Trumpets of Death: A Graphic Novel

by Simon Bournel-Bosson

One rainy night, Antoine gets dropped off at his grandparents' remote house in the middle of the woods. He's stuck between a doting grandmother and a grandfather openly hostile to his presence, and time crawls by while he waits to hear from his parents. When Antoine ventures out with his grandfather to forage for mushrooms, intergenerational conflict and mysterious forces of nature culminate in a fearsome hunt through the forest that will resolve their differences once and for all.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Bande Dessinée, Young Adult, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy

240 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2025

Reviews

[Chantaal · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Trumpets of Death, we follow Antoine, a young boy who is left to live with his grandparents in rural France. His mother is missing, and his father has too much on his plate to take care of Antoine. His grandmother is sweet if strict, and his grandfather for some reason aggressively dislikes him. Left to forage with his grandfather one afternoon, Antoine eats a strange mushroom and goes on a strange odyssey.

Now, the synopsis for the book says "mysterious forces of nature culminate in a fearsome hunt through the forest that will resolve their differences once and for all." I have to ask, what fearsome hunt? What resolution? After this journey for Antoine begins, he's pretty much alone. There is NO resolution with his grandfather. We have no idea why his grandfather even dislikes him so much - and that's the main issue I have with this graphic novel. While it's great at showing Antoine's situation, it doesn't really delve deep into character work. I have no idea why his grandfather is the way he is. I have no idea what the journey Antoine went on meant beyond him having some sort of growing up moment - which was not even that clear in the book until we're told he felt that he grew up in the forest. Character growth doesn't seem to be something the author is interested in showing on page.

Writing aside, I do have to give the author credit for doing some really interesting work with the art and color direction. Every section of story has its own color scheme, working in an almost monochromatic way but with different color choices. The art works well to show Antoine's boredom and loneliness, and the passage of time.

I wish this did more with the character work, or that it gave us more focus on Antoine's grandparents vs all the time spent showing various pages of panels showing time passing. I just came away from the end of this asking what was even the point?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for the ARC. Trumpets of Death will be available August 5th, 2025.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy is dumped off at his grandparents' rural home while his parents are having a crisis in their relationship.

He is found lacking in machismo by his outdoorsy grandfather but rather than deal with that in any meaningful way the book takes a magical realism left turn that bored the hell out of me. The majority of the book is basically a supernatural drug trip conflated with coming of age, and I have no patience for that sort of nonsense.

[Elyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

NetGalley ARC.

Didn't like. What was supposed to be the lesson learned here? A kid would be unsatisfied by that ending.

[Juju le S · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai apprécié cette bd d'abord pour l'aspect contemplatif que l'auteur nous propose. Il y a très peu de dialogue mais de très belles illustrations (paysages, gros plans, etc) et une superbe colorisation. L'utilisation des couleurs complémentaires renforce l'aspect fantastique et sans cela je pense que la bd ne m'aurait pas provoquer les mêmes émotions.
L'histoire en elle même est plutôt légère sûrement pour laisser place aux illustrations qui participent tout autant (voir plus) au déroulé de celle ci.
Cette bd évoque pas mal de questionnements comme les liens dans la famille, les relations intergénérationelles, notre lien à la nature etc...
À lire les amis !

[Patricia Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm, I don't know what to think about this but I really liked the art.

[Tiliacacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une magnifique histoire qui traite de conflits inter-générationnels, sur fond onirique pour balancer la réalité. Un très beau style, très touchant, à lire !

[Salomé]

Très beau !

[Jade Beauvillain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je crois que je n'ai pas trop bien saisi la métaphore, c'était un peu trop mystérieux
Et je trouvais les personnages trop peu expressifs, j'ai pas réussi à trop m'attacher
Les couleurs sont incroyables par contre, et les dessins parfois très poétiques
Mais j'ai trouvé qu'on restait en surface de quelque chose qui aurait pu être approfondi (pas assez de texte à mon goût ?)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antoine’s mother has disappeared, and his father can’t watch him, so he is left with his grandparents. His grandmother is kind, but a little strict. His grandfather is grumpy and a bit on the sadistic side.


Antoine loves cartoons, and imagination. His grandfather really loves to hunt. One day Antoine has to go fetch wild mushrooms with his grandfather. He is supposed to find “trumpets of death” which are not poisonous, despite the name. However, he find a white mushroom that turns him into a wild deer.


And though people are looking for him, as a boy, they are also looking for the white deer so they can shoot it, his grandfather included.


It is one of those French stories that does not have a happy ending, unlike American stories, and is a bit ambiguous..


Beautiful illustrations. A bit on the odd side, but it is always good to see stories from a different angle.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published on the 5th of August 2025.

[Dustyloup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thème: comment trouver sa place dans une monde inconnue/peu connue. Ici, un garçon est "parachuté" chez ses grands-parents suite à la disparition de sa mère/séparation de ses parents

Quand on est jeune, parfois les adultes semblent cruelles, leur choix sont incomprehensibles... Surtout pendant des moments de rupture.

Il y a une phrase idiomatique en anglais, "the child is father of the man" et, même si ça reste toujours flou, il me semble que la fin veux nous faire croire que, comme le petit s'est grandi après sa rencontre avec la nature, le papy grandira aussi...???

[Kit Killian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised how much I liked this one! Was intrigued by the description, but the book surpassed my expectations.

The illustrations, and especially the coloring, were fantastic!

[Darth Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cool color work and art direction; so-so story.

[Chelsea]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Trumpets of Death by Simon Bournel-Bosson is a speculative Middle Grade graphic novel set in the 90s with minimal dialogue with strong coming of age themes. Antoine’s mother has disappeared and his father leaves him in a small town with his grandparents. While Antoine’s grandmother is kind and doting, his grandfather is hostile and makes no effort to connect to Antoine. When Antoine eats a mushroom in the woods, he’s going to grow up in ways he never expected.

If a young reader is sensitive to animal death or depictions of harm done to animals, I would skip this. Antoine’s grandfather is a hunter and there is imagery of animals in traps and with arrows sticking out of them as well as an animal carcass on a table and several implications of animals being shot with a gun. It’s not graphic and all of the depictions are appropriate for the age group, but it’s not just one scene. The imagery is spread throughout the book, which does mean more sensitive readers should probably walk in with an understanding that the imagery is there.

The grandfather almost never talks while the grandmother talks some. Antoine himself is mostly silent, especially in the latter half of the book. One of the things I love about graphic novels (besides how they are a gread bridge between TV/video games and prose books) is that they can all the images to just exist and tell a story with no words at all. I felt that was done exceptionally well here and the lack of dialogue in many parts added to the emotional weight and wonder. The color palette being very limited on every single page also helped keep attention on the linework and the emotions.

Content warning for depictions of extramarital affairs, abuse, and harm to animals

I would recommend this to young readers who are struggling to transition to graphic novels with a lot of dialogue and readers looking for a graphic novel that lets the imagery speak for itself

[loan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Antoine’s family is falling apart, so he temporarily gets sent to live with his grandparents. His grandmother is well-intentioned but cold, his grandfather stern and harsh. Antoine is left feeling lonely and misunderstood and, through a bit of magical realism, is forced to see the world through a new perspective.

The art is undoubtedly gorgeous. I enjoyed the book’s quiet, reflective tone and brevity, but I do wish we’d delved deeper into all of the characters, especially Antoine. By the end, I felt like I’d only just started diving into the story.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Graphic Universe, for the advanced copy!

[Jilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

in the best way possible, what did I just read? prepare they self for a shrooms induced fever dream. I will be thinking about this for a while. while the story was a bit abstract, I truly love an underdog story. and I love a full circle moment. there were definitely some themes in this that were subtle in a way of "wow, this could apply to this... or this... or this." hence why I'll be thinking about this for ages.

the illustrations were different. aside from the color pallet. it almost gave walking dead vibes. but the color pallet is really what made this very special.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel feels like it's missing something. Several things, actually. The main character is a boy whose father left him with his grandparents while something is going on with his mother. We never find out what's going on there. His grandfather is really aggressive towards him, and we never find out why. Not even a platitude like trying to make a man out of him or something. There's space for a confrontation between the two of them, but it never really happens. The grandfather is aggressive, the boy retreats, and a plot device gets in the way. I ended this book feeling like I didn't know any of the characters at all, and that the climax of the book was just missing.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's start this off good. The art was incredible. The shifting colors made this story into something more than itself. I was more enamoured with the illustration than whatever this book was actually about. Like, was it about generational trauma? Creating your own family? Perserverance? Couldn't tell ya. This book was either lost in translation or needed a solid direction. It's for those that like a trippy novel with a loose ending.

[Shana Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the art not so much the story

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trumpets of Death boasts some of the most breathtaking color work I’ve seen in a graphic novel—truly next level. The way the hues shift from fear to awe is almost hypnotic, turning dread into beauty then back again. But the story? Strange, grim, and hard to pin down. And Grandpa—yikes. What a piece of work. He’s a big meanie that still has me scratching my head.

[Ghostly Writer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The art was lovely, but I found there to be no substance to the story. I get the symbolism, metaphors, etc. throughout, but the story itself didn’t feel complete.

[Pine Reads Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I don’t have all the answers.”

One rainy night, Antoine is driven deep into the countryside—into something darker than just bad weather. His father explains he must leave Antoine with grandparents, who the boy barely knows, so he can search for Antoine’s missing mother. At their remote house in the woods, his grandmother is obsessively fixated on mushrooms, specifically the ominously named trumpets of death. His grandfather, meanwhile, is ever present and barely speaks—and when he does, it’s with anger. Isolated and uneasy in the presence of people he doesn’t know, Antoine tries to pass the time until his father’s return. But when he follows his grandfather into the forest on a mushroom hunt, everything changes. Left behind alone, Antoine picks a mushroom—and something happens. Something strange, maybe even supernatural. As night falls and the woods twist into something unrecognizable, Antoine finds himself looking to escape and confront a secret far older and more dangerous than he ever imagined.

There’s a lot I want to unpack about this graphic novel, but I have to start with the illustrations. The artwork is breathtaking—rich in both detail and atmosphere—and the dark, moody color palette perfectly reinforces the ominous, unsettling tone established from the very first page. The art stole the show for me, and in fact, a majority of the story is told through the illustrations rather than the written text, which I actually preferred. It added to the mystery and tone in such a perfect way. What really shone through was Bournel-Bosson’s use of color theory to shape the story. As the plot unfolds, each scene has its own unique color palette—subtle, often nearly monochrome, but always purposeful in its dark blues and navies or vibrant oranges and yellows. This approach adds an incredible amount of depth to Antoine’s world, and is a stunning manifestation of his loneliness and restlessness while also marking the slow pass of time in a place that feels both suspended in reality and threatening. However, the story itself left a bit more to be desired. Despite its compelling plot and some standout characters, I found myself with more questions than answers by the time the story ended. It almost felt like a setup for a follow-up installment—though that might simply reflect a cultural difference. Originally published in French, the story maintains its ominous, open-to-interpretation tone right through to the final page, leaning more into atmosphere than resolution.

Trumpets of Death releases on August 5th, 2025.

Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.

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[Carta Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Les Trompettes de la mort, avec sa couverture colorée ! Elle m'a intrigué alors j'ai lu ce roman graphique. Un enfant est laissé chez ses grands-parents durant les années 1980. Sa grand-mère l'aime beaucoup, son grand-père est dur et indifférent. Après une balade en forêt pour cueillir des champignons, Antoine tombe sur un champignon... Spécial !

Ce qui saute aux yeux, c'est le travail des couleurs qui est magistral, qui nous mène par le bout du nez pour nous faire comprendre les événements, les lieux, les sons, les odeurs. En effet, la BD est prolixe en texte, même si le message est clair. Entre métaphore et moment figuratif, il y a un manque de puissance dans l'histoire, finalement nous ne sommes que spectateur, avec une fin mystérieuse. Au lecteur d'analyser les différentes situations. Ce qui m'a perturbé, c'est aussi que j'imaginais une bd très réaliste qui a finalement tournée en voyage onirique et métaphorique. Les expressions des personnages n'ont pas été suffisante pour m'attacher aux personnages.

Beau, avare en texte j'ai aimé le message et la conception sans pour autant être happé et subjugué par cette balade dans les bois bien particulière ! Un manque d'intensité qui m'a fait enlever quelques étoiles.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was highly interesting. First off, the artwork is amazing. And the author uses the colors so masterfully in the story that it would be lesser if illustrated by anyone else. Much of this book is told with the pictures and with few words. In trumpets of death, a boy goes to stay with his grandparents. His dad leaves him. Something is up with his mom we don’t really know what it is. Grandma starts talking about mushrooms and a particular type of mushroom called a trumpet of death. But the trumpet of death is also an allegory for things that happen later. While out following grandfather, he gets lost in the woods. He successfully found some trumpets for his grandmother but also found a white mushroom that changes him. And it’s this time while changed and how his grandfather is and is not changed that really makes that allegory stand out. To say more is to give this away. However, this is a book you could talk about in Book Club for well over an hour. Just in symbolism and the meaning and what did the author mean in this picture frame. This is truly a work of art. It would be hard to generally recommend it to people, but it could be hand sold just the right ones that have a love of the art form and a love of the story.

[Miss Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork, often confined to limited colour choices such as pink and green or blue and purple. A young boy is dumped at his grandparents' rural residence whilst hie father seeks his missing wife - a wife disliked by the grandfather. Actually the grandson is also disliked by the grandfather due to his preference for cartoons, gameboys, and superhero figurines over building, hunting and foraging. When the boy does peek at a slaughtered boar, he is berated and threatened with a beating. When he does find the desired mushrooms, no one is there to congratulate him.

I read the ending as karma and that the boy has understood the realities of the forest from the joy of its smallest creatures to the fear of its largest dangers. But poised with his rifle, it was the grandfather who couldn't "see" the truth within the forest that he claimed to know so well. Maybe he needed to spend more time with family? Names with negative connotations like 'toothpick' and 'scarecrow' are similar to the name 'trumpets of death' - misleading.

[Frey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très belle trichromie, avec beaucoup de sous-entendus, la puissance du terroir, de l’attente des autres, de la force de la nature, de sa place dans l’univers, etc. Malheureusement, je dois dire que bah le message, il m’a évité et est parti à Montluçon tout seul sans moi (cherchez pas pourquoi j’ai choisi cet endroit). Genre, en vrai ; oui, belles couleurs, vraiment, dessin puissant, alternant entre pas de dialogue et explications semi-sous-entendues. Sauf que…. Eh bien y a un moment ça se veut extrêmement moralisateur, avec une touche d’humour très lourde, et j’aurais aimé peut-être soit une explication moins métaphorique, soit que les dix dernières pages n’existent pas et qu’on laisse vraiment sur ce sentiment de perte, de mort, et de tristesse type fait divers mais qui marque réellement dans la portée. Le côté merveilleux aurait pu emporter le côté lourd, être plein de promesses qui n’ont à mon humble désespoir un peu déçu.

[Pais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trumpets of Death is a graphic novel following Antoine, a boy who's driven one rainy night to live with his grandparents in the French countryside. His gruff grandfather doesn't seem to like him, while his grandmother tries to help him adjust to his new life. One day, Antoine follows his grandfather while the latter forages for mushrooms when he stumbles upon a magical white mushroom. What follows is a surreal, tender, and introspective journey in nature and dealing with isolation, growing up, and inter-generational conflict.

While I wish the characters—and primarily Antoine's internal journey—were more fleshed out, the art style in this book is stunning. Bournel-Bosson renders his pages mostly in duochromatic shades with beautiful, surreal contrast, and each frame is a visual treat. I also enjoyed the symbolism of a goldfish growing without the constraints of a bowl and of the butterfly metamorphosing—these add to the themes of growing up and becoming your own person, apart from others' perceptions of you.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

[Lithári Fey · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ꒰3 stars꒱
꒰graphic novel | fiction | fantasy ꒱

an interesting story with some beautiful art. I think that some of the story's nuance is lost once translated, because reading it in English as someone who is unfamiliar with French culture and norms, I didn't quite understand the overall concept and storyline.

the ending felt lackluster. there was little to no resolution. it felt like I was meant to resonate and understand the characters more than I could with very little character development within the story.

the color direction and stylistic choices the author makes are stellar, though, and I kept reading even beyond being disenchanted by the actual storyline because of just how beautiful the art was.

thank you to NetGalley and the author for supplying the ARC of this book.

[Adri Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Antoine’s family life is complicated. His father has dropped him off at his grandparents to stay there for the time being. He enjoys his time with his grandmother but is constantly at odds with his somewhat crotchety grandfather. As he tags along with his grandfather on a hunting trip, he becomes lost and eats a mushroom. His grandmother had told him previously that these were edible, instead he finds himself on a life-changing journey as part of the wildlife.

#ThxNetGalley #SimonBournel-Bosson #TrumpetsofDeath

Merged review:

Antoine’s family life is complicated. His father has dropped him off at his grandparents to stay there for the time being. He enjoys his time with his grandmother but is constantly at odds with his somewhat crotchety grandfather. As he tags along with his grandfather on a hunting trip, he becomes lost and eats a mushroom. His grandmother had told him previously that these were edible, instead he finds himself on a life-changing journey as part of the wildlife.

#ThxNetGalley #SimonBournelBosson #TrumpetsofDeath

[Kim Tyo-Dickerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a curt, utilitarian use of dialog in this coming of age fantasy, which is really effective as a reader of this story. The illustrations really do the heavy lifting for the story, and they are memorable. I am fascinated by the framing and the unvarnished realities of the boy's life at the margins of his family. Sinister in atmosphere and the spare dialog heightens that sense of foreboding, and is jarring with the bright pastel panels. So many things unsaid and what is said is cryptic and, at times, unnecessarily cruel. Packs a punch, very much a good read.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75

Really beautiful cover abd art, the coloring was superb too. The ending and some parts towards the end confused me because I just didn't understand the shroom trip lol But I really loved the pacing. One if the very few graphic novels with good pacing I've read. It does move rather quickly as tjere is very little text and the story is mostly visual focused, but even then, the ending came very well paced and nothing felt truly rushed. Such an interesting take on hunting and very toxic masculinity, specially dealing with a younger kid going through a rough patch. Highly recommend.