This is definitely a great book to learn more about Chernobyl, it gave me insight into the background of the disaster than I had previously known.

I was a little sceptical about this graphic retelling of the Chernobyl disaster, just because the recent TV mini-series was so comprehensive and good it was hard to see what other angle this could take. And while it covers the same ground, it tells some other stories and of course can be more explainatiory with its facts and figures where appropriate (for example it opens with a hand chart comparing relative radiation dosages). The art style i thick, with an almost linocut look in places and is ink in yellow and blue blocks where necessary - though the inking is largely used for effect - particularly on the splash pages of disaster which have an impressively impressionistic feel. Sober and comprehensive, this would also be an excellent teaching aid as its sad but not horrific beyond the understanding of what is going on. The writing occasionally hangs on the shortcuts being a Soviet issue which I doubt is the case (capitalism will happily cut corners too), but certainly the scale of damage and aftermath is very tied to the Soviet system, and whilst this doesn't linger on the show trial, its still and important footnote. Really rather impressive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ad Lib/Palazzo Editions for a digital review copy of "Chernobyl: The Fall of Atomgrad" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

This is a powerful, exploratory graphic novel that delves into the build up and fall out of the Chernobyl disaster. It gives us the Party perspective but for me, most importantly, also looks into the impact on the people of Pripyat.

The artwork is bleak, stark and doesn't pull any punches but also touchingly tells us the story from a very human perspective with technical and political elements seamlessly interwoven throughout.

It's a fantastic and moving introduction to the disaster and gives a grounding that would make it suitable for a YA audience as well as anyone older who wants to read more without being overwhelmed by in depth political intrigue.

At just over 100 pages its long enough to tell the story and make us connect to the people and feel for them and what they went through but isn't too long that it gets bogged down in detail. This is definitely a must read non-fiction Graphic Novel for 2024 and is released in April 2024.

I read the English translation of this book.

Loved it

The illustrations are beautiful, and the graphic novel covers the events in a way that is easily understandable to anyone regardless of your knowledge of nuclear power while also giving a lot of importance to the causes of this tragedy and the many victims.

A superb book that I recommend to everyone, if only as one of the best examples of the dangers of bureaucracy and lack of transparency from a government.


Thank you NetGalley and Palazzo Editions for the opportunity to read this ARC. This book comes out on April 4th, 2024.

This is an excellent teaching tool for what exactly happened with Chernobyl. The illustrations are sad and can be disturbing (obviously), but I think 6th grade and up could handle the content. The artwork is phenomenal and really gives a sense of how bleak the situation was. I don’t see how anyone can not be moved by the plight of the innocents who lived nearby. Don’t even get me started about the animals… :-(

The USSR’s attempts to keep the explosion under wraps are both laughable and contemptible. What, did you think all the particles would just hover in place above the reactor??!
Sweden: Uhhh…
Japan: Uhhhhh….
[insert name of nearby country here]: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….

My thanks to NetGalley and Palazzo Editions for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Powerfully explanatory, Chernobyl not only relates the events before the upcoming explosion but explains in details the consequences on the people of Pripyat. It is an incredibly touching retelling despite all the technical factors and political schemes involved, which is widened to the USSR as it portrays key events leading to its fall.

The graphics are majestic, intense, and gripping. It made it possible to imagine precisely what it must have been like back then and back there which made it easy to be empathetic to the impacted people.