Beowulf (review)

With its grisly battles between horrific monsters and resolute heroes, Beowulf has inspired much of western fantasy literature, from epic quest novels to comics, and thus persists as a culturally significant narrative. In this accessible, three-chapter retelling, Morpurgo uses alliterative adjective-noun pairs and modifiers—"death-dealing dragon," "sainted survivor," "foul flame-fiend," etc.—to effect a heroic rhetorical prose style as he describes the Geatish warrior's larger-than-life encounters with Grendel, his sea-hag mother, and a dragon who got up on the wrong side of his hoard. Foreman's watercolor illustrations are somewhat lighthearted for the subject matter, failing to evoke the bloody mood of this classic work despite some creative interpretations of monsterdom. Still, Morpurgo's prose, especially in a spirited readaloud, will fire imaginations and elicit the heart-pumping, wide-eyed response that has kept this tale alive and vigorous through the ages.