ALA Booklist (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Intrepid adventurer Delilah Dirk and her steadfast companion, Mister Selim, make a grand entrance in their third outing, which begins at a palace soirée. There, Delilah meets Dutch journalist and archaeology enthusiast Laurens van Hassel, who shares a rumor of nearby ancient ruins. The next day, Delilah, Selim, and Van Hassel strike out toward the ruins. When they arrive, they are met by glittering piles of gold. Yet an inscription referencing a legendary sunken city, the Third Pillar of Hercules, captures the group's interest most of all. Pursuing clues to the city's location, they embark on a series of thrilling Indiana Jones-style adventures. Cliff's artwork sweeps readers along on Delilah's daring exploits, filling detailed panels with saturated colors, motion, and expressive faces. Awesome two-page spreads capture the grandeur of their archaeological finds and force the reader to pause and take in the sights as the characters themselves do. Delilah's no-nonsense demeanor and dry sense of humor make her a joy to follow, and an amusing side-story involving Van Hassel adds further levity.

Kirkus Reviews

Delilah Dirk, Erdemoglu Selim, and journalist Laurens van Hassel set off on a cross-continental adventure in search of a mythical lost city.The third volume in the graphic novel series following Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling (2016) opens in Turkey with British adventurer Delilah Dirk and her companion, Erdemoglu Selim, battling local magistrate Küçuk. Upon prevailing against the tyrant, they are recruited by sensationalist journalist van Hassel to raid an ancient tomb, a shrine to the architect of a legendary city known as the Third Pillar of Hercules. Unbeknownst to Dirk and Selim, van Hassel has been writing about their exploits, attracting international interest and the return of Delilah's nemesis, Jason Merrick. Merrick's vendetta against Delilah has him chasing the treasure-seeking trio to Algeria and, further enraged by van Hassel's portrayal of him in the press, on to Gibraltar, where the discovery of the lost city has far-reaching implications. Cliff's (Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring, 2017, etc.) art is striking in both action scenes and in the choice of color palette, used to convey place, tone, and mood. While artistically rich, this volume is limited in its development of Dirk and Selim, whose playful banter is minimized. Readers may wonder about Merrick's fate and the outcome of his broken romantic relationship.A solid addition to the series but does not live up to previous installments. (Graphic novel adventure. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this third volume in the adventures of Delilah Dirk, the titular early-19th-century explorer teams up with Laurens Van Hessel, a newspaper correspondent who gives her a lead on ancient ruins that could lead to the third Pillar of Hercules. Along with Dirk-s trusty sidekick, Erdemoglu Selim, the three traverse the Mediterranean Sea from Anatolia to Algiers to Gibraltar, piecing together clues and learning more about the third pillar-s purpose. But trying to uncover a millennia-old mystery when working with a less-than-scrupulous journalist leads to competition and confrontation, requiring Dirk-s wits, wisdom, and weapons-not necessarily in that order. Cliff enhances traditional features of a good pulp tale with a strong female lead and a highly dramatic visual depiction. While the characters are clear and distinct, Cliff is less generous with backgrounds, etching in some details but also relying on panel hues to generate a space-s mood and ambience. This dynamic allows him to focus on the action sequences (of which there are plenty) and the character interactions. Cliff has created an engaging and daring character that is equal parts Lara Croft and Indiana Jones. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)

School Library Journal (Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Gr 6 Up-In the third installment of this action-packed series, Delilah's continued adventures with Selim lead her to meet Laurens Van Hassel, a journalist who is convinced there is a hidden city full of treasure awaiting him if only he can find it. He enlists Delilah and Selim to assist him, thus launching a series of Indiana Jonesesque exploits with narrow escapes from death and capture. Selim narrates, and though he rarely voices his opinions to Delilah, he lets readers know about his objections to her schemes. Chaos mounts as people around the world read Van Hassel's articles and learn of the group's daring deeds. The use of color perfectly matches the tone of each scene; warm colors are used in action sequences, while the more peaceful scenes in between are illustrated in blues and grays. Compelling writing combined with colorful illustrations makes this a book that is sure to delight. VERDICT Give to fans of Nimona or the "Lumberjanes" series. A first purchase for most libraries. Jenni Frencham, formerly at Columbus Public Library, WI