Description
Asterix and Obelix escort Getafix to the druids' annual conference in the Forest of the Carnutes. Little do they know that the Goths are lying in ambush, ready to kidnap the Druid of the Year - who of course is Getafix! But what with Gauls, Goths and Romans all at odds, it's hard to tell friend from foe... until Goths begin fighting Goths in the Asterixian Wars.
Subjects
Language
Original language
French
Original publication date
1961
Physical description
48 p.; 8.5 inches
Publication
Egmont Serieforlaget (2008).
Pages
48
ISBN
9788242937308
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User reviews
LibraryThing member theboylatham
Seven out of ten. CBR format.
Getaflix has been kidnapped, by a band of Goths. The two Gauls set off to recover him.
Getaflix has been kidnapped, by a band of Goths. The two Gauls set off to recover him.
LibraryThing member SMG-JThwaites
A good serious and this book was my favourite, because it was creative
LibraryThing member BenjaminHahn
In this third installment Asterix rescues Getafix from the goths and an important strategic tactic is demonstrated. It is to your benefit when your enemies are spending resources to fight one another instead of you.
LibraryThing member David.Alfred.Sarkies
It is really surprising to see how quickly the Asterix albums get quite good, and while this is not as good as The Golden Sickle (namely due to some of the content which I believe drags it down somewhat) this album is still gold. Asterix and the Goths carries on from where The Golden Sickle ends.
It is very clear in this album that the Goths are the Germans, and they are not portrayed all that well. They are painted as barbarians who fight amongst themselves and are planning on using the druidic magic to invade and conquer the Roman Empire. This is a theme that has popped up in a previous book, where a centurion discovers the magic potion, and tries to steal it for himself so that he might overthow Ceaser and rule the Empire. The thing is is that the Gauls and the Goths were effectively the same race. The Gauls were not French, they came a lot later: the Gauls, like the Goths, were Celtic. That is beside the point though because Asterix is not meant to be reflective of the time, but rather of modern society.
It does make me wonder, though, how it is that a story set in Ancient Rome can be reflective of the modern world. While Rome brought about civilisation, it is not as if France of 1963 was ruled by any foreign powers. Yes, throughout her history, France had been subject to numerous foreign invaders, but they themselves were also the invader, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. Maybe the idea is that the Gauls are representative of the ordinary people and the Romans are representative of government. I suspect, and I know that it is true here in Australia, that when you go out into the rural regions, there is a much stronger distrust of government than there is in the city. I guess that is why the Liberal and National party tend to do a lot better in the country.
The end of the book was a little silly and quite amusing. It was silly because they start a war amongst the Goths by giving a select few a swig of the potion, and when they discovered that they are equally invincible, they raise armies to then slog it out. However, when the potion wears off, they are still at war and are now relying on their armies. What struck me was that the Goths did not spend the next few hundred years, as suggested, fighting amongst themselves. While they were disorganised tribes, they still were able to band together and drive out the Romans during the reign of Augustus. While that was not the height of the Roman empire, it was a massive defeat that drove them back over the Rhine, where they pretty much remained until the empire collapsed. I don't think Rome ever managed to conquer Germania (though the did manage to conquer Dacia).
The last thing I wish to mention is the little scene at the end which was really amusing, and really brings out Obelix's character. Somebody makes a comment about a 'free hand' and then about a page later Obelix suddenly cries out, 'I get it, a free hand!' and bursts out laughing, and ends up spending the rest of the album laughing about the 'free hand'. In a way me, as the reader, had no idea what was so funny, nor what was meant about the free hand, but having Obelix rolling around on the ground in hysteria was just golden. I probably should write something about the village, but there are plenty of more Asterix books to read, and I guess I will wait until I get around to reading them (or at least ordering them from Amazon).
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Asterix and Obelix have just returned from Lutetia with Getafix's sickle, and Getafix now gets ready to travel to the Forest of Carnutes for the Druid Convention. However, at the same time, some Goths cross the frontier into the Roman Empire to kidnap the druid that is elected the greatest druid for the year. This turns out to be Getafix, thanks to his magic potion. Asterix and Obelix must then travel to the land of the Goths to attempt to locate him and rescue him.It is very clear in this album that the Goths are the Germans, and they are not portrayed all that well. They are painted as barbarians who fight amongst themselves and are planning on using the druidic magic to invade and conquer the Roman Empire. This is a theme that has popped up in a previous book, where a centurion discovers the magic potion, and tries to steal it for himself so that he might overthow Ceaser and rule the Empire. The thing is is that the Gauls and the Goths were effectively the same race. The Gauls were not French, they came a lot later: the Gauls, like the Goths, were Celtic. That is beside the point though because Asterix is not meant to be reflective of the time, but rather of modern society.
It does make me wonder, though, how it is that a story set in Ancient Rome can be reflective of the modern world. While Rome brought about civilisation, it is not as if France of 1963 was ruled by any foreign powers. Yes, throughout her history, France had been subject to numerous foreign invaders, but they themselves were also the invader, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. Maybe the idea is that the Gauls are representative of the ordinary people and the Romans are representative of government. I suspect, and I know that it is true here in Australia, that when you go out into the rural regions, there is a much stronger distrust of government than there is in the city. I guess that is why the Liberal and National party tend to do a lot better in the country.
The end of the book was a little silly and quite amusing. It was silly because they start a war amongst the Goths by giving a select few a swig of the potion, and when they discovered that they are equally invincible, they raise armies to then slog it out. However, when the potion wears off, they are still at war and are now relying on their armies. What struck me was that the Goths did not spend the next few hundred years, as suggested, fighting amongst themselves. While they were disorganised tribes, they still were able to band together and drive out the Romans during the reign of Augustus. While that was not the height of the Roman empire, it was a massive defeat that drove them back over the Rhine, where they pretty much remained until the empire collapsed. I don't think Rome ever managed to conquer Germania (though the did manage to conquer Dacia).
The last thing I wish to mention is the little scene at the end which was really amusing, and really brings out Obelix's character. Somebody makes a comment about a 'free hand' and then about a page later Obelix suddenly cries out, 'I get it, a free hand!' and bursts out laughing, and ends up spending the rest of the album laughing about the 'free hand'. In a way me, as the reader, had no idea what was so funny, nor what was meant about the free hand, but having Obelix rolling around on the ground in hysteria was just golden. I probably should write something about the village, but there are plenty of more Asterix books to read, and I guess I will wait until I get around to reading them (or at least ordering them from Amazon).
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LibraryThing member DeborahJade
Fun read about how the Goths capture Getafix as they want to use the magic potion to take over the known world, including the Gauls. However, Asterix and Obelix turn up and help save the day.. by starting an endless war that keeps the Goths distracted.