Sister of Grendel, Paperback

In the ancient epic, Grendel and his mother are monsters slain by the hero warrior Beowulf. In Sister of Grendel we learn a different truth, told by the lone witness to their brutal deaths. In this powerful and poignant reimagining, Grendel has a sister, Rehsotis. She and her brother are not monsters, but Anathians, who possess refined language and intelligence, great physical strength, and longevity. They live close to the natural and spiritual world, are skilled in herbal medicine, music, and magic, and can enter the dreams of sleeping humans. Rehsotis and Grendel are among the last of their race. Ultimately, Rehsotis must bridge the dangerous divide with humankind-the Smallheaded-with the help of her few allies, including a forsaken monk, a grieving lover, and a trusting child. ""Sister of Grendel is a marvel of storytelling, as well as a haunting miracle of reimagination of every preconception not just of Beowulf, but of the possibilities of fiction. For 1,000 years over 3,000 lines, this epic poem has been wrung through every possible interpretation except this one: Grendel, perhaps not as monstrous as legend has it, is accompanied this time by a sibling, at times his conscience, protector, apologist, critic, and even occasional victim. Astonishing in its originality, one ultimately can only repeat the final words of the fictional interlocuter that transmutes the tale: "I whispered," she says of Rehsotis, Grendel's sister, 'I will never forget you.'"" -Neal Karlen, a former contributing editor for Rolling Stone, staff writer for Newsweek, and regular contributor to the New York Times. He's the author most recently of This Thing Called Life, a biography/memoir of Prince.

• Dimensions: 229 x 152
• Author: Susan Thurston
• Cover type: Paperback
• Publishing Year: 2022
• Publishing Month: 12
• Pages: 196
• Language: English
• Publisher: Calumet Editions
• Weight: 295 g