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Book Description
A classic tale of high adventure, desperate enterprises and bloody encounters made vividly real in Rosemary Sutcliff's masterful retelling.
Product Description
Grendel prowled in, hating all men and all joy and hungry for human life. So swift was his attack that no man heard an outcry; but when the dawn came, thirty of Hothgar's best and noblest thanes were missing.
Only Beowulf, foremost among warriors, has the strength and courage to battle with Grendel the Night-stalker.
In this thrilling re-telling of the Anglo-Saxon legend, Rosemary Sutcliff recounts Beowulf's most terrifying quests: against Grendel the man-wolf, against the hideous sea-hag and, most courageous of all - his fight to the death with the monstrous fire-drake.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dragon Slayer is a gripping retelling for younger audiences of England's oldest epic. I read it when I was nine, ten years before my first encounter with the real Beowulf at university.
I would have to say that Rosemary Sutcliffe has got it almost exactly right for her target age group, and she makes it a great story which I would recommend to any child. The terrifying violence of the fight with Grendel, through to the final, heroic stand against the dragon is all there. All the non-essentials are stripped out, and Sutcliffe takes us straight into the story without over-explanation.
This is the _story_ of Beowulf: it's not a translation of the poem nor is it a version of the poem for younger readers. And it's a very good story.
The original poem, though, has three more things that this retelling doesn't cover.
First, the language of Beowulf is absolutely riveting. This doesn't come across in any translation I've seen, although Sutcliffe does do a good job in this retelling of giving us the occasional glimpse of it.
Second, the rhythm of Beowulf is powerful and heroic. Various translators have tried to reproduce this, but usually at the expense of clarity. Sutcliffe wisely sticks to prose.
Third, Beowulf is a poem full of digressions - half told stories which fill the poem with greater meaning. These aren't part of this retelling, which is, once again, a wise choice given Rosemary Sutcliffe's audience.
This is a marvellous book to read, and it's also a good book to read aloud in support of a project about the Anglo-Saxons.
If you are reading it to children, it's worth giving them just a glimpse of the sound of the original by reading out loud the first few lines and the last few lines of the poem in Old English - or getting someone who can to put it on a tape for you. Just a snatch of the first poet's voice, to take them back to days dark under the clouds, and as a fitting memorial to a warrior and king who was 'leodum lithost ond lofgeornost'.
34 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My interest in the works of Rosemary Sutcliff was re-awakened a couple of years ago. It followed a newspaper article reminiscing on the smoke filled long halls full of warriors and bards, evoking the imagery of the sagas of the Dark Ages. I had read a good number of her books when I was at school but despite the fact that my school days are decades ago I felt compelled to re-explore her work.
Beowulf is one of my favourite stories. I recently read an abridged version to my children and I was forced by them to read passages aloud from this work too.
I read Heaney's translation last year and Sutcliff's version is fairly faithful to the original as far as I can tell.
It's fast paced, the imagery is strong - it's just how it should be. Sutcliff does Beowulf justice - even though I am sure I am a good bit older than her target audience.
Format:Paperback
Beowulf: Dragonslayer (Red Fox Classics)Very few stories are still being told after so long and after so many re-tellings. The Beowulf poem has been honed and embellished by the imaginations of many storytellers. Its spell as a tale is that it displays the beginnings of the conventions of folk stories, but does not quite obey them all, keeping the listener guessing as to what will happen next.
THe Sutcliffe telling of Beowulf places the story on a simple timeline, with a beginning, middle and end. Many characters and emotions are there, the mysterious queens and their women, who enter the men's dining hall once only to pour mead and speak wise words. The jealous jester who tries to belittle Beowulf, but then later gives him his precious sword. Grendel's hideous mother, who is even worse than the monster himself. Children and parents will recognise the fury and dread of the fearsome mother who seeks terrible revenge, despite her repulsive nature. Sutcliffe's telling captures the complexity of the tale, and the emotions and loyalties of the players. Her words hark back to the poetry of the original, so this version is just made for reading aloud. It's broken into short chapters, which would be suitable for an evening read, but maybe not too close to bedtime!
THe Sutcliffe telling of Beowulf places the story on a simple timeline, with a beginning, middle and end. Many characters and emotions are there, the mysterious queens and their women, who enter the men's dining hall once only to pour mead and speak wise words. The jealous jester who tries to belittle Beowulf, but then later gives him his precious sword. Grendel's hideous mother, who is even worse than the monster himself. Children and parents will recognise the fury and dread of the fearsome mother who seeks terrible revenge, despite her repulsive nature. Sutcliffe's telling captures the complexity of the tale, and the emotions and loyalties of the players. Her words hark back to the poetry of the original, so this version is just made for reading aloud. It's broken into short chapters, which would be suitable for an evening read, but maybe not too close to bedtime!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Super
As with any Rosemary Sutcliffe book the Dragon Slayer is super and really gripping. Not a original but a great retelling for young people of the epic "old" peom Beowuf. Read more
Published 10 months ago by "Smith" Reader
BEOWULF DRAGON SLAYER REVIEW
Beowulf Dragonslayer by Rosemary Sutcliffe is what i would describe as a 'timeless classic'; it includes detail, descriptive language, suspense, excitement (battles and dragons! Read more
Published 17 months ago by The Latymer Dude Ross 7 DOlbe
Utter Boredom
I have been reading this book in my English lessons as part of this terms English lessons. I used to enjoy my English lessons but that has stopped after we started reading this... Read more
Published on 8 May 2007 by James Dowds
A translation for younger audiences
I once made the joke that Grendel was the first beo-degradable monster in history...
GROAN!
When I gave this joke to an English professor, he used it in class, and promptly... Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2006 by Kurt Messick
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