Grendel

This was not the story I was expecting. I was expecting it to be Grendel's side of the story and the start of the story with his rise in self awareness and learning about the world around him made sense at first but then it seemed like the whole rest of the book was piddling around with philosophy. The unexplained plot twist where the 4th wall breaking dragon as a being of hire intelligence loses patience with teach Grendel, but bothers to put a protective charm on him, that Grendel figures out by accident causes a total disconnect for Grendel with men where he loses all interest in them other than beings to spitefully torment. His ultimate demise with Beowulf made no sense and was crammed into the final minutes of the book.

First of all, this book is amazing. The philosophical journies Grendel experiences are easily understood by the reader and Gardner's use of the motif of the astrological signs adds yet another intriguing layer to this work. This should be a much more famous "classic" than it is, for it's truly a noble work. Honestly it now tops the shelf as one of my favorite books I've ever read and taught. And I loved the voice of the narrator! I really enjoyed his style when he read words like "waaaa" and "heh-heh"... he kept me hooked right in there. His voice and delivery made me laugh, cringe (at the murdery bits) and it also made me cry. Overall, I'm a better, more educated person now after reading and listening to this book on tape!