**Disclaimer: I received a free eARC of this graphic novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.
The Worst Journey in the World, Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down by Sarah Airriess is a graphic novel adaptation of the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, which is non-fiction account of his trip to Antarctica. It is set to be published on October 8th, 2024. I rated it 4 stars on GoodReads.
Here is the summary from GoodReads:
“Polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised.” — Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Before the Pole . . .
Before Antarctica . . .
Before everything went wrong . . .
It’s June 1910, and Cherry, inexperienced and unqualified, has just joined Captain Scott’s new expedition to the South Pole. Simply getting to Antarctica turns out to be an adventure. As they sail the Terra Nova through one trial after another, the scientists and Navy men learn to work as a team – but are they a match for the fury of the Southern Ocean, which threatens to sink the expedition before it even begins?
Apsley Cherry-Garrard wrote THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD as a testament to his companions and the experiences they shared. Humanizing one of the most famous epics of exploration, his 1922 book is still regarded today as one of the finest works of adventure literature ever written. The people and their daring exploits are brought vividly back to life in this exhilarating graphic novel adaptation.
I will fully admit that I had never read of Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s book before reading this graphic novel adaptation, so I won’t be able to do a comparison of the two. However, I did find this a very enjoyable read. I know that sometimes accessing older books can be hard for people, so this is a really accessible way to read the story that Cherry-Garrard was trying to tell about his incredible adventure. Pairing the images with the story makes for a much easier read, and really helps to bring the story alive. It’s much easier to picture the specific descriptions of things you might not have seen when the image is literally right there in front of you.
This was clearly not the whole story, but it was enough to get me intrigued and make me want to read more of the story. I liked the way the panels were arranged to tell the story. It was easy to follow the path from one panel to the next to ensure that I got a clear picture of what was happening at any given time. The layout was well done, and some of the arrangements were downright beautiful.
As hinted above, I really appreciated the visuals that went with this story. The art itself was absolutely gorgeous. I loved the design of the different people in the story, but I also loved the background imagery/scenery. The book was full of beautiful images.
If you’re at all intrigued by the premise of this story, I would highly suggest checking out this graphic novel adaptation. It was beautifully done.
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