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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
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