Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley

6 reviews

evaphoenix's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, War, and Violence

Minor: Rape and Slavery

pacifickat's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This epic poem is the forefather of much of Western high fantasy and lore. I enjoy seeing parallels to works like those of Tolkien, Gaiman, and Sanderson: lords, warriors, great halls, named swords, lengthy descriptions of shields and armor, sworn fealty, rings and ring givers, codes for good kingship, swift horses, dragons, treasure hordes, and monsters lurking in the darkness out of stories of old. 

It is also intersting to hear how these ancient Scandinavians / Anglo-Saxons overlayed and combined Christian elements with their own cultural values and older pagan religious myths and practices. Syncretism is a near universal human tendancy, and it's fascinating to see such an old example as a new belief system was sweeping across pre-modern Europe.

This was an enjoyable and approachable translation to hear in audiobook format.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Death

Minor: Alcohol

godraed's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Heaney's heroic translation 
proves the poet 
a master of the medium

Heaney's translation does a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of the original poem. He created a modern masterpiece from the Old English original.

Adventure, grim oaths, monsters, and a window into the worldview of another time. 

Gath a wyrd swa hio scel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Violence

Moderate: Death, Murder, Blood, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Gore, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Grief

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail

strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I listened to it on audiobook mostly while falling asleep so I missed a lot of it. I really enjoyed the introduction which was mostly the history of the Beowulf. I definitely enjoyed the parts I was tuned in for and plan to reread it in book format. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, and Violence

waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I had to read this for a college course, and I have to admit that it's one of the better books I've had to read for school! The translation and context provided by Seamus Heaney went a long way in my enjoyment and understanding of the epic poem. It reads a lot like the Greek epics: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid. It's a classic hero's journey tale: Beowulf battles monsters, avenges the lives of those cut down in battle, confusing family trees where all the names sound the same, and lots of hyphenated descriptions of people and beasts. 

It may help to know that if you have to read this for school, I was able to read the whole thing in about 6 hours while taking notes for class, and I'm a slow reader. I hope you find it as easy and interesting to read as I did!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death of parent, Murder, Death, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

huckleberryrk's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Honestly a hilarious and heartfelt rendition. I loved it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Death, and Fire/Fire injury