Asterix in Britain - Rene Goscinny > Reviews > So that's How We Got Tea

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Absolutely
Story	Good
Characters	Outstanding
Listenability	Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!

Advantages:	Tongue in cheek humour
Disadvantages:	Too short

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I recently visited some French friends for lunch, and a wonderful lunch it was too!! In between courses (Galettes and Crepes), I noticed on their bookshelf the entire collection of Asterix books as well as Tintin books in French. So we started to talk about Asterix, and they mentioned that they would love to read "Asterix in Britain" as they would love to see how it translated from the French. When I got home I rummaged around and I found my old collection of Asterix books which I've had for donkeys years, and sure enough I had "Asterix in Britain." Now that I'd rediscovered my childhood, I had to read them again, and at a rate of around 2 per day, I've been wading through my books.

You probably wonder what all the above has to do with my op, nothing really, just wanted to explain what a 35 year old female was doing reviewing Asterix books!!

What is the background to all the Asterix books?

The books are based when Rome was the world power and Julius Caesar was the ruler of all what was considered to be the civilised world. Roman camps abound and their job is to impose Roman rule, except there is one little problem. A small village in Gaul is holding out against the Romans, it will not be conquered, and it is considered a huge pain in Rome's backside!

What is the secret of the Gaullish villagers success?

The druid Getafix has concocted a magic potion (it seems that through all the Asterix books, most villages have a resident druid who seems to make lots of different magic potions of their own devising. Getafix's concoction is a potion that will temporarily make the drinker invincible, he will be able to run fast, hit hard, throw far, etc., etc. This means that this village does not need to fear the Romans, and in fact it means the opposite, the Romans have every reason to fear them, and fear them they do!

Chief Characters

Asterix - the chief warrior of the village. He is very intelligent and full of cunning plans. If there is a task to be completed, Asterix is always the natural choice for the job, and when full of magic potion, this diminutive Gaul always comes off victorious.

Obelix - my favourite character! Obelix fell into a cauldron of magic potion when he was a baby and the potion has had a permanent effect on him, making him always strong and powerful. He is Asterix's best friend, and if there is a task to complete, Obelix will be there with him. Obelix is none too hot in the brains department, his chief aim in life apart from supporting Asterix, is to hunt and eat wild boar, and punch up Roman soldiers! He has a tendency to hit first and ask questions later! Asterix and Obelix make an odd couple - Asterix very small and very brainy, Obelix very large (he doesn't like to be called fat) and not the cleverest of individuals.

Dogmatix - you can't talk about Obelix without talking about Dogmatix. He is the tiny canine companion of Obelix. Although small, he is brave and will fight tooth and nail with his master in any campaign.

Vitalstatistix - the Chief of the village. As chief he is entitled to be carried on a shield by two armour bearers. The trouble is they often forget their charge and don't duck when walking through doors etc, so quite often you will find Vitalstatistix collapsed on the floor shouting at his armour bearers! In one or two stories, Vitalstatitix accompanies Asterix and Obelix on their adventures.

Getafix - the druid. Not only does he make the magic potion, he also helps Asterix to create plans when the Gaullish village are faced with a problem. His druidic abilities are great, as seen by the fact he has won the Druid of the Year competition on more than one occasion.

Cacofonix - the bard. Cacofonix thinks he is a great singer, the village knows he isn't. Whenever Cacofonix wants to sing, he generally finds himself knocked out and then tied up - he gets to miss most of the village banquets because of this. But he has his uses and is actually used as a Gaullish secret weapon in a couple of the stories.

The Pirates - the pirates always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with a new boat! To start with they would try to board boats which Asterix and Obelix happened to be on during their adventures, however, they would be completely shocked when they realised that our heroes were boarding their boat, and even more amazed when they would find themselves beaten up and their boat scuttled. In later stories, they just scuttle their own boat whenever they sea any Gauls!

Now we've met the main characters what is "Asterix in Britain" about?

Julius Caesar has set his eyes upon new territory to be conquered and sends the Roman Army to wage war with Britain. The Brits stop fighting in order to have hot water with a drop of milk and they won't fight on weekends. Julius decides to take advantage of this and very soon all Britain is conquered. No, not quite, there is a small village holding out against the Romans but they won't be able to last out without some help. One villager (Anticlimax) has an idea to visit his cousin Asterix who he has heard lives in a village who is holding out against the Romans due to a magic potion. So he is sent on a mission to ask our heroes for some assistance against the Romans.

When Anticlimax explains his plight to our Gaullish village, they are immediate with their offers to help and assist. Getafix begins to prepare a batch of magic potion, and Asterix offers his cousin hospitality, but all his cousin wants is a cup of hot water with a dash of milk!

When the barrel of magic potion is ready to take back to Britain, it is quickly decided that Asterix and Obelix should accompany him to help carry the barrel. Obelix is over the moon, he had been bored by the lack of Romans (as most of the Romans had embarked on the campaign in Britain), so he can now go over to the Romans and have some fun! Asterix takes some strange leaves with him which Getafix has lying around and doesn't know what they are for.

Asterix, Obelix and Anticlimax board their rowing boat and head to Britain, having some fun on the way as they meet a Roman Galley, which they board and sink!

The story then relates how they misplace their barrel of magic potion when its hidden among barrels of beer to keep it safe. The Romans are confiscating all barrels in search of the magic potion. The remainder of the story is the search for the magic potion and then getting it to the English village to save them from the Romans.

The story is a very tongue in cheek portrayal of the English with our strange customs and strange way of talking (not that I remember saying "what" at the end of every sentence!) It portrays England as a place where fog descends at a moments notice and where the English are obsessed by their gardens. Also, at the end, Asterix finds a use for the herbs he took from Getafix, as they are added to the hot water and dash of milk to produce tea!

I really enjoyed reading this book again. It is full of humour and it is just a fun book to read - as are all the Asterix books. They make you smile as you read. You always know what the ending will be (Asterix and Obelix being welcomed back to their village to enjoy a banquet), but it's fun just to see what they will get up to during their adventures.

So for me, they are books to be read for any age. But what of my French friends? They tell me that the books are just as enjoyable to read in English as they are in French. The dialogue has been changed quite a bit to accommodate the different sense of humour of the French and English, but for them, it meant they got to read the book twice and enjoy just as much with both reads!