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It's easy to find oneself in the thrall of hanks of blond hair and mead-fueled heroism, but it is a more difficult task to regard, with care, the heart of a monster. The monster (but is he?) in question is Grendel, an introspective animal who loves his mother and also has a taste for Danes. Gardner's novel is an accounting of the tale of Beowulf from Grendel's perspective; it's a story of a monster's hunger, love, and grief, and also those of men. Consider the original poem Beowulf: How is it that the happy endings of men and their stories are those that are soaked in blood?
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Hillwalker, January 4, 2011 (view all comments by Hillwalker)
So why is Grendel trashing Hrothgar's mead hall so regularly? Well, everyone has to have a hobby. But Beowulf has crashed the party and is set on spoiling all the fun.

After reading the classic myth from Grendel's point of view, I'm not sure who's side I'd be on.

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m0martin, March 2, 2007 (view all comments by m0martin)
Simply breathtaking. Grendel's forlorn and foreign longing to share in the harp-player's tales of misty legend reveal the tenderest of hearts in solitude. As Grendel muses, he's never seen a wolf treat another wolf the way these humans treat each other, in war, in plunder, in idiotic slaughter. The book is also very, very funny. My highest recommendation!

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Simone, November 8, 2006 (view all comments by Simone)
John Gardner's poetic language and monstrous, fantastical descriptions in this novel of the old Grendel and Beowulf tale make for a constantly fascinating read. Grendel is pitiable as the outsider, looking into a firelit human world he cannot comprehend, and he is more human than his victims when he finds an enemy more vicious than he imagined in the fabled warrior, Beowulf. There is so much in this book that is worth returning to, I recommend it very highly to any reader of myth or dark fantasy.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780679723110

Author:

Gardner, John

Publisher:

Vintage Books USA

Illustrator:

Antonucci, Emil

Author:

Antonucci, Emil

Location:

New York :

Subject:

Literary

Subject:

Fiction

Subject:

American

Subject:

Literature

Subject:

Fantastic fiction

Subject:

Fantasy

Subject:

Historical fiction

Subject:

Monsters

Subject:

Epic

Subject:

Beowulf

Subject:

Epic poetry, English (Old)

Subject:

Fantasy fiction

Subject:

General Fiction

Subject:

Literature-A to Z

Copyright:

c197

Edition Number:

Vintage Books ed.

Edition Description:

Trade paper

Series:

Vintage

Series Volume:

No. 5

Publication Date:

19890531

Binding:

TRADE PAPER

Grade Level:

General/trade

Language:

English

Illustrations:

YES

Pages:

192

Dimensions:

7.65x5.29x.57 in. .40 lbs.

Grendel Used Trade Paper John Gardner Product details 192 pages Vintage Books USA - 2011-05-29 English 9780679723110 Reviews: