8 /10 1 Votes
Series Asterix Artists Albert Uderzo Language French Date 1982 | 4/5 Goodreads Writers Albert Uderzo Date of publication 1981 Originally published October 1981 Followed by Asterix and Son Illustrator René Goscinny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preceded by Asterix and the Great Divide Similar René Goscinny books, Asterix books, Other books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Asterix and the Black Gold (French: L'Odyssée d'Astérix, "Asterix's Odyssey") is the twenty-sixth volume of Asterix comic book series, originally published in 1981. It is the second book to be published after the death of René Goscinny and is thus both written and drawn by Albert Uderzo.
Contents
The book describes Asterix's and Obelix's voyage to the Middle East. It is mainly inspired by James Bond films and biblical tales.
Plot summary
The book begins with Asterix and Obelix hunting wild boar, until one boar leads them straight into a Roman patrol, which the Gauls vanquish while the boars escape. In Rome, Julius Caesar hears of this, and orders M. Devius Surreptitius, the head of M.I.VI, the Roman Secret Service, to send an agent to infiltrate the Gauls. This agent is a Gaulish-Roman druid known as Dubbelosix, who travels in a folding chariot full of secret devices. Dubbelosix and Surreptitius communicate via a carrier fly, who develops a crush for Dubbelosix. In the Gaulish village, Getafix is frustrated and depressed, because he has run out of rock oil, which he requires to make the magic potion enabling the Gaulish resistance to Rome.
The next day, Ekonomikrisis the Phoenician merchant arrives in Gaul; and Getafix, cheered until he hears that Ekonomikrisis forgot to bring rock oil, suffers a stroke at the news. When Chief Vitalstatistix tells Asterix and Obelix to fetch another druid to treat him, they discover Dubbelosix, who successfully revives Getafix with an alcoholic tonic. Asterix determines to go with Obelix and Dogmatix to obtain rock oil from Mesopotamia; Dubbelosix insists on coming, and they set off on Ekonomikrisis' ship. Along the way, they defeat pirates and Roman warships, while Dubbelosix secretly corresponds with the Romans, to arrange a blockade. The Phoenician ship finally lands at Judea, where Asterix, Obelix, Dogmatix, and Dubbelosix disembark for Jerusalem, where some sympathetic traders help the Gauls to enter secretly, in spite of an attempt by Dubbelosix to alert the city guards. Leaving him behind, Asterix and Obelix make contact with Ekonomikrisis' supplier, Samson Alius, who directs them to Babylon on grounds that the rock oil in Jerusalem has been destroyed by the Romans.
In the middle of the Syrian desert, Asterix, Obelix, and Dogmatix find themselves in the middle of the ongoing wars between the Sumerians, Akkadians, Hittites, Assyrians, and Medes, with each group mistaking the trio for the next and then seeing the trio be subsequently attacked by the next group (although the Medes are simply lost), much to Asterix's frustration. In the ensuing arrow battles, their waterskin is pierced, but they find a source of rock oil in the ground, and carry some back to Jerusalem in the repaired waterskin. There, the two Gauls simply capture Caesar's personal ship, along with Surreptitius and Dubbelosix who have been awaiting the developments on board. Near the coast of Gaul, Dubbelosix grabs hold of the waterskin of rock oil and, as he tries to force it open, Obelix leaps upon him, which spills the oil into the sea. Asterix has lost all hope, but when they come back to the village, they find the Gauls fighting Romans as merrily as ever, and learn that Getafix has replaced the rock oil in his potion with beetroot juice; out of dismay, Asterix has a stroke, but after being cured with the new potion, convinces Getafix to perform experiments before testing him. Thereafter the Gauls send Dubbelosix and Surreptitius to Caesar in a gift-wrapped box. Caesar sends them to the Circus Maximus as punishment for failure, where they are covered in honey and chased by bees, with the lovesick carrier fly following behind.