Product Description

When Grendel is drawn up from the caves under the mere where he lives with his bloated, inarticulate hag of a mother into the fresh night air, it is to lay waste Hrothgar's meadhall and heap destruction on the humans he finds there. What else can he do? For he is not like the men who busy themselves with God, love and beauty. He sees the infuriating human rage for order and recognises the meaninglessness of his own existence. GRENDEL is John Gardner's masterpiece; it vividly reinvents the world of Beowulf. In Grendel himself, a creature of grotesque comedy, pain and disillusioned intelligence, Gardner has created the most unforgettable monster fantasy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #869171 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: School & Library Binding

About the Author
John Gardner (1933-82) was an American academic, a scholar of mediaeval literature, and writer who incorporated fantasy elements in many of his stories and novels, most notably in GRENDEL, JASON AND MEDEA, FREDDY'S BOOK and IN THE SUICIDE MOUNTAINS. Gardner was eclectic and prolific; he also wrote children's books, libretti, academic and non-fiction and plays.

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. Poor Grendel, although we never find out exactly how he was created, he does realise that he has a bit of man in him somewhere, and he agonises over this as he lurks around watching men and occasionally getting the urge to kill one - always to eat at this stage. It is his encounter with the arrogant Unferth, that starts to really turn him and this is sped on by the dragon's wisdom until he becomes the killing machine we know from the original text.
The very dense and literary style with much philosophising will not suit all, but it has great insight and goes very well with Beowulf indeed. A difficult but rewarding read.

Inventive, intelligent and convincing
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.

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. Imaginative and thought provoking.