Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Lucy
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About The Book
Grendel is a troll who comes up from the world below to find love. But the passage is hard, and it’s only with the aid of a human named Ken that Grendel survives. Ken, a successful, thirty-ish software engineer, lives peacefully in the suburbs with his dog Jake. Though six feet tall, Ken has always secretly dreamed of meeting a man bigger than himself. In Grendel he finds this desire met in spectacular fashion.
Grendel is attracted to Ken too, but before the pair have time to explore their feelings, an agent from the Federal Bureau of Geostasis arrives. He tells Ken the FBG have detected Grendel’s passage, which is a breach of security. They want to take Grendel into custody and send him to work in the mines. Ken defies the agent even though he knows it will lead to trouble. If Ken and Grendel are to have any possibility of staying together, they must find some way to elude these government forces.
A whole new world is opening up for Ken, who always viewed himself as a law-abiding person. He feels helpless, but Grendel has some ideas about how to elude the FBG and stay together.
The Review
Ken is successful, both professionally and financially, but relies mostly on his dog Jake for his social interactions. Grendel is a troll from the Underworld with a penchant for human literature, and burning desire for a love, unlike what most trolls want or expect. They meet one night when Ken takes Jake for a walk and discover Grendel stuck in the ground.
I thoroughly enjoyed Gordon Phillips’ unique take on trolls and the world they come from. The writing was very good, with a nostalgic style that gave the story a unique feel. The characters were charming and endearing, and very well-developed.
I loved how Grendel and Ken would quote poems to one another while trying to express a point of view. And Jake, the dog, was adorable. He was fierce and loyal and often acted as a wee emissary between Ken and new acquaintances.
Grendel Rising is an engaging read with excellent pacing, a unique premise, and endearing, well-developed characters. I haven’t read anything by Gordon Phillips prior to this story, but I look forward to more from this author.
The Reviewer
I’m an avid reader who loves pretty much all genres except math textbooks. As a kid, my parents exposed me to everything from fairies, hobbits, and dragons to the biographies of interesting people around the world, interspersed with poetry, plays, and music. Into adulthood, I spent a lot of years with my nose buried in various textbooks. Now, I read whatever grabs my fancy.