John Howe's take on Grendel

John Howe, who is currently probably best known as one of the imagineers of Middle Earth, produced a number of illustrations for a Beowulf boardgame eight or so years back.

You can see many of the wonderful, dramatic paintings on his website here.

I'm particularly interested in his take on Grendel, as the look of the monster is something I am very aware I need to get right for my own project, whilst at the same time making him seem fresh and new.

Beowulf Beastslayer - Let Me Tell You A Story

Beowulf Beastslayer

While I was running my YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter, a number of people asked about the possibility of new gamebook content. Well, following on from the success of YOU ARE THE HERO, I'm planning on crowd-funding a brand new gamebook, based on the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf.

In BEOWULF BEASTSLAYER you will play the part of the eponymous hero - the first superhero of the English literary tradition - battling such monsters as Grendel, Grendel's mother and a dragon, as well as sea serpents and all manner of other creatures along the way. Will your adventure follow the course of the original story or will you carve out a new epic all of your own?

To express your interest in this project, please visit the BEOWULF BEASTSLAYER Facebook page, click 'Like', and share the link with all your friends.

So, until next time...

Beowulf as re-imagined by dreamweaver Neil Gaiman

There have been a number of different versions of the Anglo-Saxon epic committed to film over the years - including Beowulf & Grendel (2005) and Outlander (2008) - but one of the best is the Robert Zemeckis-helmed 2007 version, written by award-winning comic-book writer Neil Gaiman and Pulp Fiction co-writer Roger Avary.

Beowulf adds a bold new dimension to the story of the hero's battle against the monstrous Grendel, in its interpretation of the monster's 'hag-like' mother, and very effective it is too. And then there's the fact that it was all created inside a computer. (Ray Winstone has never looked so buff!)

Zemeckis creates a dark fantasy full of haunting images, and the film's on TV tonight, on ITV1, at 11.00pm.

Julian Glover reads from Beowulf

Beowulf - Beastslayer

A tale of monsters. A tale of heroes.

A brand new gamebook by Jonathan Green.