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Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. Mythology. Historical Fiction. HTML:Rebecca Barnhouse weaves Norse gods, blood feuds, and a terrifying dragon into this spectacular retelling of the end of the Old English poem Beowulf. When he was a baby, Rune washed up onshore in a boat, along with a sword and a pendant bearing the runes that gave him his nickname. Some people thought he was a sacrifice to the gods and wanted to send him right back to the sea. Luckily for Rune, King Beowulf disagreed. He lifted the boy from the boat and gave him to Amma, a wisewoman living on a farm far removed from the king�??s hall, to raise as she saw fit. Sixteen years later, Rune spends his summers laboring on the farm. And at King Beowulf�??s request, he comes to the hall each winter for weapons training. But somehow he never quite fits in. Many people still fear he will bring a curse on the kingdom. Then a terrible thing happens. On a lonely crag on a mountain that belongs to the giants, someone awakens a dragon. It is time for Rune to find the warrior inside himself and prove to the doubters once and for all that he is a true… (more)
User reviews
The story is definitely told in an ancient epic kind of manner that seems fitting to the tale Barnhouse is telling. The writing is good. I see no reason why fans of Beowulf should not enjoy this.
For me, though, this book turned out to be a solid meh. I just didn't connect to Rune as a character. He spends all of his time whining about how weak he is. It makes sense that he has such low self-esteem, since he's surrounded by so many people putting him down all the time, but reading about it got tiring. Amma is an intriguing character but we don't learn much about her. Actually, I don't feel like I got a good handle on anyone but Rune himself.
However, I do have slightly higher hopes for Peaceweaver, since it seems like there might be a strong female lead in that one, which would be excellent.
Very nicely imagined and written. Recommended if you enjoy retellings like this. (And the audio is excellent, too.)