Customer Reviews
A rollicking adventure through a strange land - By: Lou Knee, 28 Aug 2007 
Not the best written story, it's not very inventive & feels quite loose, but is still very satirical, with plenty of references to our very different customs. Our Gallic heroes seem to get quite cross after a while with their cousins from across the water, for being so...well, English! A pacy adventure through Ancient Britain, complete with warm beer & strange customs. Very popular here, for obvious reasons, but I'm not sure if this is evenin my top ten.
Jolly good Asterix adventure, what. - By: , 14 Aug 2004 
'Asterixin Britain' is the 8th of 31 adventures published between 1961and 2001; This adventure is from 1966. This is a classic adventure setin Britain. Britain has been conquered by the Romans, except for one villagein Cantium (Kent). Asterix & Obelix travel to Britain to help the village with a barrel of magic potion. The jokes come thick & fast. The Britons serve their Boar boiled, served with Mint sauce & drink warm beer (To the disgust of our heroes). Britain is lovingly reproduced: Everything stopping at 5.00 for a nice cup of hot water (with a spot of milk). The enthusiastic Gardner who will not have people walking on his grass; The Roman armyin beer drinking exercises. Obelix impacting a Rugby match; The hilarious efforts of Asterix & Obelix to find each otherin the Tower of London. I consider this adventurein the top 10. This new re-inked & re-coloured edition breathes fresh life into this excellent story.
Amusing, educational and intelligent. - By: , 17 Nov 2000 I had never been much of a fan of Asterix (but for some reason liked Tintin) until I was writing a supposedly much more serious book on London's archaeology earlier this year, & decided to look at how different authors (both academic & popular) had imagined Roman Londonin the past. When I read Asterixin Britain I was astonished not only by how good the story & artwork was, but at the remarkable coincidences between Goscinny & Uderzo's depiction of Londinium & what we have actually excavatedin recent years - including streets, buildings & details like timber doors just like the one knocked down by Obelix on p. 33. The similarities were almost too good to be true, so I asked for permission to use some of the imagesin the archaeology book called 'Heart of the City'. The publishers kindly agreed & as a result Asterix drawings can now be directly compared to real Roman buildings & other finds discoveredin Londonin the 1990s. What greater recommendation can it have then one from the unlikely source of a London archaeologist. Mind you we still haven't found evidence for double-decker chariots. Up Britannia!
excellent read, extreamly funny,YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK - By: , 17 Oct 2000 You wont stop laughing for ages.Fun for kids & adults.You'd be an idiot no to buy this classic.
One of the most enjoyable of the lot. - By: , 10 May 2000 The brilliant Asterix series hits one of its high points here. Asterixin Britain provides a golden opportunity for Goscinny & Uderzo to lampoon Britishness & the British (which the French are always eager to attempt!), an opportunity that they seize with both hands.
The pages are packed with a vast array of (affectionate) British stereotypes, with constant themes being the language ("oh, I say, rather, old fruit, what?") & the famous "stiff upper lip" that my compatriots are supposed to exhibit. Obelix, of course, would rather they spent a little more time on cooking boar properly ("boiledin mint sauce, poor things")!
As with the whole Asterix series (the books written by Goscinny,in any case), the action comes at a furious pace, & the jokes are, as ever, a delight. How Bell & Hockridge (the English translators) do it is beyond me. And it's even educational - thanks to the frequent Latin tags (yes, it is funnier if you learn what they say & where they come from).
As with most Asterix books, this one can be read on several levels. Certainly, when I reread an Asterix book, I almost always find that I understand some reference or allusion for the first time (have a look at shape of the building behind the garden of the Briton who gets involvedin the chariot chase!).
Most Asterix books have one particularly memorable scene -in this case, it's the rugby match (Obelix, naturally, has now found a reason to like Britain). All sorts of things going on (includingin the background, a sure sign of a good cartoon), loads of people involved, mostly at cross-purposes, fights - you name it, really. Only three points for a tryin those days, I notice...
If you've never read an Asterix book, you've missed a great deal. Try this one (especially if you're British yourself) & you'll see what I mean.
