Beowulf: A New Telling

Book Description

He comes out of the darkness, moving in on his  victims in deadly silence. When he leaves, a trail  of blood is all that remains. He is a monster,  Grendel, and all who know of him live in fear.

  Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, knows something  must be done to stop Grendel. But who will guard  the great hall he has built, where so many men have  lost their lives to the monster while keeping  watch?

Only one man dares to stand up to  Grendel's fury --Beowulf.

Customer Reviews:

As dreadful as Grendel himself.......2007-08-09

Rather than offering my own opinion of this book, I will give you a few brief quotations describing the major characters and allow you to decide for yourself if this book is worth reading. Author Robert Nye describes the character of Beowulf as "weak and sickly" in his youth and "below average size" as an adult. He also describes Beowulf as "short sighted." He claims that Beowulf "admits to his weaknesses" and is "not given to boasting." This begs the question: what Beowulf is Nye talking about? The real Beowulf, the one that we know from the epic 7th century poem, was none of these things. We are told that he was neither small nor weak, but rather he possessed the strength of 30 men ("thirty men's might in the grip of his hand").This is how he was able to overpower his adversary, the demon Grendel, when no other man could challenge Grendel. The original Beowulf boasted quite often. Apparently, Robert Nye has his own idea of how a "hero" should behave. Instead of arrogance in Beowulf we see humility when he says, "He was a better swimmer than I" in reference to his dramatic swimming race against Breca. The problem here is that Beowulf did not lose this race with Breca. He won! But Nye's Beowulf cannot be all-powerful and still be humble, meek and peace-loving. We know from the original story that Beowulf cut off Grendel's head after he was dead, so he could offer it to the Danes as a trophy. This action was apparently too harsh for Nye. Instead, he tells us that Beowulf cut off Grendel's head in self-defense after Grendel momentarily came back from the dead!

The character of Unferth has also been dramatically altered. He is portrayed as both pathetic and evil, a drunkard full of contempt for Beowulf and his people. As such, his words carry no weight and he really serves no purpose in the story. The real Unferth was an insecure man, who was desperately afraid of Beowulf gaining more glory than him. But there is no evidence in the poem that he was evil or that he hated his own people.

The depiction of Grendel's mother in this book is downright laughable. Nye tells us that she has "red lips" and "hanging breasts." Furthermore, "she had eyes in her breasts." We are never told why she needs eyes in her breasts, but I guess the author just liked this visual.

Grendel's mother is also described as the "wife of Cain." According to Nye, Cain had sex with Grendel's mother (an evil serpent) and the resulting offspring was the hideous creature Grendel. To someone unfamiliar with the poem, this might seem logical. But this is where Robert Nye really misses the point (or chooses to ignore the point). Grendel is a descendant of Cain - this much is true. But Grendel's evil nature did not arise because of a sinful union between Cain and his mother. Cain was already sinful after killing his brother and then being cast out by God. As a result, his offspring were evil and - over thousands of years - slowly became monstrous. This happened because Cain and his offspring were separated from God.

It shouldn't be surprising, however, that Nye fails to address this point. As previous reviewers have already stated, Nye chooses to ignore the Christian basis of the poem. His Beowulf has no relationship with God. In the poem, we know that Beowulf draws strength and inspiration from God, and he thanks God for his successes in battle ("the deadly struggle at the start would have ended, if God had not watched over me") Instead, Nye tells us that "Beowulf's best weapon was himself. He put all his faith in that." Beowulf believed in himself fully and therefore had no need for God - according to Mr. Nye. Let's not forget that this story is really about the battle between good and evil, Beowulf (God) versus Grendel (Satan). The poem tells us that Grendel came from Hell, and that he was an "enemy of God," who "waged war against God." Regarding Beowulf, the poem tells us that "Holy God has sent him to help our people."

If you choose to read this book you will notice that Mr. Nye wisely includes a disclaimer: "This is an interpretation, not a translation." Perhaps this is how he justifies changing the original story to such an extent that the characters are unrecognizable. His book, therefore, is not an interpretation of the original story but an alteration of it. Instead of bringing honor to the poem, he dishonors it.

There's nothing wrong with Mr. Nye writing a story about a humble, unimpressive man who manages to overcome his weaknesses. He just shouldn't have named him Beowulf.

Fun. But wildly dissimilar........2006-03-23

In many ways, this Beowulf is a lot of fun for kids. The writing is direct and clear (although there are plenty of vocabulary stretchers). The action is fun. Beowulf's heroism is unquestionable.

But, I don't understand why one would publish a Beowulf retelling and stay just close enough to the original to be confusing (as opposed to John Gardner's wonderful Grendel, which told the story from the monster's perspective). The most disturbing divergence was making Unferth a petty bad guy in enamored of evil. In doing so, Nye sacrifices much of the nobility of the original.

I don't know if there are other kid-friendly tellings of this story. But, I would look for one of those, first.

Classic story as conspiracy theory.......2006-02-08

Reading this book opened up an entire new set of ideas for me. Here's the deal. On the surface Beowolf sounds like an outrageous story where the hero does things that obviously no real man could do. For example he dives under water and comes back up 8 hours later. It is easy to dismiss this as a fairy tale.
Robert Nye, however, tweaks the story some and in the process gives some interesting hints about what is really going on. What if this story told what was made to appear to happen? What if there was a conspiracy to make things appear to happen when in fact what was really going on was a scam, a sting, a rip-off? A kind of ancient version of the various "great robbery" movies?
Look at it this way. When you go to see a magic show you know that you are being tricked and you try to figure out how the tricks are done. If you wrote down what you saw on stage, you might write, "then he sawed the lady in half, moved her head and feet around away from each other, and then put her back together and she was unharmed!"
One can look at Beowolf the same way and it makes sense! Just suppose certain people are in on it with Beowolf. Only his men, plus Unferth, are present when he "fights Grendel". Unferth's aggressive behavior with Beowolf "forces" Beowolf to tell an outrageous story about swimming for 5 days and makes sure that no one would think that Beowolf and Unferth could be in on anything together. No one sees him fight Grendel's mother and, again only his men see him emerge from the water. And only his men see him fight the Dragon, which they then throw in the ocean so no one could see the body. Could you imagine trophy hunters in Africa throwing the body away before anyone had sen it? NO!! They would want everyone to see the huge thing they killed.
In this sense the story of Beowolf is like a big insiders joke. Like, "Look at the way we fooled these yokels!" "Look at how much can be accomplished by tricking people!"
Interestingly he always has 12 men and one man always dies when a "monster" is killed. Is this some kind of secret society human sacrifice stuff?
The payoff? The King gives Beowolf a huge treasure, "all" of which Beowolf then gives to his own king. (Or does he?) Later Beowolf gets to be king and no other tribe will attack the land governed by this "mighty warrior".
I love this book. Robert Nye deserves a lot of credit for writing a young person's book with depth that challenges adults. Fairy tales will never be the same for you after this. Maybe the daily "news" won't be the same either...

Understanding The Making of a Legendary Figure.......2006-01-31

The story of Troy, Alexander the Great, or the Illiad has nothing on the story of Beowulf. It has been retold by Robert Nye so that children can grasp it. This story held my class captive as we experienced the adventures of Beowulf.The children gained recognition of the differences between fact and fiction, which becomes entangled in the minds of men as their love and admiration for a hero grows and thus a legend is born.

Sorry, but I just can't swallow it.......2005-09-08

Beowulf, by Robert Nye is one of those books that really didn't appeal to me. In my opinion, it is a very exciting story that has been poorly written. For example, throughout the entire story, I didn't feel like the author put any effort into truly defining the characters. The way I interpreted it, the characters were either good or evil, and were never conflicted about what to do. That makes for very shallow reading. Beowulf was simply good. His character was too classically heroic for my taste. His characterization made the story seem like a fairy tale. In any form of storytelling, the teller usually adds some uncertainty in the characters to give the entire tale real meaning. For instance, I knew nothing about Beowulf, so the fact that he died just meant that I didn't have to read anymore. That generally isn't the sign of a book that has been greatly enjoyed. At the beginning of the book, the author has giving the readers a sort of genealogy rundown. That is not characterization! It doesn't really matter whom someone's mother or father is if they have no effect on the story! In my honest opinion, the piece of genealogical information gave better characterization than the whole tale put together. Unfortunately, those characters were not used, so the readers were not given something even slightly resembling character depth. Another gripe I have about this story is the gore. Normally I am not bothered by gory stories, but I find it very hard to read pointlessly bloody tales. The only thing the blood did for me was distract me from the lack of decent characters. Actually, if the blood had had some point, I would have probably loved the truly vivid imagery. This particular author seems to be very good at creating a scene, but lacks the ability to bring characters to life. I also thought that Grendel was a pointless addition to this story. All Grendel ever did was slaughter humans (there we get truly glorious, horrific imagery for the first time). And although it was a preamble to the rest of the story, I happen to think that that was the part I could actually consider somewhat akin to decent storytelling. The Grendel had no real motivation, true. But its profile was the closest thing to characterization anywhere in this story. But I continually found myself wondering why Grendel wasn't kept around longer, and why the author simply moved on to another piece of the story. Even if Grendel had to die at one point, I think that if the author had highlighted its part in the story more, the overall reading would be more pleasant. My ideal version of this book would have a more lengthy version of the battle with Grendel, and less of the creature's mother and the dragon. It isn't that the other two aren't major aspects in the story; it's just that, as I've said before, without characterization, their parts seemed pointless.
During one part of this story, I was actually able to feel the full effect of decent storytelling. It was near the end, when Beowulf is combating the dragon. I liked how his own bees not only killed the dragon, but himself as well. For some reason, it seemed like a fitting end: a hero defeats one last opponent, but in the process is defeated by his own friends when they assist him. If all of the book held quality such as that, I think I would have truly enjoyed this tale. But alas, that is not the case, and I am left feeling indifferent to the entire story. Overall, I found it a slightly weak story to begin with; weakness that is only magnified with this particular author's style of writing. I am not aware if this `new telling' corresponds with the original tale that was published a millennium ago, so I cannot truly judge the quality of the actual story. All I can judge is the telling of it, which I found quite unsatisfying.

Average customer rating:

Better than computer games
A scary classic
Beowulf

Beowulf
Michael Morpurgo
Manufacturer: Candlewick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0763632066
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Book Description

The acclaimed author and illustrator of SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT return with an exhilarating edition of Britain's oldest epic.

Long ago there was a Scandinavian warrior who fought three evils so powerful they could destroy whole kingdoms. Standing head and shoulders above his comrades, Beowulf single-handedly saves the land of the Danes from a merciless ogre named Grendel and then from his sea-hag mother. But it is his third terrible battle, with the death-dragon of the deep, in which he truly meets his match. Lovers of heroes, monsters, and the drama of battle will find this retelling as enthralling as it is tragic.

Customer Reviews:

Better than computer games.......2007-08-10

I read this aloud to two preteen grandsons. They stopped playing computer games to listen. Get it and read it aloud.

A scary classic.......2007-06-20

This children's adaptation of the ancient ballad is pretty good. The illustrations are beautiful and the paper quality is excellent. I knocked a star off because I have read several other versions of the poem and they had a beauty of language which is lacking in this adaptation. I wouldn't recommend it for bedtime reading or for children under 9 as it is really scary and gory in parts (flesh being ripped apart, blood everywhere and bodies left for days unburied - nightmare material!). This book is a keeper mostly for it pictures but also for its historical significance - its one of the earliest recorded poems in the world.

Beowulf.......2007-03-13

This is an excellent version for older kids. OUr 8 year old was so engaged and actively rooted for the demise of Grendel and the Sea Hag. The illustrations are expressive without being scary. This book is a perfect way to introduce classics to a child.

Average customer rating:

For anyone who likes horror and monsters and great heroes
Weak Illustrations-Not For Children
Exciting visual story-telling

Beowulf

Manufacturer: Candlewick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0763630233
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Book Description

This exhilarating graphic-novel edition of an ancient classic honors the spirit of the original as it attracts modern readers.

The epic tale of the great warrior Beowulf has thrilled readers through the ages — and now it is reinvented for a new generation with Gareth Hinds’s masterful illustrations. Grendel’s black blood runs thick as Beowulf defeats the monster and his hideous mother, while somber hues overcast the hero’s final, fatal battle against a raging dragon. Speeches filled with courage and sadness, lightning-paced contests of muscle and will, and funeral boats burning on the fjords are all rendered in glorious and gruesome detail. Told for more than a thousand years, Beowulf’s heroic saga finds a true home in this graphic-novel edition.

Customer Reviews:

For anyone who likes horror and monsters and great heroes.......2007-07-02

King Hrothgar of Denmark could not spend the night in his great hall of Heorot, for anyone who did was certain to die at the hands of the Grendel, a monster of great power and cunning. But, hope is not lost, for a mighty man has come to rid Hrothgar of his bane - Beowulf, a valiant chieftain from the land of the Geats (in southern Sweden). This is the story of Beowulf's adventures, his battles, and his trials.

Beowulf is one of the foundational classics of Western literature, having first been written down in the early Middle Ages, perhaps as early as the eighth century. It is set in the late fifth and early sixth centuries, and is a marvelously exciting tale.

This book is a graphic novel retelling of Beowulf, and I must say that I think that Gareth Hinds did an excellent job. His use of stark colors does an excellent job of presenting the horror of the encounters giving the reader an idea of what it must have been like to hear the story as they were first told around the fire so long ago. Overall, I found this to be a fascinating read, and a great retelling of the old story.

Now, I must agree that the subject matter of this book is not for children, and the images of bloody battle and death are quite stark. So, you should bear that in mind if you are thinking of buying this book for a younger or more sensitive reader. But, if you are buying it for someone who likes horror and monsters and great heroes then this is the book to buy!

Weak Illustrations-Not For Children.......2007-06-26

I puchased this book because it was recommended for children in the Book Revew Section of the New York Times. I wanted my kids to get a first take on one of the great stories of world literature. Unfortunately, this graphic novel is more geared towards teenagers and young adults. I will have to keep searching for a good introductory book.

I realize that as a mature adult, I am not a member of the target audience. Not surprisingly, Gareth Hinds' illustrations did not appeal to me. I found them to be immature, flat and very stiff. For anyone interested in a graphic novel set in the Dark Ages, I would recommend any of the Hal Foster's, "Prince Valiant" graphic novels. Foster was a master illustrator who understood composition, balance and the value of good story telling.

Exciting visual story-telling.......2007-06-06

Super-hero stories are probably as old as spoken language. Hinds has done an outstanding job of reaching out of our own Super-Hero-In-Tights (S-H-I-nevermind) idiom, and bringing a classic hero to new life.

Like so many myths, Beowulf includes elements of historical fact, such as the death of lord Hygelac. The story goes far beyond the mere historical, though. It describes the monster Grendel and his attacks on the halls of peaceful and prosperous king Hrothgar. Right from the start, this lets Hinds apply visual techniques that owe equally to the Bayeux Tapestry and to the Alien movie. Then, as heroic Beowulf braces himself for fighting the monster, Hinds makes the most of the visual medium. Over twenty pages pass without a single written word, mute but hardly silent as Beowulf and Grendel grapple throughout the hall. Hinds allows himself some modern imagery during this fight, without stooping to buckets of red ink. In the end, the subdued palette shows Grendel's defeat as vividly as more explicit gore would have.

That's just the first 1/3 of this book. Hinds's strong, painterly style also brings to life Beowulf's fight against Grendel's mother, a bloated troll with flapping dugs, and his triumph over the dragon.

Comic art and storytelling has been getting better and broader in recent years, allowing work like Hinds's to get to the audience it deserves. This work won't change the face of comic art, but it's distinctive, it's done well, and it carries the narration strongly. I recommend this to any comic fan who wants a diffferent look at an old tale.

-- wiredweird

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A children's picturebook retelling the legend of the Nordic hero Beowulf
A MUST FOR EVERY YOUNG READER'S LIBRARY

The Hero Beowulf
Eric A. Kimmel
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0374306710
Release Date: 2005-04-14

Book Description

The epic warrior from earliest English literature

Beowulf was always a hero. As a child, he borrowed his father's sword to attack a nest of savage trolls that preyed on travelers. Now a young man, he seeks to defend the Danish king
Hrothgar from a monster named Grendel. King Hrothgar asks Beowulf, "Are you not afraid?" Beowulf replies, "Why should I fear? If I am fated to win, then Grendel cannot defeat me. If
I am fated to lose, then it has been my destiny since the day I was born." Sure of his role, if not of his success, Beowulf prepares to battle Grendel . . .

This story of Beowulf is an introduction to the classic confrontation between good and evil, pared to perfection by the author and brought to life in monumental acrylic paintings by the artist.

Customer Reviews:

A children's picturebook retelling the legend of the Nordic hero Beowulf.......2005-07-06

The Hero Beowulf is a children's picturebook retelling the legend of the Nordic hero Beowulf. Narrated in simple prose, it tells of how Beowulf came to the aid of the Danish king Hrothgar, whose men were being devoured nightly by the monster Grendel. Depicting Beowulf's mortal battle with the monster, the story tells how Beowulf bested Grendel by tearing off its arm, as its hide was enchanted and could not be pierced with mortal weapons. Grendel never gave mercy to its victims, and so Beowulf showed no mercy to it. The art is colorful and in a slightly simplistic but realistic style, the better to convey the gut feeling of a classic struggle between good and evil. An excellent introduction to a classic legend, retold faithful to the spirit of the original.

A MUST FOR EVERY YOUNG READER'S LIBRARY.......2005-06-08

As many know, "Beowulf," which can be traced back hundreds of year, is the oldest known poem in English literature. The hero is a Viking, and his story is divided into three parts, the first of which is presented in "The Hero Beowulf." The original manuscript of "Beowulf" is housed in the British Library, and is regarded as a great treasure. Now, Eric Kimmel, remembered for "Don Quixote and the Windmill" joins with illustrator Leonard Fisher to offer a treasure for young readers.

Our story opens with a description of Beowulf's childhood, noting that at the age of ten he took his father's sword to rout a nest of savage trolls who were attacking the innocent. When the sword's blade broke, young Beowulf "ripped up an oak tree by its roots and battered the trolls until they lay dead."

Next, he's engaged in battle with sea serpents, and then he learns of a brutal monster, Grendel, who is ravishing King Hrothgar's land. The monster is so powerful that he comes each night to the hall and carries off the mightiest warriors. No one dares to challenge Grendel until Beowulf appears.

Fisher's full-color double page illustrations are stunningly stark, especially when depicting the monster Grendel. "The Hero Beowulf" deserves a place in every young reader's library.

- Gail Cooke

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Not Free SF Reader
Yamabushi's mini reviews XVII
still entertaining
Sad
Disappointing sequel to Legacy of Heorot

Beowulf's Children
Steven Barnes , Larry Niven , and Jerry Pournelle
Manufacturer: Tor Science Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0812524969

Book Description

A new generation is growing up on the island paradise of Camelot, ignorant of the Great Grendel Wars fought when their parents and grandparents first arrived on Earth. Setting out for the mainland, this group of young rebels feels ready to fight any grendels that get in their way. On Avalon, however, there are monsters which drawf the ones their parents fought, and as the group will soon learn, monsters also dwell in the human heart.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

This is the sequel to the former Legacy of Heorot novel, also called the Dragons of Heorot, I think, and unfortunately it is not as interesting.

The older generation begin to have health problems from all that they have endured, so a serious generation gap develops between those born locally, and those not.

So, the book mostly is about the difference in cultural attitudes between the two, and the new kids wanting to go their own way.

Yamabushi's mini reviews XVII.......2007-02-09

this sequel to leagacy of heorot stumbles badly, and never captures the tension, excitement, imagery of the first book.

still entertaining.......2007-01-09

if you loved the legacy of heorot, you should only be mildly dissapointed by this sequel, which is pretty good, just not jaw droppingly good like the first one. i'll give it 4 stars because i have a soft spot for this kind of thing. grendel guns, minerva landers, indeed.

Sad.......2006-04-21

These authors have been mainstays in my SF library but this sequel is disappointing. It will only have meaning as a hand off to the final novel. However, it does not seem to be in the forseeable future.
I would not purchase this book untill the final book is written.

Disappointing sequel to Legacy of Heorot.......2006-04-16

I loved Legacy of Heorot. I was sadly disappointed in the sequel. The major plot line is promising enough. The children of the original characters believe it is time to move off the colonized island and make their own colony on the mainland.
I still like all the original characters. The children, who by the way are one and all superintelligent, are less likeable. And nobody has noticed the the most superintelligent of them all is socialpathic. He is also extremely handsome, a karate expert, a computer expert, an expert marksman and the absolute best at anything that anyone can do.
The best part of the original book was the grendel monster. In this book they are just routine, barely a threat to anyone who pays attention. The new threat is unseen, after an entrance early in the book it remains just a mystery to be solved.
The big attack doesn't happen till page 466 and by page 489 everyone lives happily ever after.
I feel bad giving Larry and Jerry a bad review, but this sequel, like the Gripping Hand, is not worthy of the original.

Jonathan Park: The Hunt for Beowulf (Jonathan Park Radio Drama)

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Great audio entertainment & education
Real Family Education Packed with Entertainment!

Jonathan Park: The Hunt for Beowulf (Jonathan Park Radio Drama)
Roy Pat
Manufacturer: Vision Forum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 097875591X

Customer Reviews:

Great audio entertainment & education.......2007-01-10

My 9 yo son has loved the Jonathan Park audio series. He listens to them again and again. He just now old enough to be interested in the supplemental book that comes with it. These are a good and Godly form of educating children about creation. All entertainment is teaching something...I appreciate that these are furthering his biblical beliefs. Very well done and captivating. Kids as young as 7 or 8 will enjoy these audio adventures.

Real Family Education Packed with Entertainment!.......2007-01-10

This is a wonderful part of a series that is exciting Fun ,thrilling and wholesome, packed with educational truth of history & Science.
Our whole family has enjoyed these from ages 5- 40+ parents. they are hard to stop once started.

Beowulf the Warrior (Living History Library)

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Brilliant edition for young readers
Very entertaining bedtime story.

Beowulf the Warrior (Living History Library)

Manufacturer: Bethlehem Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1883937035

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant edition for young readers.......2007-05-08

This handy edition of Beowulf has the virtue of being easily approachable by an average reader, whereas some of the other translations I've seen have almost been like reading the original Anglo-Saxon itself. The translation reads easily yet retains the flavor and rhythms of the ancient epic.

Though it's still a little advanced for my kids (under age 6), it will definitely be bedtime fare in the not-too-distant future. For those unfamiliar with the story, it tells the tale of Beowulf and his battles against awful Grendel, the hideous mother of Grendel, and the terrible fire-breathing dragon. This edition includes a number of illustrations which will certainly help draw younger readers into the story.

If you enjoyed Beowulf and want to know more about the Anglo-Saxon language, you might try A Book For The Beginner In Anglo-saxon: Comprising A Short Grammar and Some Selections from the Gospels. If you just like epic poems, there's also The Laviniad: An Epic Poem which is an epic in the Trojan War cycle written by a modern author and the classic The Ballad of the White Horse by G. K. Chesterton.

Very entertaining bedtime story........1999-01-10

My children (6 and 7 years old) thoroughly enjoyed listening to how the mighty and brave Beowulf defeated the evil Grendel and his Mother. The book is written very well and lends itself to a great deal of imagery. I was very glad this classic could be written in a manner that small children could understand and enjoy this great story.

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Beowulf (Dover Coloring Book)
John Green
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486456552

Book Description

Perhaps the earliest epic poem in the English language, Beowulf is filled with scenes of awe-inspiring adventure. This exciting coloring book captures 30 of them! Children will thrill to the heroic feats of literature's classic hero, including scenes of Beowulf courageously battling sea monsters, dragons, and the fearsome ogre, Grendel.

Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children (Yesterday's Classics)

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Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children (Yesterday's Classics)
H. E. Marshall
Manufacturer: Yesterday's Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 159915000X

Book Description

The Anglo-Saxon saga retold in excellent English prose, with the heroic qualities emphasized. Relates how Beowulf, the hero of the Anglo-Saxons, journeys to Daneland, and how he overcomes Grendel, the ogre, and his mother, the water witch, then returns to his own land to serve as king. After 50 years of peace, the fire dragon makes war on the Goth folk and Beowulf goes forth in combat against it, vanquishing his foe but in the end losing his life in ridding his people of its frightful enemy. An outstanding introduction to this tale for children ages 8 and up.

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Talented author/illustrator

Beowulf
James Rumford
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 061875637X

Book Description

Thus begins the battle between good and evil, for lying in wait and anxious to challenge the ogre Grendel is a young man, strong-willed and fire-hearted. This man is Beowulf, whose heroic dragon-slaying deeds were sung in the courts of Anglo-Saxon England more than a thousand years ago. Award-winning author and illustrator James Rumford forges his own account of Beowulf with the few Anglo-Saxon words still present in our language. These iron-strong ancient words recall the boldness of the original poem and, together with Rumford’s pen-and-ink illustrations, they fashion an unforgettable story of a hero who never gave up—no matter how difficult the struggle—no matter how deep and dark the night.

Customer Reviews:

Talented author/illustrator.......2007-08-11

Captivating illustrations. Beautiful cover treatment. Text appeals to young people. Great read aloud. The classics have never been better!

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