[2][3] It is the first Asterix book to be released since the death of the series' co-creator Albert Uderzo,[4] and the last to be penned by Ferri before his replacement with Fabrice Caro the following year.

[5] In Rome, the geographer Cartographus informs Julius Caesar of the reported existence of the griffin, a beast that is half-eagle and half-lion with horse's ears, located in Sarmatian territory in the remote eastern lands of Barbaricum.

Later, the Gaulish druid Getafix, accompanied by Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix, arrives in the snow-covered land of Sarmatia to visit his old friend, a shaman named Fanciacuppov.

Fanciacuppov tells the Gauls he had a vision that the Romans would invade to capture the griffin, which is his people's sacred animal, so he appeared to Getafix in a dream to request help.

[12] Writing in Le Figaro, Olivier Delcroix described the book as disappointing and boring, as "even the magic potion and the gentle irony of Goscinny and Uderzo are frozen".

[14] French online cultural journal Diakritik's reviewer, Dominique Bry, was more complimentary, praising the book for its puns, as well as its commentary on current affairs: fake news, conspiracy theories including flat earth, shallow media and the condition of women.

[15] A review by The Indian Express complained about the "puzzling" omission of the teaser page, saying that part of the story starts "rather abruptly, with no real context", leaving readers confused.