In the book's afterword, Godwin himself notes the difficulties that confront a modern author trying to translate the epic poem into terms a 21st century audience can grasp. Given those limitations, Godwin, a gifted and literate writer, does a good job of making Beowulf a figure comprehensible to modern readers.

Godwin has kept the more fantastic of the saga's images while explaining them to readers who may be unfamiliar with Norse mythology. Grendel and his mother are tormented immortals, trapped in grotesque bodies, and with abominable appetites for living flesh. They yearn for beauty, love, and warmth, and are condemned to live without any of these comforts except the little they can offer each other. Grendel's attacks on Heorot are set in the context of a disputed inheritance, and his mother's grief at the loss of her only solace in the world lead to her final confrontation with Beowulf.

But Godwin does more than just reclothe the poem in the trappings of modern language. He leads the reader into the minds and hearts of the characters, from Beowulf himself, fighting always to prove himself the brave warrior his father never believed him to be; to Grendel, yearning for acceptance from both gods and men.

Not my cup of tea, I'll admit, but a good piece of writing for those who prefer fantasy to hard science fiction. Godwin is particularly skilled at making the complex motivations of his characters understandable. ( )