BEOWULF translated by Seamus Heaney

Let me preface this post by saying I am not someone who reads books that everyone says I should read, as opposed to books I want to read. Most of the so-called classics are given to students at the wrong age, and many of the books selected are turgid and irrelevant, clearly chosen with the malicious intent of steering an enthusiastic child away from reading towards a life of crime, video game addiction and dissolution.

Not that there's anything wrong with video games. I am currently suffering from multiple wrist and shoulder injuries sustained while playing Wii.

Beowulf is different because it is the source material for so many incredible tales that have followed since it was first written hundreds of years ago. The monsters, dragons and sword play of any classic work of fantasy, let alone any video game or movie, can be tied directly back to this epic poem.

I bought this edition after watching the animated movie that was released last year. The movie had an ingenious adaptation and screenplay by Neil Gaiman, but the film itself didn't work for me. I am a big fan of animation, but the Polar Express style of graphics hasn't nailed human beings yet. There are subtle yet critical details of skin and eyes that are lost, an effect which creates an emotional distance from the characters. So while you can get plenty of emotion from a cartoon character like Shrek or even Looney Tunes, when you transform Anthony Hopkins into animation the character somehow becomes wooden and dispassionate despite the great acting.

But watching the film got me interested in revisiting Beowulf. Like the hero who battles Grendel and then slays the dragon, Seamus Heaney has done what others thought impossible. He managed to translate this poem with enough grace and contemporary language that it reads beautifully while still remaining faithful to the cadence of the original poem. The story comes through without any need for footnotes, and some of the passages are amazing, the kind you cut out and paste on your wall.

Ray Bradbury said in his book on writing that writers should read poetry, but rare is the poem that stirs the blood like a thriller or mystery novel. Beowulf is grand adventure in a distant time and place, and it's great fun. Skip the movie or watch it only after picking up this translation and you'll have a new appreciation for a story that ranks with the Odyssey for timelessness.

YELLOW MEDICINE by Anthony Neil Smith

I've been immersed in edits on my latest book and haven't been reading as much as I normally would, but I made the mistake of picking up a copy of Yellow Medicine and wasn't able to put the damn thing down. Consequently I am running a bit late on turning in my latest manuscript, but it was worth it. This book is phenomenal.

Anthony Neil Smith is the brains behind Plots With Guns, the infamous online crimezine, but he's also a brilliant writer. His characters are perfectly realized and horribly flawed, so real and compelling that you almost feel like you're watching them instead of reading about them. Rarely have I so vividly visualized an author's characters.

Smith tells the story of Deputy Billy Lafitte, a lawman who prefers to bend the rules rather than abide by them, and his entanglement with Drew, a local girl whose no-good boyfriend has gotten in way over his head with something that just might involve terrorists. The story is lightning fast and the writing incredibly visceral.

Yellow Medicine is published by Bleak House Books, one of the finest mystery publishers out there. Buy it now but read it only when you're prepared to drop everything else.