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lucky_stars's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I want to get my hands on the original Chinese since I definitely feel like some things had to be lost in translation. (Even if my Chinese isn’t the best, I’d be willing to struggle for this if I get the extra money to purchase a copy of 异兽志).
Although I might also be saying that because I spent a good portion of the book feeling like I was missing something. Sometimes things connected in ways that seemed impossible since the supposed conclusion reached in one story was contradicted in another.
The narrator’s relationship with the professor was one that endlessly confused me, even as it intrigued me. At times I thought they were lovers, other times just more disappointed mentor and student, and with the Heartsick Beasts story maybe literal creator and invention . The only consistency was the very unhealthy relationship, a common thread in a book that blurs the line between what it means to be beastly. (Lucia is perfect though and I won’t hear a word against her.)
The beasts are brilliantly constructed, although repetitive at times since there is so much death and melancholy. My favorite stories were the Impasse Beasts, the Heartsick Beasts, and the Flourishing Beasts.
The setting of Yong’an is hard to pin down. Most of the time is spent in either the Dolphin Bar or the narrator’s apartment, with a whole lot of un-described mostly unremarkable restaurants that Zhong Liang drags her to. However, despite this, I couldn’t offer a description of any of these locations. There are references to more concrete areas when talking about where the beasts live that are more conversational. These places feel real and made me feel like the narrator was letting me in on some deep secret. The timeline is similarly opaque. You’re left in this timeless place where the only way you can track things is based on subtle hits from secondary characters (their deaths, their institutionalization, their references to the narrator’s books/newspaper column being published). It’s very hypnotic and surreal. It’s strange yes (made even stranger by the epilogue), but there’s whimsy in it even as the beasts brutally commit suicide or otherwise die.
Common thematic ideas: Beasts are whoever the government decides to disenfranchise; Living must include pain to be worthwhile and Death is inevitable (and even an escape from living); People are beasts; Identity is a narrative, not a static idea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Suicide, Violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Genocide, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Dementia and Vomit
elisaviihde's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a novel about beasts yet it is so very human by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Body horror
chocolate_pondue's review
I liked the story of the beasts even though they were all sorrowful. However the underlying story of main character and those around her was getting tedious and annoying. All the main character seemed to do was drink, have nightmares, and cry. She had her hand in the solution to some of the stories but it all just to be happening around her and not with her. Overall, I was getting tired of the repetitiveness of the stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Genocide, Alcohol, Grief, Vomit, Alcoholism, Death, and Violence
laurareads87's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Strange Beasts of China follows an unnamed narrator who writes about beasts: creatures of various kinds who inhabit the city of Yong'an and who are different in some way but 'otherwise are just the same as humans.' Each chapter relates the story of one type of beast, while also touching on the relationships between the narrator and other characters, particularly her professor and his assistant. The whole book has a sort of eerie, mysterious tone, and the writing is beautiful. The author addresses many themes -- labour exploitation, gendered oppression, urban alienation, grief -- in nuanced ways. I will say I did like the beginning of the book more than the ending, and the 'twists' at the end felt abrupt and a bit out of place, but overall I really enjoyed this and would happily read more from the same author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Suicide, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Medical content, Sexism, Grief, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Cannibalism
antixlibrary's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Suicide, and Violence
flyawaytruelove's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It was a light read to me! I was not expecting the change in format; rather than being one solid story, it instead is divided up into short stories that deal with each type of beast. Looking back, I appreciate this format as it helps highlight each type specifically whereas in a typical format, it might be hard to include everyone.
My favorite type of beast was the Joyous Beasts. I personally thought their lifecycle was the most unique (and maybe a bit horrifying) out of all of them. Heartsick Beasts are a close second.
I didn't feel like the narrator developed too drastically as the book. There were some points where her behavior felt a bit predictable, but she developed! Maybe as not as I hoped.
Overall, I think it's a good read! It's short and sweet so no harm in trying it.
My favorite type of beast was the Joyous Beasts. I personally thought their lifecycle was the most unique (and maybe a bit horrifying) out of all of them. Heartsick Beasts are a close second.
I didn't feel like the narrator developed too drastically as the book. There were some points where her behavior felt a bit predictable, but she developed! Maybe as not as I hoped.
Overall, I think it's a good read! It's short and sweet so no harm in trying it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Body horror
Moderate: Alcohol and Abandonment
Minor: War and Vomit
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.
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
feebles640's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Vomit, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Grief, and Body horror
Minor: Forced institutionalization
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
A prodigious cryptozoologist turned romance writer begins a series of stories about the beasts of the fictional Chinese city of Yong’an, where she lives. As she uncovers the origins and lifestyles of each type of beast, telling their stories, she also searches for clarity within her own relationships—with her late mother, with her temperamental professor and his young assistant, and with herself. It seems that the more she discovers, the less she truly knows. Dive into this mysterious and wholly original world and see for yourself what’s real and what isn’t.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Suicide
econsidine's review
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Strange Beasts of China was a book recommended to me almost unanimously by my new coworkers when I asked them about their favorite book of the past six months. Not only was it a good book, they said, but it was a book they were sure I was going to like. That's a bold claim from people I've only known for two weeks.
However, they were totally correct. I loved reading this book. It's the story of a romance novel-writer/newspaper columnist/cryptozoologist consistently finding herself obsessed with the lives of various 'beasts' that live in her fictional city of Yong'an. From there, the book becomes much harder to describe — it's episodic, it's twisty, it's speculative and fantastic, it seems absurd at times and yet deeply real at others — so I don't have much else to say about it other than that I promise it's a fascinating read the entire time.
'Strange' is a fitting descriptor for this book. But I mean 'strange' in the most wonderful way I can picture. There isn't any book I can think of to compare it to. The result is something I want to recommend to everyone I know without having the right words to describe why I'm recommending it. But I promise — I promise — it's worth the read.
A special shout out to Jeremy Tiang's translation skills, as this could not have been an easy one. Having not read it in its original language, I'm obviously not the best judge. Maxwell Massa reviewed the translation a bit more critically here: https://artsfuse.org/232750/book-review-strange-beasts-of-china-an-exuberant-chinese-fantasy/ and notes some interesting Chinese folklore context that I definitely didn't know when I was reading. That being said, I still greatly enjoyed the book without that context, so whether or not you need it is up to you.
However, they were totally correct. I loved reading this book. It's the story of a romance novel-writer/newspaper columnist/cryptozoologist consistently finding herself obsessed with the lives of various 'beasts' that live in her fictional city of Yong'an. From there, the book becomes much harder to describe — it's episodic, it's twisty, it's speculative and fantastic, it seems absurd at times and yet deeply real at others — so I don't have much else to say about it other than that I promise it's a fascinating read the entire time.
'Strange' is a fitting descriptor for this book. But I mean 'strange' in the most wonderful way I can picture. There isn't any book I can think of to compare it to. The result is something I want to recommend to everyone I know without having the right words to describe why I'm recommending it. But I promise — I promise — it's worth the read.
A special shout out to Jeremy Tiang's translation skills, as this could not have been an easy one. Having not read it in its original language, I'm obviously not the best judge. Maxwell Massa reviewed the translation a bit more critically here: https://artsfuse.org/232750/book-review-strange-beasts-of-china-an-exuberant-chinese-fantasy/ and notes some interesting Chinese folklore context that I definitely didn't know when I was reading. That being said, I still greatly enjoyed the book without that context, so whether or not you need it is up to you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Stalking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cannibalism