A graphic novel by Jérôme Le Gris, Didier Poli

The Lost Ages is an interesting fantasy story that hinges on the set-up that a huge catastrophe rendered the Earth as primitive, perhaps more-so, as the stone age for thousands of years. This was the result of a huge meteor storm in 1000 AD that caused a literal “dark age”, killing a lot of life on the planet. Humans cowered in caves and basically just existed from then on. Set “many thousands of years in the future” from that point, the world has gradually moved back to a point where it could be seen as your typical high fantasy setting not unlike Conan. This alternate earth has evolved without humans in any sort of dominant role much of its existence, meaning that fearsome beasts are high up the food chain and are evolved for bloodthirsty precision when it comes to hunting the last shreds of humanity.

“In the year 1000, the foretold apocalypse comes to pass, and humanity enters an age of darkness. Countless generations come and go before the sun reemerges; all of humanity’s once great knowledge is lost. Now, at the mercy of roaming packs of animals, the inhabitants of Anglia have formed clans that work together in a delicate balance to survive the harsh wilderness. Primus, one of the clan leaders, may just hold the key to their salvation, to secure a better future for his daughter Elaine and everyone else. But will his secret unite the clans, or tear them apart? And how much will Elaine have to sacrifice to see her father’s dream fulfilled?”

Publisher’s description

We find out later, than records of the before times do exist and the main character’s father Primus is attempting to harness some of the advanced (for 1000 AD) technology found within. This of course angers other tribes and forces our main characters on an adventure to find a new homeland and learn from these old texts. While this book really only gets moving along plot-wise at the very end, I will be excited to read more of this. The unique premise, much different than what I’m used to with sort of book, and the gorgeous artwork made me an immediate fan, so I hope this lasts for a while. If you are a fan of high-fantasy and especially things under the Robert E. Howard umbrella, such as Conan, I’d definitely recommend checking this out.