- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Books USA; Reissue edition (May 1989)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679723110
- ISBN-13: 978-0679723110
- Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 1.3 x 20.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 381,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
"Few writers ever reach this level of greatness, It doesn't matter whether you think Grendel's about Anglo-Saxon warriors battling monsters or the collapse of superstition and the rise of capitalism, or both at once, this is mythic writing in every sense of those words." (Jon Courtenay Grimwood SFX magazine )
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic BEOWULF, tells his side of the story.
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The old ram stands looking down over rockslides, stupidly triumphant. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The old ram stands looking down over rockslides, stupidly triumphant. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:School & Library Binding
Alternating between the sublime Orwellian double-talk of the minstrel Shaper and the cold, condescendingly bleak philosophy of the Dragon, Grendel struggles for meaning. Told that his life and energies exist only for man to define himself against, he finds small consolation. Still, Grendel throws himself on the mercy of the men in a Frankenstein's monster effort to be accepted... to no avail, deciding after that 'why should I not' destroy them . At times darkly humourous, and touching, the creature muses on the beauty of Hrothgar's placid, sacrificing wife before attempting to kill her, and plays with the fallen hero Unferth before Beowulf's arrival. As those familiar with the epic know, Beowulf in the original poem arrives from across the sea to save Hrothgar's hall by doing battle with Grendel, his mother, and eventually the Dragon. Grendel senses Beowulf's arrival and marvels at the concept of fear. Familiarity with the story makes the inevitability of the conflict all the more delicious when Grendel finally realizes his purpose and observes 'I cannot believe such monstrous energy of grief would lead to nothing' the reader is left to answer that it did not lead to nothing, it was a necessary component in an incredible story, told from the historical antagonist's point of view.
Another great book is The Price of Immortality, I highly recommend it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the story of Beowulf from the monsters point of view. He starts as a youngster with an ever silent mother deep in a cave with other dark creatures. He meets man and later the harpist/story teller and the mystical religious tales he hears creates unsavoury fascinations in him - he realises a dark cause; the eternal Dragon's advice is not helpful but he is granted invincibility. He murders and teases the tribes watching their mini-wars; Unferth the local hero gets the brunt of the monster's toying. Beowulf arrives to play out the monster's destiny.
I found this story so personal and deep. The monster asks questions of himself, his family and ultimately (what I saw) as his personal god (the Dragon) and gets no helpful answers. He is constrained by his being, defined by his behaviour and judged by his history -aren't we all? How much he is a monster by religious design and just a pure fiction to help humanity find its place is unclear. For all his badness I cared and felt sorry for him (much like the monster is Frankenstein). This is a mixture of Sartre, Frankenstein, Child of God (by McCarthy) and The Golem - s speedy, hypnotic excellent book. As an aside I had read Beowulf ages ago but you certainly don't need to have to enjoy the story.
I found this story so personal and deep. The monster asks questions of himself, his family and ultimately (what I saw) as his personal god (the Dragon) and gets no helpful answers. He is constrained by his being, defined by his behaviour and judged by his history -aren't we all? How much he is a monster by religious design and just a pure fiction to help humanity find its place is unclear. For all his badness I cared and felt sorry for him (much like the monster is Frankenstein). This is a mixture of Sartre, Frankenstein, Child of God (by McCarthy) and The Golem - s speedy, hypnotic excellent book. As an aside I had read Beowulf ages ago but you certainly don't need to have to enjoy the story.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's been 2 years since I have read this title and I still recommend it to my friends. Written with a sheer wit and dark humour that would have you laughing out loud if not for Grendel's tormented mind. Superb.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gives real depth to the myth
Having recently read Beowulf for the first time, I was looking forward to this slim novel, told from Grendel's point of view. Read more
Published on 10 April 2008 by Annabel Gaskell
Delicious retelling of the Beowulf legend
This book overflows with black humour as Grendel himself narrates the frustrations and indignities of being a single parent monster in the dark ages. Read more
Published on 12 Oct 1999
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