Asterix the Legionary (Asterix (Orion Paperback)) (Book. 10) [Paperback]

Rene Goscinny (Author), Albert Uderzo (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Asterix (Orion Paperback)

It’s off to the wars for Asterix and Obelix: they’ve enlisted as legionnaires in order to rescue Tragicomix, whom the Romans forcibly conscripted. The two find Tragicomix and succeed in causing the biggest commotion ever on a battlefield.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rene Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, and spent most of his childhood in Argentina, before eventually moving to Paris in 1951. He died in 1977. Albert Uderzo was born in 1927 in a small village in Marne, France. He met Rene Goscinny in 1951 and on 29 October 1959 their most famous creation, Asterix, made his first appearance on page 20 of Pilote. Asterix the Gaul, their first album, was published in 1961 and there have now been 33 Asterix albums. Albert Uderzo was born in 1927 in a small village in Marne, France. He met Rene Goscinny in 1951 and on 29 October 1959 their most famous creation, Asterix, made his first appearance on page 20 of Pilote. Asterix the Gaul, their first album, was published in 1961 and there have now been 34 Asterix albums.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Orion (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752866214
• ISBN-13: 978-0752866215
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.6 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Series > Humorous > Asterix

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Asterix and Obelix the rescuers, December 10, 2003

By 

Thomas Wikman "Texas Swede" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Asterix the Legionary (Hardcover)

Tip: out of stock does not mean you cannot find it in other bookstores.

As a child, I read all of the "classic" Asterix books in Swedish. As an adult and now living in the U.S., I am reading them again to my children, but this time in English. This is a good classic. In Swedish, this book was called Asterix in Africa, but I read this English version to my children. As others have pointed out, the Asterix books are not very popular in the U.S., but American kids (like mine) are not much different from European kids, so I think someone is missing a business opportunity here. American kids respond positively to these books.

Asterix and Obelix live in a village in Gaul that the Romans failed to conquer. The reason for this is that the village druid knows how to make a magic potion that endows the villagers with super human strength. In this book a villager, Tragicomix, is kidnapped, and later he and his girlfriend are sold as slaves in Rome. Asterix and Obelix set out to find him and rescue him (them), but to do that they have to join the Roman army. Their search leads them to North Africa. It is an interesting and entertaining story full of lighthearted good puns. Thanks to Obelix the Roman army finally got good food.

In general I find that, children the age 5-13 really enjoy these books, and so do my children. Adults can enjoy these books as well. The Asterix comic books are a great way to teach children ancient history. Naturally, the adult needs to help with the differentiation between fiction and history. From these books, my kids have learned about the Roman Empire, the ancient Greeks, the Vikings, the Goths, the Phoenicians, ancient Gaul, ancient Egypt, and the ancient Mediterranean world in general.

My ten year old started loving these books at the age of eight and he cannot get enough of them. My six year old started liking them at the age of five. Even though many Asterix puns may be a little bit above his head, my younger son still loves these stories.

In my opinion the best Asterix albums are: Asterix and the Normans; Asterix in Corsica; Obelix and company; Asterix the Gladiator; Asterix the Legionary; Asterix and Cleopatra; Asterix and the Goths; Asterix in Belgium; Asterix and the big fight; and Asterix all around Gaul. The last title is a translation from Swedish and might be wrong.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Asterix the Legionary, December 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Asterix the Legionary (Adventures of Asterix) (Paperback)

The comic book I purchased was translated by a Robert Caron in the 1990s. I much preferred the version translated by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge in the 1970s. The newer translation is nowhere near as funny as the older one. I wish they had never tampered with the original English translation.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty Comix History, March 5, 2002

By 

Esquire (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Asterix the Legionary (Adventures of Asterix) (Paperback)

I wonder why Asterix is not better known in the US? Probably because Americans are not comics fans and also are generally ignorant of things European, including European history and culture, which play a big part in the Asterix books. Be that as it may, these comics are extremely well-known outside the US...and for good reason! They are witty, clever, funny, and educational. They are popular with all ages and I loved them as a university student. This one, "Asterix the Legionary," is one of the best. Other great ones are "Asterix the Gladiator," "Asterix and the Big Fight" (le Combat des Chefs), Asterix in Switzerland" (Asterix chez les Helvetes) and "Asterix in Britain" (Asterix chez les Bretons). The stories were written by Goscinny, one of France's best writers of witty children's books (e.g., "Le Petit Nicolas," "Lucky Luke" etc).

These comics have become classics and part of French culture. They were begun in the early 1960s and continue today, with story and drawings by Uderzo, Gosinny's partner. The newer books (the last six or so), written after Gosinny's death, generally lack the intellectual spice and wit of the earlier ones however. As classics, they compare to Herge's Tintin (basically begun in the 1930's) but Asterix is less based on exotic adventures and more concerned with tongue-in-cheek comic treatment of European peoples and history. The background of these adventures is the Roman Empire and Gaul (France) around the time of Julius Caesar. They are educational insofar as one can recognize the many literary, historical, political and cultural allusions in the adventures. Even university professors have written books on Asterix (for instance, "Asterix, the Whole Truth" and "Asterix auf Grosser Fahrt" from professors at the University of Amsterdam, explaining the accuracy of the historical background and the allusions to ancient art, religion, sport etc.).

I've only read Asterix in French and German, but I assume that they are adequately translated into English. In German there are also translations in about 20 different dialects, which are great fun to read! For the real "Romans" among us Asterix is also available in latin..."il sont fous ces romains!"