Beowulf by Gareth Hinds


A strong and relatively short re-telling of the classic tale

Published in 2007 by Candlewick.

If you are like me and are well read, are mildly interested in Beowulf but just plain lack the desire to read a 3000-line long medieval poem, this volume may be the answer. I plowed through this graphic novel in about a half an hour and certainly was entertained and a bit more enlightened as to the tone and nature of the Beowulf saga.

 I was aware of the outlines of the first two sections of this story which are about the battle against Grendel and the battle against Grendel's mother. I was totally unaware of the story of Beowulf's death from the fight against a dragon.

To his credit, Gareth Hinds includes sections of a translation of the original text to narrate his text. Hinds' artwork is fantastic, especially his renderings of the beasts that Beowulf fights.

Does it replace the original? No, of course not. But, it's a pretty good stopgap substitute and its pretty darned entertaining.

 I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5.

 This graphic novel can be found on Amazon.com here: Beowulf.
Reviewed on December 20, 2008

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