Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

7 reviews

horizonous's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is definitely a strange book and I feel like I missed a lot of social commentary. What I enjoyed the most is this hazy, almost dreamlike atmosphere and the beasts. There are some parts that left me a bit confused, but overall a fascinating book.

I think this type of short story collections, where the stories all follow a connected thread work a lot better for me than a book filled with separate stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Suicide, Self harm, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

charlie_cheese's review

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

the grief of figuring out everything too late and the humanity of the other........ great themes in this guy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Alcoholism, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, Gore, Police brutality, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Minor: War, Body horror, and Forced institutionalization

lanid's review

adventurous dark mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Death

Minor: Gore, Vomit, Grief, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

saint_eleanor's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is so beautiful and interesting, i think it could have greatly benefited from like just one illustration!! The language was super descriptive but i was so curious about the author’s intended visions. Also prepare yourself for the main character vomiting every 5 seconds. The only thing was that, maybe because it was translated from the original language, some of the Aha-moments did not register with me the way i could tell they were supposed to. Otherwise definitely read this!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, Death of parent, Misogyny, Gore, and Child death

theatrix's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a quick and engrossing and thought-provoking read, but also challenging, both due to the wide range of disturbing themes (there are many, but most are touched on pretty briefly), and due to the style, which doesn't baby you with explanations and trusts you to put pieces together yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Body horror, Death, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Abandonment, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Stalking, Chronic illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Blood, Pregnancy, Torture, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Slavery, Trafficking, and Vomit

clarabooksit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Child death, Death, Body horror, Alcohol, Colonisation, Grief, Trafficking, Suicide, Self harm, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Gore, Blood, Stalking, Cannibalism, Animal death, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail

charleyroxy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

"'I've read everything you've written about beasts,' he said. 'You make it all sound so real. The beasts are more human than the humans, and the humans are beastlier than the beasts.'"

Strange Beasts of China is the most recent offering from Tilted Axis Press and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Written by Yan Ge over ten years ago, when she was just 21, and recently translated beautifully from the Chinese by Jeremy Tiang. I was interested, though not surprised, when I found out this novel was originally released episodically for a monthly publication. There is a definite storyline that runs throughout but each beasts profile and story could stand on its own.

We are whisked along by our nameless protagonist, who was once a promising cryptozoologist and now a novelist, to the city of Yong'an. The city is populated by a host of beasts that have sometimes visible and sometimes invisible effects on the inhabitants. The novelist is trying to make deadlines for each beast story while juggling interactions with her friends and colleagues (enigmatic former professor, her boisterous friend Charley and another zoology student, Zhong Liang), looking for the different beasts and binge drinking at the Dolphin Bar.

I really enjoyed spending time in Yong'an and, whenever I put the book down, I couldn't wait to get back to the city. There many aspects of the writing I loved from the language used to the forumlaic way each chapter was organized: here is what we know about the beast, the action takes place, revelation and the truth. I was always reading with a large amount of anticipation and searching for clues everywhere. I also loved the layers. There was the story but there was also a lot of commentary as well like how as humans we often seem to be fearful of and try to destroy things we do not understand.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit