Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Beowulf by Unknown

30 reviews

chambre1055's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Bro 1: Close your eyes, Bro.
*Bro 2 closes his eyes
Bro 1: Now what do you see, Bro? 
Bro 2: Nothing, Bro. Suddenly, it all went dark. 
Bro 1: Thats how quickly internet language gets outdated, Bro. Hate to break it to you like this, Bro. 
💁🏽

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jbelang85's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

So this is for the Headly translation. I thought the Seamus Heaney version was better, though it has been over a decade. I remember longer fight scenes in that one. 

I was interested in this version as it was described as a more modern update. But what it really seemed to be was the author inserting modern language in some areas of the book, but kept a lot of the older language. I found that a little disorienting and not as enjoyable.

Still, pretty good and might recommend it to somewhat too concerned about the ease of understanding older versions.

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emmagreenwood's review against another edition

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

3.0


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evaphoenix's review against another edition

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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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cerandor's review against another edition

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

4.25

A rollicking translation of the classic Old English poem, this starts with a “Bro!” and continues with gusto. A few lines scan awkwardly, but only a few out of more than three thousand is no mean feat.

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pacifickat's review against another edition

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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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xkrille's review against another edition

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

2.0

I read it for university, and it was fine. I did not hate it, but at the same time, it was not for me. It was interesting enough, and I can somewhat see why it's a classic.

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godraed's review against another edition

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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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12dejamoo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

This translation of Beowulf is really something else. It's so so readable. It reads like a story told in a mead hall, and I think something in the telling really puts the reader into that mental space. I struggled to get through Beowulf last time I read it, but with this translation, it flowed and pulled you along to the next scene. This is the translation to start with and to really get a grasp on the story.

I'll leave this review with these ending lines (3174-3182), so spoiler alert:

They did all this grieving the way men do,
but, bro, no man knows, not me, not you,
how to get to goodbye. His guys tried.
They remembered the right words. Our king!
Lonely ring-wielder! Inheritor of everything!
He was our man, but every man dies.
Here he is now! Here our best boy lies!
He rode hard! He stayed thirsty! He was the man!
He was the man.

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rachelwierick's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

5.0


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