Review: Circe: Book One

“Circe! Goddess of Transformation: rejected by her Father Helios for her fascination with mortality. Twisting the knife further into her Sun God Father, she saves Prometheus from eternal torture at the hand of the Furies. And now, though her Mother Hecate shields her on the island of Aeae with Dark Magik, how long can she hide from The Sun God’s glare and thirst for annihilation?”

Circe is essentially a story about angry Gods with plenty of issues. If Jeremy Kyle was still relevant he would have a field day picking apart the relationship between Circe and her father the Sun god Helios. Basically it all boils down to Helios renouncing Circe as his daughter due to her choosing to not only save fellow god Prometheus, but also due to her affinity with us mere mortals. So in true “angry gods” fashion he sends the rest of the Greek god family after Circe to show her what she’s missing .Thankfully Circe isn’t on her own as she has Slaine wannabe and Son of Zeus  Herakles on her side.

What follows is a tale worthy of Mount Olympus as writer Laurence Alison and artist Simon Harrison tassel with ancient gods for an excellent narrative that leads straight into the next part to Alison’s other Greek tale - Odysseus. And for those of you who’ve read Odysseus, you may be able to spot the small breadcrumbs to the duo’s eventual meeting. 

For those who’ve read any of Alison’s previous works will already know that his writing style is packed with hard hitting dialogue, weighty details, and very detailed characters. With Circe it’s no different, and for those who have but a fleeting understanding of the Greek gods will come away with an understanding of who’s who in this world. The narrative and its world comes together in a natural way, there’s no big exposition dumps why the gods are who they are, or any retelling of ancient history. Instead we get a story about vengeful gods, mortals, and everything in between. 

If you’ve been following the pre-campaign build-up for Circe you’ll have already seen just how powerful Simon Harrison’s art is - and without spoiling too much, the book is a real feast for the eyes. Each page is a glorious black & white filled masterpiece with Harrison getting to have a lot of fun with the characters and their predicaments. From massive set pieces, to the more intimate moments, Harrison’s highly detailed art flows smoothly and is a joy to be hold. Fans of H.R Geiger are also in for a real treat as Harrison blends his own style with Geiger’s own biomechanic style.  

I’ve been purposely brief with this review because Circe: Book One is definitely something you need to experience blind. It’s a real tour de force of the senses as Alison and Harrison bring a great twist to the ancient gods of Olympus. If you’re coming to Circe from Odysseus, or simply starting from here - there’s a lot to enjoy. While Circe does tie into Odysseus it can also be treated as a self contained story. Regardless on how you read it, Circe is truly a magnificent book with a great story, and plenty of fantastic art. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Circe: Book One is now seeking crowdfunding via Kickstarter. You can check out the campaign page by clicking here. 

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