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hannahisabanana93's review against another edition
3.0
It was slow, and I didn’t get into it emotionally until halfway through but overall a good read!
jennymock's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the description of Rune's daily life. I think this story stands on its own quite well and is an interesting reinvention of the end of the Beowolf poem.
brandypainter's review
3.0
Review originally posted here.
The third section of Beowulf has always been my favorite. It is just so sad and uncertain, yet hopeful at the same time. Like most endings are in life. Plus there's a dragon. There are very few stories that can't be improved by the presence of a dragon. So I was pretty excited about the existence of this book.
This book says so much and at the same time the story is so simple. It is Rune's story and shows his journey from taunted farm boy to one of the king's men facing a dragon, and then on to a bit more. Through Rune's story the reader gets so much more though. Not the least of which is a very accurate representation of Anglo Saxon life. I have to agree that this aspect did remind me of Rosemary Sutcliff in that the power was in the details. Small things were included that gives the reader a sense of the setting and did not require a lot of description. There is also a lot said about seeking wisdom, governing, war, peace, love, friendship and family. None of this is didactic, it is the story.
The plot is fast paced. The story covers little time. Things with the dragon happen quickly. The story taken from Beowulf ends about two thirds of the way in and the rest of the novel is pure invention and follows the things that occur in the land post dragon. The end is a bit rushed and some of Rune's emotions are startling in how quick they form but it was still concluded well.
Rune is a fascinating main character who comes across as real. I felt everything he was feeling so acutely as I read the book I actually had to double check to see what point of view it was written in before typing this review. It is third but I could have sworn it was first. All of the secondary characters are interesting as well, particularly Beowulf and Amma. There are several strong females in the story and they tell of how important they were to the society they lived in.
This is definitely one I will be coming back to again and will share with my children.
The third section of Beowulf has always been my favorite. It is just so sad and uncertain, yet hopeful at the same time. Like most endings are in life. Plus there's a dragon. There are very few stories that can't be improved by the presence of a dragon. So I was pretty excited about the existence of this book.
This book says so much and at the same time the story is so simple. It is Rune's story and shows his journey from taunted farm boy to one of the king's men facing a dragon, and then on to a bit more. Through Rune's story the reader gets so much more though. Not the least of which is a very accurate representation of Anglo Saxon life. I have to agree that this aspect did remind me of Rosemary Sutcliff in that the power was in the details. Small things were included that gives the reader a sense of the setting and did not require a lot of description. There is also a lot said about seeking wisdom, governing, war, peace, love, friendship and family. None of this is didactic, it is the story.
The plot is fast paced. The story covers little time. Things with the dragon happen quickly. The story taken from Beowulf ends about two thirds of the way in and the rest of the novel is pure invention and follows the things that occur in the land post dragon. The end is a bit rushed and some of Rune's emotions are startling in how quick they form but it was still concluded well.
Rune is a fascinating main character who comes across as real. I felt everything he was feeling so acutely as I read the book I actually had to double check to see what point of view it was written in before typing this review. It is third but I could have sworn it was first. All of the secondary characters are interesting as well, particularly Beowulf and Amma. There are several strong females in the story and they tell of how important they were to the society they lived in.
This is definitely one I will be coming back to again and will share with my children.
dinosaurhorrorshow's review against another edition
4.0
When I picked this book up and started reading it, I have to be honest I didn't read anything about it. So pleasantly surprised when I find out it's based on the story of Beowulf.
This was a wondering fantasy story and sucked me right in.
I also loved how culturally authentic it was. I love when authors do their research!
This was a wondering fantasy story and sucked me right in.
I also loved how culturally authentic it was. I love when authors do their research!
anitad's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book to fulfil the goal read a book set in scandivadia. I am discoving that i really like fantasy. i found this book had just the right balance for me to keep me interested the wholw way though. i would read more by this author
ashimmer13's review against another edition
2.0
Two things are possible regarding this book. The first, I may have liked Beowulf better if I had read this book first. Second, I may have liked this book more if I didn't already have a pretty poor opinion of Beowulf as a character.
The story is definitely exciting and interesting and certainly worth checking out!
And Robin Sachs is a great narrator for the audiobook.
The story is definitely exciting and interesting and certainly worth checking out!
And Robin Sachs is a great narrator for the audiobook.
amythebookbat's review
4.0
I like how the author was able to weave parts of Norse mythology with the epic poem of Beowulf. The story was exciting and action-packed right to the end. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, since I don't read huge amounts of fantasy. I do enjoy a bit of Norse mythology on occasion and I liked Beowulf the numerous times I have had to read it, so perhaps that is why I liked this book so much.
reader_fictions's review
3.0
Like most everyone else, I had to read Beowulf in high school. I hated it. However, I did like Grendel more, so I was still interested in a book based on Beowulf. To be honest, though, I really do not remember the end of Beowulf, like at all. So, I can only base this on itself, and not on the cleverness of the retelling.
The story is definitely told in an ancient epic kind of manner that seems fitting to the tale Barnhouse is telling. The writing is good. I see no reason why fans of Beowulf should not enjoy this.
For me, though, this book turned out to be a solid meh. I just didn't connect to Rune as a character. He spends all of his time whining about how weak he is. It makes sense that he has such low self-esteem, since he's surrounded by so many people putting him down all the time, but reading about it got tiring. Amma is an intriguing character but we don't learn much about her. Actually, I don't feel like I got a good handle on anyone but Rune himself.
However, I do have slightly higher hopes for Peaceweaver, since it seems like there might be a strong female lead in that one, which would be excellent.
The story is definitely told in an ancient epic kind of manner that seems fitting to the tale Barnhouse is telling. The writing is good. I see no reason why fans of Beowulf should not enjoy this.
For me, though, this book turned out to be a solid meh. I just didn't connect to Rune as a character. He spends all of his time whining about how weak he is. It makes sense that he has such low self-esteem, since he's surrounded by so many people putting him down all the time, but reading about it got tiring. Amma is an intriguing character but we don't learn much about her. Actually, I don't feel like I got a good handle on anyone but Rune himself.
However, I do have slightly higher hopes for Peaceweaver, since it seems like there might be a strong female lead in that one, which would be excellent.