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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved this. Interesting premise. A mixture of fantasy and maybe a bit of film noir, set in China.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
NYT Notable Books 2021: 14/100
This started off really strong and then kind of dropped off, before ending on a strong note. I think that if Ge had focused on fewer beasts, the book might have been stronger. I loved the first chapter and thought the book would focus on only one kind of beast, but when each chapter focused on a different beast, things started to feel less focused and I wasn't as attached to anyone as I should have been. This book requires readers to feel pulled by the characters, and with so much changing in each chapter, it was hard to do that.
This started off really strong and then kind of dropped off, before ending on a strong note. I think that if Ge had focused on fewer beasts, the book might have been stronger. I loved the first chapter and thought the book would focus on only one kind of beast, but when each chapter focused on a different beast, things started to feel less focused and I wasn't as attached to anyone as I should have been. This book requires readers to feel pulled by the characters, and with so much changing in each chapter, it was hard to do that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Yan Ge (with translation by Jeremy Tiang) spins a tightly woven tale of melancholy and hope over the skin of mythical beasts. I feel like I need to return to this book after percolating on it for a bit, but the mirror warped version of our world where beasts flit in the shadows will sit with me for a long while.
dark
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Strange Beasts of China" truly felt like a perfect melding of literary fiction and fantasy. Told through the lens of an amateur cryptozoologist as she documents the many beasts of Yong'an, the author Yan Ge masterfully breaks down each Beast into its own chapter, with the preface of each being a fascinating physical and personality-based description of the Beasts, akin to a museum info plaque. Although each Beast's chapter is distinct and unique, the stories are tied together through our main character and the progression of her observations on how the Beasts alter the human sociopolitical landscape. Yan Ge dives deeply into the crytozoologist's psyche, slowly unfolding the character's backstory, motives, and ennui throughout each story. Though there are times when there are snippets of plotless literary fiction, the fantastical elements balance them all super well, and I really enjoyed my experience reading this.
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I often find there to be something strangely appealing about a repetitive story. In each chapter, we're introduced to a new "strange beast" who is described in nearly the exact same language and format. The author will tell us about the beasts' temperaments and preferences, what kinds of food it likes and dislikes, what it fears. The details are specific — some beasts love breakfast cereal and some fear trains, for example. The author tells us about blessings and curses associated with the beasts, about how the beasts fit or don't fit into human society. And the author describes the beasts appearances, their strange features like having one longer arm with claws on the wrist or dark green skin around their belly button. But almost always, the author concludes by saying that "other than that, they're just like regular people."
The effect of this repetition, which is not limited to only the beasts' descriptions, was extremely lulling to me, mesmerizing. And the prose in general is like that too, slippery and melodic, like a someone telling you a bedtime story. I found this effect to be very appealing and thought that it balanced out what might have been otherwise flaws, like the fact that certain parts of this book were completely impenetrable to me and I just had to let understanding go and let the prose slide over me
The effect of this repetition, which is not limited to only the beasts' descriptions, was extremely lulling to me, mesmerizing. And the prose in general is like that too, slippery and melodic, like a someone telling you a bedtime story. I found this effect to be very appealing and thought that it balanced out what might have been otherwise flaws, like the fact that certain parts of this book were completely impenetrable to me and I just had to let understanding go and let the prose slide over me