Getting into the winter evenings I love crime fiction. There’s just something about losing yourself in a crime mystery novel that that has as many layers as I’m wearing in this cold weather. I also like it dark, and thankfully this this novel is darker than a miners hankie.

Characters

This is a book told from two alternating points of view. Harland Leblanc is a groundsman at a local school in Texas who keeps to himself. The locals aren’t sure what to make of him, as he seems a bit odd and secretive. He’s also trying to keep his head down but finds himself getting involved when a young co-worker is accused of a terrible crime.

Meanwhile Micheal Fisher is doing his best to look after his mom and sister at their ramshackle home in the swamps of Louisiana.. He is dreading the return of his father, recently released from prison, a man who committed a horrible crime and shows no sign of changing his ways.

Dark

This is a tough story, make no mistake. It has a number of foul, wretched characters and they inhabit a bleak world. The atmosphere reminded me of that conjured by ‘The last detective’ tv series. There are occasional shafts of light, a little hope so that it’s not completely overwhelming, but they are few and far between.

It felt like a completely believable world, from the fetid swamps of backwoods Louisiana to the small Texan town that was slowly dying as the local industry upped and left. Grim places where life is tough and the people tougher because they have to be.

The alternating chapters are perfectly interwoven, the stories complementing one another. Both are gritty and engrossing, and you get fully drawn into the murder investigation, ensuring you keep turning the pages.

Troubled

I found Harlen LeBlanc a troubled and complicated character. He is wounded and has secrets, and you know that something traumatic has happened in his past. Michael Fisher’s story is haunting and I felt myself desperately wanting for him to escape his home life.

Although it’s a dark book, there is humanity here too. There is kindness, of good people reaching out and trying to help, to nurture. It’s also about guilt, about being haunted by the past and trying to escape from it, and seeking some sort of justice.

The language is biblical at times, conjuring up a strong slice of southern gothic. It’s also lyrical, and it’s a strong work of literary fiction, not that crime and mystery books can’t also be beautifully written. But this is exceptional.

Narrator

A word about the the narrator, Roger Clark, who absolutely nailed it in this book. His voice has such a strong cadence and and had the right amount of emotion, and threat, when it was needed. The language is poetic and gritty and I couldn’t place where I’d heard him before - apparently he also voiced Arthur Morgan in red dead redemption 2.

It’s still early December so there’ll be a few more dark nights for me to investigate James Wades first two books, as this is crime fiction of the highest quality.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for my advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read only a handful of novels that I’d suggest you don’t pick up if you’re having a bad day. A Little Life is certainly one – wonderful as it is - and this is another. Badness pervades virtually every page in this book, writ large and every stripe. But if you enjoy engrossing, atmospheric tales that are written in a lyrical and faintly biblical style then this is one you should probably seek out.

There are two stories here: we meet a young boy, living with his sister and mother in a house on the edge of a Louisiana swamp and we’re also introduced to a man who lives alone and works for the grounds department of a high school in Texas. How are these people linked – are they, in fact, linked? We’ll find out in due course, but first we’ll follow the adventures that befall them in the relatively short period of time we are to spend with them.

Michael Fischer wants to go to school but he’s been held back by his mother; he’s often the feeder of the family which can mean stealing fish from the traps of his prone to violence neighbours. He’s already been threatened with serious harm if he’s caught again. His father is about to be released from prison and this is to be the worst possible news for Michael – this man is just about as bad a human being as has tread the earth.

Harlen LeBlanc lives a pretty solitary life, he enjoys his work and executes his allocated tasks diligently. One member of the small team he works with was once a football star at this very school, but his high ambitions were thwarted when he ultimately failed to meet the academic requirements his college demanded. This young man, Gene, is in love with his high school sweetheart but she’s moved on and it’s rumoured that these days she’s being free with her virtue. But Gene just can’t get over the fact that he’s lost not only his chance to be a big football star but also the the person he deems to be the love of his life. Then a violent incident occurs that shakes the town and drags the members of this little team into the resulting investigation. Harlen is now subsumed by search for answers.

The rolling prose and Confederate States settings put me in mind of James Lee Burke’s writing: the characters are often rough, the language profane and the towns and dwellings down at heal. But this tale feels somewhat less energised, lacking some of JLB’s up and at ‘em impact. Wade is a new writer to me, but one I’m sure to return too. This story is certainly affecting, scenes linger in my mind and characters seem (temporarily at least) to be burned into my psyche. I listened to an audio version of this book and I have to say that Roger Clark’s deeply haunting delivery was, for me, spot on for this story.

Unfortunately this was archived about 2 weeks after I was approved to read it therefore I was unable to download p and give a fair review Darn!!

This is an awesome book the descriptions from the author make the world pop off the page. The characters all feel alive with personalities separate to themselves. The plot is fun and the twist you see coming but it's done so well you don't mind one bit, The version i had was ana audiobook, and for once the narrator had an impact on the story. Let's just say I need westerns read by Sam Elliott. All in all a great story, fun delivery and the author makes the world and people come to life. I will be searching this author on Goodreads and finding more of his work.

Arc provided by netgalley

James Wade is a new author to me, but his book Beasts of the Earth definitely made me interested enough to read some of his other works. It's atmospheric, somber, even stoic at times.

We follow two storylines - in 1965 we meet Michael Fisher, a neglected boy that has to take care of his mother and younger sister. His life changes to the worst when his cruel father is released from prison and returns home.
In 1985 Harlan LeBlanc, a quiet groundskeeper at a local school, is trying to uncover the truth behind an act of violence that shocks the whole community.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Roger Clark who did a great job providing the voices to this sad but engrossing story. The storyline of Michael was especially interesting to me - it made me really feel and care for the child. James Wade did a fantastic job showing the perseverance burdened by guilt and unfairness of the world.
I recommend this book if you enjoy a dark mystery story that is intervened with a strong character study and rich literary writing. It's a story about guilt, forgiveness, and the choices of other people that affect us.

#BeastsoftheEarth #NetGalley

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Life is not easy; in fact, it can be very hard.

1965

Michael Fischer has been forced to grow up fast. He provides for his sister and Mother. He resorts to stealing from trap lines to take care of/feed his family. This is a hard life and is about to get harder when his father is released from prison. When his father is released, life changes drastically for Michael and flees leaving behind all that he knows. But he is taken by Remus who teaches him all the things his father should have.

1985

Harlan LeBlanc keeps to himself. He lives a solidary life and works as a groundskeeper at a local school. His days are basically the same including what he eats for lunch. He is a quiet man with a secret. A violent act changes everything. When someone he knows his accused, Harlan sets out to find answers.

This is not a happy go lucky book. It is raw, poignant, and thought provoking. This is a beautifully told story that explores what it takes to be good when surrounded by evil. It shows determination, harshness, brutality, the burdens we carry, how love and positive influences can change a person, how we carry out pasts with us, how desperate people find ways to survive, overcome and move on. There is a sadness that seeps through the pages but there are also glimmers of hope.

I listened to the audiobook and initially it took me some time to decide if I liked it, but once I found footing with the narration, I enjoyed it. The book is full of beautiful writing, descriptions, and flawed characters.

Atmospheric, richly detailed and raw, Beasts of the Earth was my first book by James Wade and I look forward to reading more of his work.

This is a story about a quiet, thoughtful man named Harlan Leblanc.  The story is about how and why Leblanc gets tangled up in a murder investigation. Author James Wade crafted action and allegory, and he mirrored and balanced the darkness and hope in this gritty tale.  You'll feel narrator Roger Clark walking in the shoes and looking out through the eyes of the characters in the audiobook.  Roger has performed about a 100 audiobooks, worked in theater and film, and is best known for portraying Arthur Morgan in Rock Star games Red Dead Redemption. His reverence and grit are spot on for this story.

2.5 stars. I just finished Beasts of the Earth by James Wade, narrated by Roger Clark. James Wade is a creative writer, very descriptive - you can really see yourself in the setting and feel the characters' emotions. Narrator was excellent, loved his voice and fit the story. Honestly, the story was just not my cup of tea. The story is very slow-paced and I was bored. I liked there was some mystery to it that kept me from giving up.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this advanced copy of the audiobook. #BeastsoftheEarth #NetGalley

I was honestly not expecting this story to grab me the way it did. This is not a lighthearted read by any means. It is however a beautifully written, complex novel with dual timelines that will keep you interested and wanting more. These pages do contain some dark and serious topic matters, but also grace and friendship. I will say that I thought that the narrator did a good job overall. A special thanks to Blackstone Publishing Audiobooks and NetGalley for the ALC.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Beasts of the Earth by James Wade.

Oh friends, this is gritty, full of tension, and complex. It's definitely not the kind of read you pick up if you're looking for a cozy escape. However, that doesn't make it any less worth reading.

Harlen LeBlanc is a quiet man who works on the school grounds, and overall tries to keep to himself. But when a violent crime hits a bit too close to home to him, he pulls from his past trauma and experiences to keep an innocent man out of prison.

I really don't want to give much more than that, it's quite an experience to go on, Harlen's life and now adulthood. Wade has a real gift for building a multi dimensional world with multiple timelines, without ever losing me. I really felt the weight of where he was going, and the impact of the choices of the characters. I will definitely pick up another book by Wade.

This one wasn’t for me. The plot is interesting enough but I didn’t care for the writing style so I had trouble getting into the book. I listened to the audiobook and I struggled with the narrator. He tended to overact a bit so I had difficulty understanding him at times. There are two stories going on in this book and it was slightly difficult to tell when it switched between the stories and characters. I do think the author is really talented and I would love to try another book that he has written. I give it 4 stars because I think it’s a good book and a lot of people would enjoy it even if it isn’t my style.

Dark and very masculine in perspective; I was hoping this book would be similar to Nelson DeMille, Richard Ford, or William Kent Krueger - but it was not. Some of the writing was very prosaic and caught my attention in a good way, but I felt disconnected to the characters and in general very unrelatable. I do enjoy male authors, but the vast majority of my favorite books are written by women about women; maybe I should stick closer to that genre. In addition, the narrator (audio book) seemed to be sad and droning on and on. I just couldn't keep with the narrative and lost interested several times along the way. 3 stars based on the interesting bits, but overall I was not entertained.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of Beats of the Earth by James Wade. This is a new to me author that I would read again. This lyrical novel with dual time lines will keep you interested!

Heartbreaking, gritty, and sure to move any reader. I felt it had the tone of 'True Detective' with a southern underbelly, seedy characters you instantly despise, and an ever-present oppressive feel.

I just couldn't get into this book at all or particularly follow the story. I stuck with it as I did like the narrator, their voice was very soothing to listen to. This perhaps might be a book that works better for me in written format

If I could give 7 stars for this book, I would. A far cry from the thrillers I usually read, Beasts of the Earth is like a slightly more modern version of the Steinbeck novels the main character, Harlan LeBlanc, praises throughout the story. Wade's poetic narrative paints a beautifully grim landscape of late century South Texas, weaving the tapestry of two closely connected stories about innocence lost and betrayal by one's supposed protectors. The connection between LeBlanc's and Michael's stories becomes clear early on, one in the present and one in the past, and it's easy to predict the outcome of Michael's tale. But the addition of Remus and Deacon provide a colorful and humorous lift to his otherwise bleak turn of events. And the present-day mystery, with LeBlanc as the self-appointed private investigator who inadvertently draws suspicion to himself, is enough to keep the reader guessing as to what really happened until the end. Rich, complex characters and elaborate prose, mixed with philosophical frustration create a book well worth reading.

Roger Clark's gruff voice is perfect for the narration of this audiobook, his Texas accent carrying you back to another time and place as you fall into the story. Thank you to Blackstone, James Wade, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book a week ago and I had to put it aside to gather my thoughts. The Beasts of the Earth is a very compelling and lyrical book. I enjoyed it immensely.
The story is told in two timelines and follows both Michael Fischer and Harlen LeBlanc. I connected more to Michaels story and really enjoyed how the book ended. Michael’s story is horrific and sad. Harlen is an adult who is meticulous about his daily habits.
The author does a wonderful job of vividly transporting me to the swamps of Louisiana and back to Texas. He borders on showing me a graphic scene but perfectly stopping at the right time to leave the reader to imagine what happens next.
The narrator, Roger Clark did a wonderful job portraying the characters and bringing the story to life. He kept me engaged and listening to the very end.

Brilliantly done and now I plan on going back and reading his other books. This is a story that will stay with me for a while.

Special thanks to Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks and Netgalley for the ALC.

Honestly, I did not know what to expect from this story, Beasts of the Earth. The cover is slick. I knew from one of the former books, River, Sing Out by James Wade I would be taken on a phenomenal journey. Wade did not disappoint. Beasts of the Earth is a poetic and haunting fiction book of place and time set in Texas and Louisiana.

Violence is part of James Wade’s writing but he is gifted with his words making them come off to the readers as more poetic than violent. In Beasts of the Earth the bloodshed and aggression are softened by the lyrical writing around the setting.

This story revolves around Harlen LeBlanc who is an unassuming guy living, yet not fully living under the radar. When an unthinkable crime occurs, he helps to clear a friend of the crime. Intermixed in this story is the past of Harlen and why he has become the person he has. Hands down this book is immersive in both the past and present and it’s deeply haunting. You can almost feel the swampland of Louisiana jumping off the pages.

Roger Clark, the narrator, makes Wade’s words more haunting. Clark’s voice is rich and deeply expressive. It’s a deepness that envelopes your ears and heart. Clark’s changing from the various characters even from a girl to a boy never broke its cadence. Without a doubt, Clark’s voice conveys Beasts of the Earth as an unforgettable story. This is the first audiobook I heard through the Netgalley app. I encountered no problems. Through their app, I was able to hear the story perfectly well at 1x speed.

I highly recommend Beasts of the Earth as an audiobook. It is a haunting, unforgettable story that jumps off the pages and embeds into your psyche as you listen. It is truly a galvanizing story written by Wade and brought to life by Clark.

I didn't know James Wade before I noticed this book on NetGalley and I have to say it was a precious discovery. I don't really like stories set in the Southern States but I chose to give it a try. What I discovered is that James Wade is a true wordsmith, incredibly good at describing: no matter if he's telling the reader about a character or a place, he is able to make an x-ray of whatever or whoever comes out of his pen.

What I loved more is his way of capturing the essence of places: he can portray a landscape conveying the feelings and sensations that it evokes and, more importanly, he can give it a soul, a force of its own, by building a crescendo of tangible and impalpable images that intertwine. One of my favorite passages is in chapter 1:
"The sidewalk before him was overrun with a series of meandering cracks like fault lines, and from these fractures rose small clustered stalks of gallium, thine white flowers pushing forth as if they were harbingers of a great return, as if beneath the earth there were a world in waiting, a contrariwise world where nature held dominion over man."

Basically two stories are told in Beasts of the Earth: Michael Fischer and Harlen LeBlanc, appartenly unrelated characters, experience evil, trauma, and pain but also compassion, love and forgiveness. Somehow, I feel the story itself is of secondary importance and you should not read Wade's work considering the plot: the poetry of this book lies in the moving account of the human condition.

The narrator definitely compliments this book: his warm, beguiling voice and riveting accent make you feel exactly where the stories happen, as if you were there, besides Michael and Harlen.

AUDIOBOOK / PRINT REVIEW:
Sometimes, the very best books I read are the hardest to write about once I’ve finished that final chapter; Beasts of the Earth by James Wade is one of those books.

Part of the problem is that turning that last page and closing the cover of Beasts of the Earth doesn’t end the story. Scenes settle back over me and replay in my mind, and I find myself wondering about characters, too, as if I could get into the car and travel the backroads to those melancholy times and places and check on them. But the main difficulty in summing up a book of this caliber is that no words I can string together will do it justice. Wade’s prose is exquisite and a fully immersive experience.

“LeBlanc turned back to the horizon where the far sky had tasted the morning and come aglow in swirls of rose pink.”

The descriptions in Beasts of the Earth are captivating and complex with next-level imagery that often juxtaposes beauty with ugliness, purity with evil, natural with unnatural. Wade’s mastery of figurative language enriches the story and the metaphors found in the recurrence of two animals are stunning. Scenes are haunting, even horrifying, yet there is a sprinkling of hope even in the absence of happily-ever-afters.

“How privileged are we to ponder our own existence. How cursed.”

Wade writes complex, complicated characters that make your heart ache, your head hurt, and certainly spark your ire – sometimes all at once. As with Wade’s other outstanding novels, All Things Left Wild and River, Sing Out, there is much that happens via the characters’ words and actions, but there is much more that happens in their minds and off the page. He is especially talented at creating people who appear simple and are easily overlooked but have so much depth of character. Few words, many thoughts. Wade forces readers to put themselves inside his characters, and it’s uncomfortable to be there.

The delicate, seemingly disconnected threads of the stories ultimately weave themselves together into one perfect reading package. With its dual timelines and multiple, multilayered plots incorporating elements of gritty crime fiction, mystery, and literary fiction, Beasts of the Earth is a true work of art. I’ll be watching for this novel on awards lists.

ABOUT THE NARRATION: The audiobook narration by Roger Clark is excellent. That accent! His g-dropping will have readers hangin' on Wade's every word. Clark’s style is part campfire storyteller, part backwoods preacher, and fully engages the listener with even pacing and voice inflection. Clark also narrated Wade’s second novel, River, Sing Out, and he’s absolutely perfect for narrating Southern fiction. This was the first novel I've listened to via NetGalley's app, and I had no issues at all. I listened at regular speed, but it would have been nice to have an option between 1x and 1.25x.