Ralph treks between the trees and past small ponds. His school uniform is torn and dirty and there is no one from his plane anywhere to be seen. He finally breaks the treeline to see a beach ahead and a cool deep pool in front of him. The thrill of a swim wipes everything from his mind as he sheds his uniform and plunges into the water.

When another boy appears, Ralph hardly notices, still full of the excitement that they seem to be grownup free. He soon cartwheels across the sand, enjoying the space and wildness of where they have found themselves.

It’s only when the other boy speaks of the flames in the plane, and the possibility of other boys…

When Ralph finds a large shell, the other boy explains what it is and how it can be blown. Doing so, brings a trickle of small boys in torn, dirty uniforms from between the trees. Along behind them is a line of older boys – led by a boy named Jack. And this is where their troubles begin.

Who is going to be leader? What are the rules going to be, or should there be no rules at all?

The longer they are on this tiny island, their clothing is shed, their hair grows longer, along with their inner wildness. Jack likes to hunt and stirs up the boys away from rules, order and kindness into ruthlessness and chaos. Will they be their own downfall?

I have never read the original Lord of the Flies, but knew it was a tale of boys lost together on an island, trying to survive, taking sides and turning feral.

This beautiful graphic novel of this classic captures the initial joy of boys without grownups, and then their slow slide into a pack mentality, chaos and blood.

 Snippets of William Golding’s text appear throughout the novel, capturing the original feeling of the novel, and the beautiful illustrations portray the wilderness of their new lives on the island. Time before and after the crash that left them marooned is shown, where main character Ralph loved the wildness of the countryside when he was even younger. Living rough for months however is much harder than ever imagined, even without the powerplay of an older boy.

This luscious hardback graphic novel is the perfect way to introduce so many more readers to this classic. It is however violent (not as much as the original) and requires reader age guidance.

Author – William Golding

Adapted & Illustrated by – Aimee de Jongh

Age – 13+

Graphic Novel

(2025, Graphic Novel, Classic, Survival, Feral, Control, No responsibility, No grownups, Wilderness, Deserted Island, Murder, Pig hunting, Adventure, Animals, Betrayal, Bullies, Murder)