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A review by wyrmbergmalcolm
Asterix and the Golden Sickle by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo
5.0
Asterix and Obelix go off to do a thing. That it's to buy a golden sickle during a golden sickle shortage is immaterial as it's the journey and encounters that they have that make this book such a pleasure to read.
What really irked my about this book though is that it claimed to be book 14. Back in the day when I first read these (over and over again I might add) there was no such thing as an internet to tell me that this was actually book two and that the 14 merely meant that this was the 14th book translated into English. Now that I've read it as book 2 for the first time, it makes more sense, the characters sill don't quite look right (Vitalstatistix particularly, and generic-looking Fulliautomatix who's only identifiable trait is his 'critique' of Cacofonix's singing) and that many of the characters who appeared in 'previous' books aren't here.
These books are full of bright, fun and delightful characters who go on various adventures and get to beat up a bunch of Roman soldiers. Accompanying the story and the characters is a plethora of clever puns and word play that the translators should get a medal for. There are always a few gags or phrases in Latin that may mean nothing to the non-Latin speakers (such as myself) but Google can lend a helping hand there.
What really irked my about this book though is that it claimed to be book 14. Back in the day when I first read these (over and over again I might add) there was no such thing as an internet to tell me that this was actually book two and that the 14 merely meant that this was the 14th book translated into English. Now that I've read it as book 2 for the first time, it makes more sense, the characters sill don't quite look right (Vitalstatistix particularly, and generic-looking Fulliautomatix who's only identifiable trait is his 'critique' of Cacofonix's singing) and that many of the characters who appeared in 'previous' books aren't here.
These books are full of bright, fun and delightful characters who go on various adventures and get to beat up a bunch of Roman soldiers. Accompanying the story and the characters is a plethora of clever puns and word play that the translators should get a medal for. There are always a few gags or phrases in Latin that may mean nothing to the non-Latin speakers (such as myself) but Google can lend a helping hand there.