Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Legenda o Sigurdzie i Gudrun by J.R.R. Tolkien

4 reviews

studiomikarts's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

This was my second reading of this book. I orginally purchased it new, for a steeply discounted $6, at Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon in 2015. I first read it over the next year or so after purchasing, which sets this latest reading almost a decade later. I remembered enjoying this book the first time, but it had been so long that I forgot most of the contents, which gave me the pleasant experience of reading something new.

There are so many aspects to enjoy about The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún. The core subject, J.R.R. Tolkien's poetic versions of some well-known ancient Norse stories is gripping. It takes a bit to get into the Eddaic rhythm, but once it clicks, it's hard to stop reading. The story itself is very dark and gruesome. Virtually every character engages in vile behavior, and the very few innocents face horrific ends. And yet it remains a gripping page-turner.

The academic writing of J.R.R. Tolkien and the well-researched annotations (and thoughtful editorial decisions) of Christopher Tolkien make for a whole other reason to read this. Not only do we get a glimpse into J.R.R. Tolkien's academic work and some origins for elements of his Middle-earth stories, we learn about Old English, Old Norse, and other languages, as well as the history, writing, and folklore of the regions, and even the history of the study of those subjects! Wow!

If you're interested in reading some non-Middle-earth and yet clearly related writing by J.R.R. Tolkien, if you're interested in learning more about the author in general, if you want to learn more about ancient Norse and English stories, or you just want to read a cool poem full of treasure, dragons, dwarves, magic, war, and revenge in an ancient European setting, I recommend this book!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Incest, Violence, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

tamara_joy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Death, Incest, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

nerdkitten's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, and War

Minor: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

aeudaimonia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad medium-paced

5.0

Rating this book - Tolkien's poetic reworking of the Old Norse lays (with supplemental information from the Prose Sagas) - is frankly beyond my intellectual capacity. 5 stars for my time and trouble! Before you begin, please read the introduction(s). You won't understand anything that's happening otherwise, and you won't understand why you don't understand (Norse skaldic verse is obscure and troublesome by design). Secondly, read it out loud! Tolkien went to great lengths to make it read like poetry rather than a mere translation. Silent reading, I think, actively diminishes the artistry and makes it harder to understand. 

Additionally, for anyone nervous about the length of the book, the lays themselves are relatively short; the bulk of the page count goes to the introduction and commentaries on both the Völsungakvida and the Gudrúnarkvida. Consult them liberally! Christopher Tolkien took great pains to make his father's work intellectually accessible to Norse amateurs. Apologies for my unusual bossiness in this review but I love and appreciate this work so, so much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Incest