anyone wanting an engaging story and a way to learn a little more about the ground beneath our feet. I enjoyed the illustrations and I think they explained the story and it's detail well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.

This is a science class disguised as a Mythology comic book. Want to learn about the soil? Want your kids to learn about soil? This is the book for you! There's also a decent explanation of climate change, as well, so you'll be learning about a LOT of things from soil to fungi to the nitrogen cycle, how modern farming techniques are only good in the short run and very harmful in the long run, and more! And just so you aren't completely bored, there are some nice elements of friendship and romance to keep you interested.

Sadly a bit boring. The story line takes a complete backseat to the educational content, which is so heavy handed that I imagine most kids would be turned off by it. And that's the other problem: who is this for? There's nudity and a lot of the vocabulary is at a higher level, but on the other hand it's so clearly ~Teaching You~ that as an adult I felt patronized to.

"Hades, god of the underworld, is seeking a successor."

This wasn't what I was expecting, from the description and from what I read of a preview. The art was interesting, but just okay, but it was mostly the story that I couldn't get into. Overall it was really not for me, unfortunately

I thought this book was about Greek & Roman myths. So I was surprised that it was linked with biology.
It sort of threw me when I began reading but it was so interesting I flew right through the book. I'll admit, most of it was over my head but it was intriguing.
The graphics were amazing. I found myself spending more time looking at the pictures than the words.

It was not what I expected, but I did enjoy the overall story. It was very informative, but in a fun way.

The Graphic Novel was a quick read with excellent drawings. The main Topics is to solve riddles and quests to became the new ruler of the underworld and because the main theme is the underworld, the contestants that fail die. Even though it might sounds seriously, the author added humour aspects to loose up the story.

It was also positive, that many facts were told through the story about agriculture and information's about the environment. So you also learn new facts about important topics.

I can recommend this graphic novel to all people that like storys with a good twist and people that like to learn new informations through storys were it doesn't felled forced by adding it to the story.

This wasn’t what I was expecting. I went in thinking it was going to be a dark retelling on mythology, but what I got was something else entirely.

At first, I thought this was going to be a a Squid Games-esque type of story in the beginning, but it changed into a environmental biology lesson that had a lot to say. I did enjoy it. The characters were fun and interesting as they went through the challenge, and the art style was cool. I kept wondering where this story was going, and how it would unfold, knowing how to balance an important message with fun and humour.

I don’t know whether it was just my copy, but I feel as if the text could’ve been larger. I struggled to read some of the speech bubbles because they were small and faded, which made the reading experience a bit difficult.

I would definitely recommend this. It’s fun, has an important message, and a wild ride.

This comic is so very very informative, but I think patrons in my area would reject the eco friendly agenda. It’s a real shame because it presents soil conservation in an entertaining way

Unfortunately due to eye strain issues I am not able to use the Netgalley shelf app to read on. This book sounds brilliant and I look forward to reading it when I am able to purchase a copy.

I liked the artwork and the idea of the underworld tournament but sometimes it’s too informative to be fun.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book!

This was a weird read. While I think this is a good book for children to teach them stuff about the earth, I think the premise is a bit odd. Sure he wants revenge, but why does he want to use education to do that? Why does killing 250 people make him feel better? Why not just the whole planet or have a bigger challenge.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC. While I was definitely not expecting a very real lesson about how we are destroying our planet the more I think about the title, it makes sense. Hades is pissed and wants out and decides to have a Hunger Games style competition to see who can take over. Chaos ensues. But also weaved in an is understanding of what were doing to our soil and water and why it is so damaging. I learned more then I care to admit and also chuckled a few times along the way.

So I don't really know where to start with this one. It started of as a bit of a Greek mythology, with Hades offering the underworld to a mortal if they collect all 5 cards during the challenge. Then we get squid games-esque rounds of elimination hosted by the equivalent of Miss Frizzle from the magic school bus. While ordinarily the Underworld is a fictional land of the dead, in this version it literally means Under the world. Like in the dirt. There are hundreds of facts about plant life, what makes up the dirt, farming practices and elements. All the while our group keeps getting whittles down. Then we find out out the main character misses her dog and that's her drive all along. Oh and then zombies. This was WILD 🤯 like did not know what was going to happen next. I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if there was slightly less factual info dumping and more humour. The illustrations are great and it does a good job but it was very full of facts and less about the characters. Don't even know who I'd recommend this one too because it's like a genre of it's very own.

Hades, God of the Underworld, is seeking a successor. The prize? His fabled horn of plenty, source of boundless wealth. But to winnow down the applicant pool, Hades has devised a series of challenges as deadly to hopefuls as they are enlightening to readers, taking us all on a tour of the soil: its uses and abuses, riches and resources. Beneath our feet lies a world teeming with life, whose fate is intimately tied with our own. In this fantasy adventure, Mathieu Burniat deftly blends pop science and mythology to educate and enthrall on a topic vital to our troubled times.

Review

Have you ever wondered how the application process would be like if you applied for the post of God of the underworld? Underworld is a combination of Squid Game, National Geographic, and Cat in the Hat because it places the characters in the comic in a survival game but a subtle sense of humor is evident throughout the comic. Readers are also given an educational session where they learn how human actions can affect the environment. It is also unique because the end of the book is concluded with a call to action on what humans can do to save the environment,

Despite its unique approach, I wasn't a fan. There were times when I was confused if I should be amused or not. I also ended up skipping the educational portions because I was more interested in how the characters would fare in the game. In addition, I also found the font hard to read and I had to zoom it for it to be legible.

However, though the book is unique, it is not something that I would read again. I may not have enjoyed it as much but I feel that it is best suited for individuals who want to combine leisure with learning and for those who are interested in mythology.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and I confirm that this is an honest review that I am writing voluntarily.

Hades, malevolent ruler of the underworld, or perhaps something more? That’s exactly what is on the table in the newest book from Europe Comics, Underworld by Mathieu Burniat. When one thinks “underworld”, they only assume that means that Hades is a deity that controls death and the afterlife right? This book asks, what if he’s literally in charge of the very land beneath our own feet? What if he’s salty with humans because we are taking care of his empire in any way, and wants to take a break – get a successor in there that can figure out a way to change things? Assistant by his noble companion Cerberus the three-headed dog, he sets out to do that very thing, albeit in a weird competitive way.

“Hades, God of the Underworld, is seeking a successor. The prize? His fabled horn of plenty, source of boundless wealth. But to winnow down the applicant pool, Hades has devised a series of challenges as deadly to hopefuls as they are enlightening to readers, taking us all on a tour of the soil: its uses and abuses, riches and resources. Beneath our feet lies a world teeming with life, whose fate is intimately tied with our own. In this fantasy adventure Mathieu Burniat deftly blends pop science and mythology to educate and enthrall on a topic vital to our troubled times.”


Despite what I assumed this book was going to be about, this is truly a unique book – one part Battle Royale, one Part Willy Wonka, and One part Lorax, it’s one of the strangest ideas I’ve seen in a while. In a weird way this is an educational book, but not in the way that I expected. Hades puts everyone through a grueling series of trials to search for cards that unlock their ability to gain access to his “horn of plenty”. In doing so, he traps everyone in various stages of the earth’s soil and subsequent layers. When this happens he usually tells little facts about the Earth in a similar way to the series Cells at Work and how it teaches you facts about the human body. I went in expecting a book on Hellenistic gods, and had no idea I was in for an Earth Science comic. Now, saying it’s vaguely educational and similar to a book meant for kids isn’t to say that this is in any way meant for children, its full of blood, death, even mild nudity. But, my friends, learning doesn’t stop at adulthood!

I will say this book has a rather bizarre ending, but for all it’s grizzly deaths and other horrors, its surprisingly light-hearted and it ended how I somewhat figured it would, I suppose. All-in-all it’s a fun comic that tackles a bit of environmentalism that you don’t hear about to often – the fact that factory farming and industrial agriculture does far more damage to The Earth, and its ecosystems than anyone running a TV for too long could ever do. As a tool to spread this education of these issues to people that perhaps were unaware is somewhat unorthodox, but my hat’s off to the author for doing it in such an interesting way. This was a fun comic, and stays away from being too preachy while keeping you interested in what’s happening.

An interesting take on hades, and interesting art style, and more educational than I thought I was getting into. A cool way to tackle climate change, and gives you ideas on thinks you can do to battle it.

This graphic novel was not what I was expecting when reading a story about the underworld and Hades.

I really liked the idea of the competition and the story of Hades wanting to find a worthy successor for his throne. However, there were a lot of facts being explained about the earth, soil, and the environment in general, that made the read feel like an educational book, which in turn made me lose interest in several parts of the story. Nevertheless, there were some facts that were interesting and the idea of the story was very original.

Overall, I really liked the art and imagery and I believe anyone who is interested in the environment and how things work with soil and its importance to humanity's survival, will be very satisfied with this graphic novel.