When I began reading Ruth Emmie Lang’s debut novel I felt a bit lost and unsure if I was the intended audience. But not one who gives up on a book easily, I kept reading. And I’m so happy I did. It’s about a boy who lived in a forest with wolves and his journey through life. It’s about the people (and the animals) he meets along the way. It’s about human nature, the ability to be kind, the willingness to be kind, and seeking and embracing the possibilities life has to offer. I know this is kind of scattered and brief but allow me to end by saying I finished reading the novel with that delicious feeling of wishing it could go on and on. I love when that happens. It’s on my 2017 Favorites List, for sure.

"Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird."

This is a wonderful story told from various perspectives about a unique boy from childhood to middle age. A bit magic, the themes of friendship, love and being loved for oneself are central. The characters are diverse but relatable. Great story.

Extraordinary beasts, extraordinary story

I loved this book. Although fantasy, this provides the backdrop for the story, which is really about the people and the beasts. The fantasy is downplayed in this character-driven story. The settings are great as are the action scenes. But what sets the story apart is that it is a touching story without being maudlin and even with some humor and clever dialogue. If I had to pick a book that this was most similar to, it would be Charles de Lint’s anthology, The Very Best of Charles de Lint, where characters appear and reappear throughout the anthology. I recommend Extraordinary Beasts for fans of the genre who would prefer a more character-driven story.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

Did you love Charlotte's Web as a child? If so, pick this book up. It's magical.

Wasn't quite sure what to think when I started this.... it seemed to be a little like the book "Big Fish" by a Daniel Wallace. But I soon was won over by its charm. I particularly like that the story is told from different points of view. One thing that bothered me was Weylyn's fear of hurting people. It seemed almost a last second revelation that he thought he killed his parents - one that didn't have the impact that it should have given all the lead up to it.

Weylyn Grey is a little odd. Orphaned as a boy and raised by wolves, Weylyn has never been able fit back in with his own kind. He makes friends here and there, including a special friend named Mary, he has a horned pig named Merlin, and once he stopped a tornado in Oklahoma. He likes wolves because they have no reason to lie, unlike the people he meets. Plus they have howling at the moon contests.

There’s a lot of lovely magic in this story, from forests that grow overnight to phosphorescent firefly honey that can be stored in jars, but the story as a whole is a tale of realism with only a hint of magic. Weylyn never knows his own magical rules or limits, and he never finds a nemesis or great responsibility with which to use his great power. Instead, he seeks a home, both with people or with wolves, and his search is rather cozy and wholesome and heartwarming. Not all those who wander are lost, but that doesn’t apply to Weylyn, or Old Man Spider, about whom the neighborhood kids make up stories.

As with many works of fiction that cover the entirety of a person’s life, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance meanders in plot and thereby pacing. Weylyn doesn’t stay in any one place for long, and the constant movement helps to alleviate a feeling of stagnation. The story of Weylyn’s life is told from the perspectives of many of the the people who knew him, which serves to heighten his mystery but distances his motives from the reader. We see through others’ eyes that Weylyn chooses to keep himself apart from the woman he loves because he doesn’t want to endanger her, which is a tired trope, and I wonder if seeing it from his own perspective might bring more color into the story.

Highly recommended for fans of magical realism seeking an uplifting tale with heart!

I received this ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. So thank you netgalley and publishers. This Story is about Weylyn. He has the ability to talk and live with animals, He can also change the weather. Some people found him weird and rejected him, and others liked him and his uniqueness. I really enjoyed the book, it's my first time reading from this author. ( Plus I'm from Oklahoma so it was nice hearing about it in a book! )
 I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good quick read. It’s one of those books that you can easily finish in one sitting.

Let me preface this by saying that I rarely read (or like) magical realism. I'm a pretty black and white reader and I'd rather have something be completely fantastical or completely true to life. That being said, I've read a handful of brilliant magical realism books this year, and Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is one of them.

The story is magical. The writing is beautiful. And it made me smile the entire time.

"Beasts" is the story of Weylyn Grey, told through the eyes of people who have encountered him throughout his entire life. After his parents die in a freak storm, Weylyn is brought up by a pack of wolves in Michigan. There in the woods, he befriends Mary, the daughter of the local butcher. There his adventure really picks up as Weylyn moves throughout the United States and comes to term with his mysterious gifts.

If you are (were) wary like me, trust me—take a chance and put this on your list.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read.

Some books are wild rides. Others are mountain treks, difficult but well worth it for the beauty and exercise. Others are walks in the park on cool summer evenings, where the sound of children laughing on swing sets and the breeze caressing the back of your neck makes you forget all your cares. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance: A Novel by Ruth Emmie Lang is one of those walks. It's such a relaxing read that it borders on boring, but it's pleasant nonetheless.

What Beasts is About

Weylyn Grey is an orphan boy raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin. He's not like other people. But one day he single-handedly stops a tornado that threatens the family that takes him in, and he and they realize just how different he actually is. Weylyn's story as he grows from boy to man is told from from the perspectives of nine different people, seven of whom knew him, one that only heard about him, and from Weylyn himself...for one chapter. It's less about his powers, which he's very uncomfortable with, and more about how other people perceive him before and after they surmise that he has unusual abilities but doesn't want to use them, for good or bad.

What I Thought of Beasts

If I had to give this book a genre, I'd say it's adult literary paranormal or fantasy. It's A Man Called Ove meets Twilight. If you like that genre or either of those books, you'll probably like this one. It's prose is like soft grass under your feet, the kind that's slightly cool to the touch and doesn't contain a sprig of crab grass anywhere.

I've admitted before that I can be somewhat impatient when it comes to plot development. In fact, I think my exact words were "I'm an adrenaline junkie." So, when I say that a book might be boring, you have to keep that in mind. As Beast's plot moseys back and forth from present day to Weylyn's growing-up years, and from one character's point of view to another, one can almost hear the laughs of the children on the swing sets at the park fading and growing louder, then fading and growing louder again, as they swing back and forth.

And the fact that it's told from so many points of view—which can be quite disorienting, I must say—means you get to know Weylyn only by the reflections made by other characters about him, as if they were all holding up mirrors pointed at him, encircling him metaphorically, and we as readers are standing in the circle right next to Weylyn unable to perceive him directly. This is what's called a literary foil, and it's an interesting, artistic technique. If you enjoy books that are more about getting to know the characters than about finding out what they do or what happens to them, you'll like Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance.

Stars? Six out of ten.

Visual? Strolling through a park (couldn't find).

Nutrition facts? A few "grams" of swearing, no violence, no sex.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances, a debut novel by Ruth Emmie Lang, is indeed an extraordinary example of magical realism done right. It has subtle mystery, heart and depth, that draws you in. At its core however it is character driven. This is its strength and I feel makes it really fantastic.
The story of Weylyn Grey is uniquely told through then lens of others that he touches in both small and meaningful ways in his lifetime. There are feelings of wonder, beauty, and melancholy interwoven throughout so intertwined they become indistinguishable. I was entranced, engaged, and enthralled by this tale of a young boy orphaned, raised by wolves, who communes with animals, seems to control weather, and is at home in the woods. His relationship with Mary, the daughter of the foster family that takes him in is incredibly meaningful and touching.
This is a book I can not recommend highly enough, especially for those that enjoy magical realism and fantasy. It is one of the most unique novels I've read in several years and I'm looking forward to more from Ruth Emmie Lang.
I received an advanced reader copy (eGalley) from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.

I expected this book to be weird since I don't usually go in for magical realism, so I was a bit apprehensive about it. I am really glad I read it. It read quickly and felt different from a lot of books. It did jump around a lot and included many different perspectives, which can put some people off but I think in this book it was done well and added facets to the main character. Really excellent read.

I adored this book. Welyn Grey's parents die in a terrible accident and he is raided by wolves. this story has been done before but not like this . it is the story of Welyn and hos adventures and the people he meets along the way . The thing I brought away was how one person can greatly impact someone's life forever. This book is wonderful and magical. The story will stay with you long after the last page is turned

This was easily the most wonder-filled, adventurous story of 2017 so far. There is so much heart, beauty and whimsy in this one little book.

It’s truly contemporary fantasy at it’s best, managing to meld beautiful, fantastic magic into a very real world with heartfelt, real life pain and joy.

I love with Weylyn Grey with all my heart. From wild wood wolf-boy to Old Man Spider and all the magical storms and bees and plants in between, he stole my heart. He’s unique and loveable and magical and an absolute joy to share an evening with.

Summary:

The story follows Weylyn Grey, a boy raised by wolves who has a magical connection to the weather, to animals, and to nature. The book progresses through different stages of Weylyn’s life from the point of view of those he encounters and impacts as he deals with his uncontrolled abilities and what it means to be a wild thing.

The Long Review:

This book stunned me. From the first breath, the sense of wonder and lyrical prose reminded me of childhood imagination game–original, magical, and somehow secret. There was a slight Stranger Things vibe in the beginning, set in the 80’s and from the viewpoint of children, on the edge of what’s real and possible.

At first, before I learned to check the chapter titles, I got confused by the POVs. It’s always in first person, but changes character. I appreciated that the author kept a relatively steady voice despite the variance in age and time period throughout the story.

All of the characters were fantastic and I found myself falling in love with them one by one. Their wit, their weirdness, their relationships with their families and with Weylyn. (I honestly teared up reading Mary’s dad’s perspective in the first section, and that was tangential to the main plot.)

This is a book about many things but one of them is friendship/family. I’m not one for adult fiction precisely because of the overwrought interpersonal drama usually involved, but the interpersonal plots in this book were so meaningful while also being concise. Lang did a masterful job jumping through short periods of Weylyn’s life while maintaining depth and a sense of great plot movement and character development. It never felt like we were stuck in Weylyn’s head (something I often find is the case with books centered on one character’s struggle as the main plot) because the PoV was someone else’s and because the minor characters’ plots and growth were still fleshed out and complete.

This is a fantasy story where, though the magic is an overarching plot line, the development of the minor characters over time with Weylyn is the true payoff. Mary, Lydia, and Meg all represent different people to Weylyn–friend, girlfriend, sister, mother, teacher–and it’s so rewarding to see those relationships develop between regular people and this wild boy, and then to see them uncover his secrets and see the impression he leaves upon their lives when he moves on and returns again, as wild things do.

I just adored how the characters clicked on this lowkey level and everything was very subtle and real, rather than dramatic moments, but still very heart wrenching and enthralling.

The magic, of course, is a huge and awesome part of the story. I’m a sucker for storm magic, and this has plenty. We also see Weylyn reincarnate plants, play with bees and wolves and raccoons and spiders and even fireflies. The fireflies scene is one of the images that really stayed with me and would look amazing on screen, but this book is full of amazing, visual scenes that stuck in my mind’s eye.

This was a rollercoaster and I was never bored. It was fast-paced yet fulfilling and not at all predictable. By the end, I felt like I was leaving an old friend and I was so pleased and satisfied.

My only problem with this book is that the cover does not do it justice. Sure, it’s pretty enough, but a book this full of wonder and joy and magic should have something truly eye catching and aesthetic. This is a book full of storms, wolves, bees, wild woods, daffodils, and magic; somehow all that made it on the cover was fireflies? To me, the cover indicates a pretentious novel with the kind of magic that might just be a metaphor for whatever adulthood pain the main character is subjected to. I assumed it would be sad, with a plot more about internal growth than adventure. I was very pleasantly surprised. However, if I saw this in a store, I never would have picked it up.

Just a truly good and rewarding read. I highly recommend to lovers of contemporary fantasy. If you like Neil Gaiman’s or Maggie Stiefvater’s work, you’ll probably love this. Also, if you liked Roar by Cora Carmack, maybe check this out because even though it’s very different, they both revolve around storm magic.

Similar vibes:

The Ocean at the End of the Lane-Gaiman, The Scorpio Races-Stiefvater, Going Bovine-Bray, The Little Prince-St. Exupere

This is - again - one of those books I was sure I would love but didn't. I enjoyed reading it but I just thought I would adore it. On paper it has everything I look for in books: whimsy, fairy-talesque writing, quirky characters with a human core, with a story spanning decades but something didn't quite click for me.

This is Weylyn's story - an orphan raised by wolves, able to control the weather and speak with animals, a gentle soul with a heart of gold. This is also the story of the people whose lives he touched and changed and influenced. Somehow he is able to make other people better while at the same time being unable to find balance for himself. We only get glimpses of the man he becomes because while he is at the centre of this tale he is also elusive and hard to grasp.

Some of the characters were absolutely brilliant: I adored his adopted sister Lydia and her refusal to be like her parents want her to be. Their sibling relationship was beautifully executed and I would have loved to spend more time with them together. I also thought Weylyn's first teacher, Meg Lowry, was a great character, hardworking and honest and so willing to do what's right.

The least convincing part of the book for me was Weylyn. For some reason he never felt like a proper character but rather a puppet there to move the plot along - or to get other people to think. That made it difficult for me to care about the love story at the core of this book because I found the other characters way more interesting.

As such I found the book worked best when it focussed less on Weylyn and more on the other characters and their lives and decisions. I adored the parts where characters were at a crossroad and had to decide between the easy path or the more difficult path that might lead to more happiness. These parts ran true and were engrossing to read and I wish we had seen more of that.

First sentence: "I have delivered over a thousand babies in my career, but one in particular stands out in my mind."

This is the story of Weylyn, an odd but charming character. He has the uncanny ability to communicate and live with animals, along with his ability to influence the weather. No one knows how he came across these mysterious characteristics but those close to him couldn’t deny they existed. Some people found him too strange to exist and rejected him, while others embraced him and his oddities loving a man who flitted in and out of their lives. This is a coming of age story. This is a love story. This is a story about magic.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven’t come across many magical realism books that I found interesting, but the concept of this one stuck out to me and it was executed beautifully. Told in first person by the people who interacted with Weylyn from his childhood throughout his life, all of his eccentricities are put on display as well as his very engaging and amusing personality. I found all of the characters to be very well written, and brimming with the details needed to bring them to life. I loved seeing Weylyn’s story through other people’s eyes. It added to magical quality of the story and of him. Details are what brought to the life not only the characters but the world and the plot. A lack of detail when describing how magical events transpired and a wealth of detail when describing how those events affected those around Weylyn.

If readers are looking for a story that is easy to engage and escape in, while visiting a character whose very nature makes one curious, then this is the story for them. I was hooked from the first chapter and found myself wrapped in Weylyn’s world and all of the magic that came with it. Lang told a very compelling story about life and the unexpected and how one person can change everyone and everything around them. I highly recommend this novel. It’s one of those books that you can easily snuggle up to and read in one sitting. Very well done by Lang, an author I will be looking forward to reading more of in the future.

This is an interesting take of magical realism that tells the story of a remarkable boy told through the eyes of those that were affected by him. It's a good story with great writing.

This book was full of major personal selling points: Magic, incredible relationships with animals, postcards, people who give instead of only taking, pancakes, bees.
The biggest selling point of all is the earnestness with which Ruth Emmie Lang presents her protagonist.

One of the pitfalls when dealing with magic is usually the worldbuilding that it required in order to best support it, but here with one potentially magic person at the center of our otherwise very real world, when there aren’t reasons and explanations, it all feels like part of the fun, part of the joy of suspending your disbelief along with the people who encounter Weylan in their lives.

It was easy to sink down into the world of this book each time I picked it up, and it evoked the kind of feeling I’ve had when watching “Pushing Daisies” or “The Age of Adaline.”

The book also offers a humble reminder that overcoming fear in the face of accepting love is a universal issue, tripping up people from all walks of life. Even the simplest love story can feel majestic if it rings true.

This was a very enjoyable book and I foresee this doing well with fans of magical realism.

It is difficult talking about this book without giving any of the magical moments away. This story is about the orphaned boy Weylyn Grey, who is special in a very soecial way, and his life with a pack of wolves, with Mary, with Merlin and so many more wonderful people.
I loved the epistolary style of this book. It helped tell the story of Weylyn Grey from different points of view. Every narrator had their unique voice and this made the story come very much alive.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Take something beautiful and vandalize it with skepticism?”

I love magical realism, and as much as I hate comparing authors, this novel had a similar feel to Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace. I absolutely adore the beginning with Roarke’s story. The ‘Old Spider Man’, it just tickled my fancy to no end, it’s fantastical and exactly the sort of magical spice I love. The novel is about the lives of all the people crossing paths with Weylyn Grey, a boy and later a man both of this world and not. Strange things happen around him, strange curious things, but the biggest curiosity is him. Are his gifts a blessing or a curse? He is dangerous, but could the love of Mary save him? Can love save any of us? Aren’t we all dangerous in our nature, all of us slipping in some mess, hurting others unintentionally, a beacon for some, a misery for others? Isn’t love, friendship, all of it a complete mystery and adventure?

He is a fleeting beauty to some, a rip in the safe universe for others, but no one remains untouched after being in his presence. Inside the heart of a the wild boy raised by wolves, there is tragedy, disasters that have left him the biggest victim of all. It’s a strange and wonderful journey, there is an intelligence in the ‘fantasy’ that touched me. He is, like many of us, afraid of himself, in his own way because of his extraordinary gifts that aren’t always leading to rainbows and happy endings. Everything costs him, even helping others, much as it does the rest of us. Misery and happiness are conjoined twins for anyone alive and kicking.

Of course we are all of nature, though we forget with our creature comforts, but Weylyn is connected in a mysterious way even he can’t understand. He isn’t the only character, the people he touches or scratches with his wildness are beautifully written even in their rottenness. Lydia Kramer’s story broke my heart, the sixth daughter of a beautiful brood of girls, the least remarkable one according to her vain mother, but she has such fire and bite. This is a captivating novel, I miss these sort of stories terribly because to me, the most mysterious thing of all is human nature and the environment the surrounds us. Does Lang spin a fantastical web, sure- but there is so much painful reality within to keep you anchored. What an achingly lovely novel. I cannot wait to read her next novel! I have a new favorite author! This won’t be out until November, hence I didn’t divulge much, I really don’t want to ruin the novel. I didn’t share all the things I highlighted, wish I could!

Publication Date: November 7, 2017

St. Martin’s Press