Asterix and the Falling Sky: Album #33 (The Adventures of Asterix)

Spaceships, super clones, a nice tellytubby looking space alien and a bad grasshopper looking space alien, and above all a mediocre story line. What is next? Asterix and Obelix travel in time to New York, or Roman Soldiers in Space? This was not a typical Asterix. Old Asterix lovers like me and the previous reviewers will not enjoy this one. People new to Asterix and Obelix should not buy it either, since this is not what Asterix is about.

On the other hand, I asked my nine year old what he thought of it. He liked the fact that Uderzo introduced some space ships and aliens into the story. He thought it was "different, and creative". He liked it as much as he liked all the other ones. He has already read it several times.

Thinking about it, he actually has a point. Children see it differently, many of them like this stuff. Monsters, science fiction, fighting clones, if you were nine years old maybe you would like it too. So to give the new generation a voice I gave it three stars. In the end I don't regret buying it.

I agree with everything written by previews reviewers. This is the worst Asterix book by far. I know it's the only one I will never have a desire to read again. The story is ... well, there really isn't much of a story here. Asterix and the villagers are secondary characters at best -- just there in the background.

It's sad because the series is, without any exaggeration, the best "children's" book series ever. Even the books after Goscinny's death (post Asterix in Belgium) were fairly good and had some redeeming parts to them. This one, however, truly has no redeeming qualities. Uderzo is a wonderful cartoonist but Asterix has always been about much more than just pretty pictures.

I'd say, do yourselves a favor and buy all the other Asterix books, particulary the ones written by Goscinny (and if you already have them, re-read them; I've re-read them a million times, they're that good). Take a pass on Asterix and the Falling Star; it'll just depress you.

Rene Goscinny was the storyteller for the original Asterix series, while Albert Uderzo was the illustrator. Since Goscinny's demise, Uderzo has taken on both the tasks himself. Unfortunately, Uderzo's storytelling leaves much to be desired. The result is that in the latest installments of Asterix' adventures, including "Asterix and the Falling Sky", the illustrations are as good as they used to be, but the actual story has suffered heavily. The plots are nowhere close to what Goscinny could conjure up; most missed is the subtle, sly humor that made Asterix so enjoyable to me and my friends growing up.

Nevertheless, this is still Asterix, and I almost enjoyed reading the Falling Sky. It is actually better, in my opinion, than "Asterix and the Secret Weapon" - another all-Uderzo affair. Normally I would have given it 3 or 4 stars.

However, I was dismayed by what I figured out to be thinly-veiled disparagement of certain ethnicities in the Falling Sky adventure. The bad alien in here has the complexion and facial features very similar to people from some Oriental ethnicities, and there is dialogue about how they are jealous of the good aliens (represented by popular Disney characters, with a name that is an anagram of "Walt Disney" .. you figure out which society is being referred to here), and how the bad aliens try to steal the ideas and technologies of the good aliens.

Normally I don't read too much into such things, but taken together, this is impossible to ignore or wave off as mere coincidence (I am still hoping that I am wrong here). Racial/ethnic stereotyping is never acceptable, but when it creeps into an adventure of a much-beloved comic hero, especially when the adventure is written in the 21st century, it is simply reprehensible. I am deeply disappointed, and forced to give it a single star.

I have been a MASSIVE asterix fan since childhood. When I heard of a new book in the works I was excited by the prospect of another Asterix book. Perhaps the last too! I hoped that the new comic book would prove better than the last, Asterix and the Actress, a mediocre attempt to recycle some classic Asterix characters while adding an unnecessary family element to it. Judging by the cover of Falling Sky I anticipated it would be a really good read. I was so WRONG!

First of all the main characters are just bystanders in the story, watching good Disney-like alien creatures battle bad Anime-style ones. There is no plot to the story. All this book does is reflect Albert Uderzo's animation prejudices and his obvious antagonism towards Japanimation.

This book does not compare to any of the Asterix classics that have brought joy to many. Books like Asterix and Cleopatra and Asterix and the Laurel Wreath are great in so many levels. Even some of Albert Uderzo's solo Asterix works, although not as good as the ones done with Goscinny, were really good.

If you are a newcomer to the world of Asterix, DO NOT start with this book, and if you're a lifelong fan like me, DO NOT ruin the image of Asterix by reading this!

Aliens visit the little Gaulish village we know so well - ? - HUH? - Aliens? What's wrong with the Romans? The classical jokes, the motifs that make reading Asterix magic, the way it works at multiple levels so I enjoy it on one level, my 9yo on another and my 6yo on yet another? All missing.

This book lacks the character, wit, humour and charm of the earlier books. It is completely out of character with them, and I'm really disappointed to see a great series stoop to this level. Even my children say they don't like it.

The icing on the cake is that the pages are falling out of my copy after only a few days. Normally I'd exchange the book and get another one, but this one can just go straight to the recycling.

At the end, the alien "fixes it", to quote, "for the Gauls to remember nothing about me, thus obliterating all traces of this grotesque adventure!". I wish, I wish...

I was surprised when I finished reading this book and I asked myself "is this the end of the series?". This book completely lacked the story and the humor and wit associated with other Asterix series. A. Udeerzo tried something new with mix of flying saucers and UFO's, robots, super clones which can fly, galactic council similiar to ones in Star Wars and all important the magic potion of the Gauls but to the dismay did not make a good story. It looked like everytihing 'just fell out of the book'.

Asterix rocks! Always loved it as a kid. Despite the cover crediting Goscinny for honorary purposes, this whole book was written by Uderzo (since Goscinny died). The stories were better and definitely alot funnier when Goscinny who did the text for all the previous Asterix books was still alive, but Uderzo still didn't do too bad a job with the story in his place despite the fact that he was more the illustrative genius, rather than the writer. Which person had which talent clearly does show, so don't expect this book to be quite the same caliber as all the other ones, but it does still come close, and Uderzo's comical drawing style still makes it wonderfully enjoyable, and I still loved reading this one all the same. I'd say this is more of a 4.5 out of 5, if I had to compare it to the usual caliber of all previous Asterix books, but I'm not going to knock off a whole star for it. I'd say that it's still well worth having for any Asterix fan.

Spaceships, aliens, an unfunny tribute to Walt Disney, flat punchlines - or should they be called flabby punchlines? While some of the earlier Asterix comics had been disappointing, like "All at Sea" and "The Class Act", this latest one has truly plumbed the depths. While one could arguably laud the author for trying out something new with the series - aliens and spaceships, the near-complete absence of a plot condemns the comic to a slow and embarrassingly painful demise. If you are new to the Asterix series, read "Asterix and Caesar's Gift" (#21) and any of the ones before that. In fact, "Asterix and The Soothsayer" (#19), "The Mansion of the Gods" (#17), "Asterix and the Laurel Wreath" (#18), "Asterix in Switzerland" (#16)... are among the very best in the series - the plot, story, dialogues, jokes, the running gags, and the richly illustrated panels.

got this for my son for xmas . he really enjoys reading it. and im glad he likes it too. its easy reading. great thing to buy if your wanting to encourage reading more.

I'm going to be a little more generous that most of the reviews on this book, because while this book is really different, and not entirely pleasantly so, from the entire series before it, it's still a readable Asterix. The book has all the characters we love, a lot of the familiar situations, and the witty comments and repartees (though these aren't of the same quality as the other books). It is a little disconcerting to watch spaceships and ETs in an Asterix book, but it's just that - disconcerting, and no more. It's not a terrible idea, or terrible treatment - I think it's just the loyalty to the old Asterix that makes us cringe. But if you can get past that knee-jerk reaction, the book is ok.

I would not recommend this book for early Asterix readers i.e. folks reading their first few Asterix books, and maybe not even for die-hard loyalists (like me) who have read most of the books unless they are open to a dramatic change. It's probably best for casual, occasional readers of Asterix.