Sorry if I'm jumping the gun here, but I'm stuck on a point of understanding. I'll try to write the question so it doesn't spoil the story.

In the new Shadow Novella, "Monarch of the Glen", does "You are not a man" refer to his half-breed origins, or his not pursuing her more aggressively? It's an important point and changes the whole complexion of the story for me.

Neil?

I'd like an answer to that question, too. (And I'm also puzzled about the stakes of the big Beowulf vs. Grendel fight. What would have happened, for example, if the monsters won? And how does that relate to the return of the old gods?)

But we won't get the answer from Neil, 'cause he doesn't post on this message board.

As usual, it's very ambiguous, but I thought I had the idea about the stakes of the fight and the old gods. Does this make sense:

* There are 3 parties to the fight -- the monster, the local hero, and the rich people.

* The monster always loses, so the local gods beat the imported ones, and the imported gods can't leave or land.

* The rich people always kill both of them afterward, symbolically placing the plutocrats / establishment / rationalists above the god-fearers AND the monster-fearers, and keeping all the gods (and mythical creatures) weak.

But now all of that has changed, and Jennie is the key -- she represents the old, imported mythical creatures, (so does Shadow), and together they beat the rich people, and let the monster live. So the old gods and myths get some power back at the expense of the rich guys, and Jennie can now return home (she couldn't before), so I assume this means so can the "men" on the ship.

But I still don't know which aspect of Shadow disappointed her. After giving him 3 good openings that he politely refused, maybe she thinks he's gay.

Jenny explains at the end that she has to love a MAN. Not a god or a monster, but a human. Shadow has morphed into something no longer fully human, so he can't be the one she loves (I think it takes the Grendel rescue to get her to realize this).