Book review: Beowulf (the novelization), Caitlin Kiernan
I read Beowulf at school, and while I understood its importance to the English literary canon, it never really moved me. All that changed upon reading Caitlin Kiernan's version.
Kiernan stays true to the story - and the modern prose allowed me to really appreciate the tale: one that throws uncouth barbarians, swordfights, monsters and fair maidens at you all in one big rush. There is always something happening. Even the fight scenes captivated me, which is extremely unusual.
Kiernan's Beowulf is more than just a mindless action tale though. As befits a renowned dark fantasy author, Kiernan has done her research and delivers a tale that does the tricky job of grounding the reader in a defined historical period while, at the same time, placing said reader firmly in a age of myth and legend. Much better than I expected.
Kiernan stays true to the story - and the modern prose allowed me to really appreciate the tale: one that throws uncouth barbarians, swordfights, monsters and fair maidens at you all in one big rush. There is always something happening. Even the fight scenes captivated me, which is extremely unusual.
Kiernan's Beowulf is more than just a mindless action tale though. As befits a renowned dark fantasy author, Kiernan has done her research and delivers a tale that does the tricky job of grounding the reader in a defined historical period while, at the same time, placing said reader firmly in a age of myth and legend. Much better than I expected.