Gareth Hinds – BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews Beowulf: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds

Today Marshmallow is talking to Sprinkles about Beowulf: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, written and illustrated by Gareth Hinds and first published in 2007.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, you read yet another graphic novel adaptation of yet another ancient story. Tell us a bit about this book.

Marshmallow: This book is about a hero named Beowulf. The story takes place within the world of Norse mythology. Beowulf is a strong warrior, who is the leader of a people called the Geats. There is a king named Hrothgar, who is the leader of the Danes, who decides to build a banquet hall that will be the greatest ever. Once this great hall is finished however, this monster from “an accursed race” called Grendel comes and eats everyone who is there at night. And then this happens for twelve winters.

S: Wait, so there is a monster who comes and eats the folks in the great hall at night. Then why don’t they leave the hall empty at night?

M: I do not really understand the logic there either. But that is what happens. So Grendel is a big threat to the Danes and their king. Until Beowulf comes and he says he will save them. And he fights Grendel and kills him.

S: So is that the whole story then?

M: No, this is only part one. Then Beowulf has to kill Grendel’s mother who is another monster, and then there is a dragon who comes, and Beowulf kills that too.

S: So the book is about three different heroic triumphs of Beowulf protecting or saving the Danes.

M: Almost but not quite. Those things kind of happen but there is more. Between the murder of Grendel’s mother and the dragon, Beowulf returns home and rules over his land for fifty years. And then the dragon comes and attacks the Geats. So Beowulf has to fight against the dragon. He manages to kill it but he is mortally wounded in the fight.

S: So he dies in the end?

M: Yes, but he seems quite at peace with it because he lived a long and valiant life and he saved his land and his people. And other people too.

S: You mean the Danes?

M: Right.

Marshmallow is reading Beowulf: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds. — Marshmallow is reading *Beowulf: A Graphic Novel Adaptation* by Gareth Hinds.

S: So the original Beowulf story is very old.

M: Yes, not as old as the Iliad or the Odyssey, but the first known manuscript of the story is more than a thousand years old. But this graphic novel looks like it would fit right in with the genre. Especially if you like graphic novels which are very graphic.

S: Can you open that up a bit?

M: I mean the fights are depicted very explicitly. It is rather violent. For example, Beowulf rips off Grendel’s arm and Grendel is shown eating people and ripping off other people’s limbs and so on. It is really violent. I would definitely not recommend the book for little bunnies.

S: I looked at the book a bit and did see a lot of action and violence.

M: Yes. But I think most teenagers can handle it. And if they are trying to get the sense of the historic text, this could be very helpful. It is a very fast read. There is very limited amount of text, and there are many pages where there is no text whatsoever.

S: Hmm, that sounds interesting. It does seem like you appreciated reading the book.

M: Yes. I’d even rate it 95%. Honestly when I first began to read it, I thought that maybe the font of the text was a bit too fancy and could make it hard to read, but then I got used to it and could read it easily. I’d definitely recommend this book to bunnies curious to know the story of Beowulf.

S: That makes sense.

M: Did you know that J.R.R. Tolkien, the writer of the Lord of The Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, was a scholar who wrote a bunch about the original story Beowulf? He worked on a translation of it from Old English and even wrote about translating it.

S: I knew he was a scholar of ancient literature but I think I did not know he worked with Beowulf specifically. That is very interesting Marshmallow.

M: I thought so too.

S: Okay, then; this is probably enough for this review. What would you like to tell our readers as we wrap it up?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Beowulf: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Beowulf: A Graphic Novel Adaptation* by Gareth Hinds 95%.

Marshmallow reviews The Iliad: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds

A few weeks ago Marshmallow read and reviewed The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds, a retelling of an iconic tale from the Ancient Greeks. Today she discusses with Sprinkles The Iliad: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, published nine years later, in 2019.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, here we are, with yet another book about Greek mythology.

Marshmallow: Yes, this is the famous Iliad, also credited to the blind poet Homer, and it tells the story of the Trojan War, the war that is supposed to have happened before the events of The Odyssey. So yes, it is mythology but also kind of like history.

S: Yes, it does seem like in those times, history and myth got quite intimately intertwined. So tell us a bit about the main story. What is it really about?

M: Well, it starts with a Prologue explaining some historical facts about the Trojan War. And there we are told that the book (The Iliad) will not really be about the War itself, but mainly about the two main heroes, Achilles and King Agamemnon both fighting on the Achaean side.

S: Oh I see. So then tell us a bit about these two men and what is going on between them that deserves an epic poem.

M: Basically Agamemnon and Achilles are both fighting to help their common ally, Menelaus, whose wife Helen was kidnapped by Paris, the son of the Trojan king. Menelaus won Helen as his wife in what seems to me to be a primitive competition, and all his competitors swore to protect the eventual winner. So now Menelaus calls in all these people to help him get Helen back from Troy.

S: So Helen is supposed to be the reason for the Trojan War, according to this account, right?

M: Yes. That is the main idea, but of course there were a lot of other more political reasons, like control over trade routes. But it is of course more romantic to explain everything as a man fighting to get his wife back.

S: I can see that.

M: I think both the gods and the people are very petty in the whole story. The main story of the book is not even about the cause of the war. Achilles and Agamemnon, even though they are fighting on the same side, start fighting over spoils of war, and in particular a young woman. I would like to mention that Achilles claimed this woman after killing her husband, her brothers, and her parents.

S: Ugh. She seems to be seen mainly as a reward, as property. And it seems Helen is the same.

M: Yes, I was quite annoyed by that through the whole story really. They fight over her without really letting her decide who she wants to end up with. And she is not really too free either. She is kind of coerced into loving Paris by Aphrodite. She also did not like her husband much to start with, it seems like.

S: And from what you are telling me, it seems like it really did not matter what she felt or thought. From some versions of the story, I had understood her to have fallen in love with Paris, but yes, by Aphrodite’s nudging. Which is kind of coercive. Then again, she is the goddess of love, so how does anyone fall in love with anyone?

M: Hmm, I do not know. That is a good question. But in some stories Aphrodite makes people fall in love with inanimate objects or horrible people, so it is not always a natural love.

Marshmallow is reading The Iliad: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds.

S: Okay, so you had some misgivings about the story line, but overall what did you think?

M: Well, I liked it. I’d rate it 100% because it is an important and well-revered story of Western Civilization, and the book is well done. And we see very clearly the follies of war. There is also a lot of violence. So probably younger bunnies should not try to read this. Even though it is a graphic novel, it is a bit too graphic in that other meaning of the word.

S: I see.

M: It was also pretty important for me to read this and see how women were seen as rewards, as spoils of war, and as property.

S: It has been that way in many cultures, societies, and times, unfortunately.

M: I am happy that I am not living in those times.

S: Me, too. What else would you like to tell us?

M: It is really annoying how gods think of humans as their own playthings. Of course I also knew this from all the Percy Jackson books, but this is real war, and there are a lot of real people dying because of the gods’ interventions. Also the humans themselves are extremely violent. They take revenge, empathy and mercy are viewed as weakness. What they think is honor is too violent. It is a terrible terrible world. The only good person in the whole book seems to be Hector, and even he dies because he believes dying is honorable and his wife and son are left defenseless.

S: I see. Thank you for all your thoughts Marshmallow. Last but not the least, can you comment on the drawings?

M: Sure, the drawings are in the same style as those in The Odyssey, as you would expect. It is after all the same artist. I liked how especially in this book, the characters were quite distinct in how they were depicted. Apparently he worked the first letter of each character’s name into their armor, which is a neat idea, but it is a little difficult to see them sometimes. Overall, though, this was a good book to read as a graphic novel.

S: I can see that it would be important to be able to distinguish all those characters. There are so many! Anyways, this is probably a good time to end this review. What would you tell our readers Marshmallow?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates The Iliad: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Iliad: A Graphic Novel Adaptation* by Gareth Hinds 100%.

Marshmallow reviews The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds

Today Marshmallow reviews The Odyssey, the famed epic from about twenty-eight centuries ago attributed to Homer, in its graphic novel adaptation by Gareth Hinds, first published in 2010. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, we know you are a big fan of mythology, and you have read a ton of books about Greek myths especially.

Marshmallow: You mean I read all the Rick Riordan books?

S: I guess. But besides his standard series based on Greek myths (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo), you have also read and reviewed Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. Those gave you quite a foundation on Greek mythology.

M: I guess you could say that. But I did not really read the myths from other sources …. until now!

S: Yes, that’s right. So when you told me your English class was reading The Odyssey by Homer, I was excited. And when I learned it was a graphic novel version, I knew you would find it absolutely fascinating!

M: That is exactly right. I really enjoyed reading about Odysseus and his adventures. I had read a lot about that world, as you said, but with the graphic novel version, I could see it!

S: So okay, maybe we can start there then. Can you tell us a bit about the illustrations and coloring?

M: Well, it is colorful. And distinct characters have distinct facial features. And there is a lot of action, and the action is depicted very effectively. I should also say though that there is a lot of nudity and graphic violence.

S: I guess it is not meant for very young bunnies.

M: No, I do not think so. For example on page 23, they are skinning an ox, and it is very much visible. And there is a scene or three when Odysseus and this lady are doing stuff. “Engaging in sexual acts”, one might say.

S: I see. I guess it is meant for more mature bunnies.

M: Yes.

Marshmallow is reading The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds. — Marshmallow is reading *The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel Adaptation* by Gareth Hinds.

S: Okay, then, maybe let us move on to the plot. The story of The Odyssey is relatively well known in some places, but not all our readers might know or remember. Can you tell us a bit about what this odyssey is about?

M: Odysseus fought in the Trojan War, which was described in detail in The Iliad. The Odyssey happens after the wars and tells the story of Odysseus going back home to Ithaca. He meets a lot of challenges and distractions along the way, so the trip takes him about ten years, but he eventually makes it home to his wife Penelope in one piece.

S: The way you described Odysseus and his journey reminded me of one of my favorite poems, Ithaka, by Greek poet Constantine P. Kavafy. Kind of like the journey is the point, the arrival a goal set to start the action, but not really the central meaning of everything.

M: Well, I guess that fits the book I have just read. Odysseus has so many adventures, and he is sometimes quite easily distracted, experiencing and exploring and learning and so on. And the home that he is heading to appears only at the very end.

S: You had met some of the characters in this story earlier in some of the Percy Jackson books, right?

M: Yes, cyclops and the sirens, and so on, they all showed up at various points in the Percy Jackson books. So it was really neat to see where all those stories came from originally, and also to see how this one artist, Gareth Hinds, visualizes them in his head.

S: You know that he has also published a graphic novel version of The Iliad, right? Are you going to read that one, too?

M: Yes, I want to.

S: Great! So maybe you will review it for the book bunnies blog some time in the near future.

M: Probably! I’d rate this book 100%, so I am hopeful about the other one.

S: That will be wonderful! Alright, Marshmallow, this is probably a good place to wrap up our review. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel Adaptation* by Gareth Hinds 100%.