Stand Alone Fantasy Titles, August 2012

With the author unknown, many a translation has come to tell the epic saga of the feats of the mighty Geat warrior Beowulf.  This Anglo-Saxon poem crafted sometime between the 8th and 11th century is an amazing work to behold and tells the story of Beowulf, prince of the Geats, who defeats the monster Grendel, his mother the Witch, and the great Dragon. It is a sword-wielding onslaught and translator Burton Raffel presents the text in a clear and poetic way, giving a vivid detail to action and thought. His edition is overshadowed of late by the award-winning translation of Seamus Heaney, but elements of his version sing in a way that properly illustrate the depth of the original poem.