CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW: MONSTER SLAYER A BEOWULF TALE BY BRIAN PATTEN

Monster Slayer A Beowulf Tale
Author: Brian Patten
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Pages: 51
ISBN: 978-1-78112-932-6
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

When a mighty king holds a feast, he doesn't expect to wake the one monster who has been asleep for a hundred years and could destroy the peace they have known.

No one is prepared for the moment when their revellry is broken and the Grendel goes on the rampage, killing all in his path. The reason for his hatred of humans becomes clear rather early on; he feels he had been banished to a swamp and left to fend for himself while humans live in harmony with wealth and the best food. This hatred is what stays in his mind as he kills the king's men and later some of the villagers.

With a story by Brian Patten and illustrations by Chris Riddell, the two of them bring the original tale to life and give it new meaning. In Monster Slayer, Beowulf is the one mighty warrior who could take down the Grendel after so many have already tried and failed. The king sees him as their only saviour, leaving him to wait in the great hall to face the Grendel.

Brian has used the original poetry to create his own version of the legend, making Beowulf a formidable enemy to the Grendel as he is cunning, sly and uses deceptive ways to defeat him, though he doesn't realise that by killing the Grendel he brings about a potential worse tragedy.

For boys and girls of any age, Monster Slayer A Beowulf Tale is Brian's way of taking elements of the original to weave a new and scarier version of events both before and after the Grendel strikes.