Résumé: “Asterix and the Chariot Race” will hit the bookshelves on October 19 recounting the adventures of the shrewd Gallic hero and his rotund sidekick Obelix during a mad dash down the length of ancient Italy.
The only Asterix story to be set entirely on the Italian peninsula, it takes place in 50 BC with Julius Caesar trying to prove “that all of Italy is in thrall to Rome” even though “many regions are determined to maintain their independence.”
To burnish Roman glory and showcase the “dazzling excellence of Roman roads” Caesar invites teams from all over the known world to compete in the race.
There is only one catch – “the Roman competitor must absolutely cross the finishing first,” the publishers said.
Caesar’s charioteer and the latest Asterix baddie is a masked villain called Coronavirus, named after the SARS virus which caused a worldwide health alert in 2002.