A cryptozoologist is hired to uncover the stories of fabled beasts. They live with humans in a very normal way. Her former professor and his assistant head out to document all these strange creatures. A story that makes you feel like your in the fantastic beast movie but in beautiful China.

The narrator was amazing and yoy would not be able to tell it was a translation. I was absorbed in the story and was sad to leave.

Author Yan Ge is a wonder.

STRANGE BEASTS OF CHINA is high on my top ten books of 2021 List.

This fabulously imagined reality takes place in China in the city of Yong'an. This city is the home of several different types of beasts who live alongsidehumans.

Each "type" can be distinguished by specific body characteristics and/or by where and how they live. However, the powers that be want to know more. So, our Narrator, a cryptozoologist, is hired to dig deeper than anyone ever has before, and to learn the stories of these enigmatic creatures.

As she begins to learn more about them, she finds herself becoming deeper and deeper enmeshed into the world of beasts and away from that of humans.

This is a MUST READ story that you will want to read over and over again. I have both read the book, and listened to the audiobook and both experiences were sensational.

The narration was PERFECTION. Her sense of pacing and her ability to convey emotion through her voice made listening to the audiobook an absolute delight.

Author Yan Ge writes in Chinese and fortunately for those of us who cannot read Chinese, this book has been translated into English. I sincerely hope that more of this author's work is translated and published here in North America.

I rate STRANGE BEASTS OF CHINA as 6 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for my copy of Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge, Jeremy Tiang (Translator) Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller in exchange for an honest review. It published August 17, 2021.
This was a very interesting book that really introduced me to a lot of Chinese stories and concepts. This was nothing like I expected and I think if you're interested in any form of mythology, you'll enjoy this one.

It was not what I was expecting, in a good way. Emily Woo Zeller is one of my favorite narrators and she gave voice to this story. I was expecting more of collection of myths. This was more of a collection of investigations. Some which were heartbreaking. Others wildly unsettling!

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was legitimately the strangest book I've ever read, but I mean that in a good way. It's different from everything else I've read. This book is part anthology, part beastiary, part fable and part family drama. It definitely transcends one genre. It's an interesting listen for sure.

This is a fantasy story about mythical creatures in China known as beasts. There's a section devoted to several different types of beast individually. There's also a short fable told about all of the beasts. There's a connecting story throughout about an author's journey writing these stories and what it unravels about her past.

The book was slow in places and is definitely not for everyone. I've seen reviews where people were bored and I can see how it could happen. I, personally enjoyed the book. It was hard at times to keep characters straight, but it's probably the language barrier and not the author's writing. This book is beautifully written. 3.75 stars.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* i was really surprised how short this book was page count wise compared to the audiobook but i really enjoyed reading it and would reread for sure!

Fantastic, except for the ending. I was shocked by the "twist," but not in a good way. Nevertheless, it is a great book.

I will add that this is one of those books that I'm glad I listened to as I think I would have not had as much patience with it if I had been reading the book itself. The narrator did a phenomenal job bringing the book's pathos to life.

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge is an absolutely fascinating read and meets every definition of the title word "strange." Read this one if you are looking something really unique and different.

The lovely cover and intriguing premise first caught my eye for this audiobook. Structured as a sort of bestiary in a fantastical Chinese city, the narrator is a writer who publishes short stories revealing the lives of the beasts who live amongst humanity. At first, the book feels almost like a string of short stories, but the narrator/writer's story connects them all and begins to play a larger and larger role across the chapters.

It's certainly a unique and rather inventive premise- but I wonder if those more familiar with Chinese culture would get even more out of these stories and fascinating characters. I think that this would make for an excellent discussion starter - especially for those book clubs that are striving to include more diverse stories. The translation feels smooth here and I enjoyed the performance of this audio version as well - I have listened to other books read by this performer and she always does an excellent job, which was part of my draw to this book. But, for as much as I enjoyed the audio, I do sort of wish that I had a physical copy as well to more easily flip through. I am especially curious to know if there are drawings included to open up each section - not that there aren't adequate descriptions, but I was really curious to know how far the book went with the bestiary formatting.

This one is solidly entertaining - though there were some areas that I wish had more explanation - particularly the narrator/writer's mother. There are moments when some of the human-beast relationships began to feel a bit repetitive, but all in all, it's a different and rather beautiful book. I with that I had connected more with the overall narrative that brought these pieces together, but I did feel left with questions at the end - though it was overall a satisfying listen and one that I am looking forward to discussing with other reader/listeners.

Imagine a world where humans and beasts live side by side. In Yong'an, China that is just one place. In the middle of a world of various beasts from Sorrowful to Sacrificial and many more, there is a former zoologist turned fiction writer. She spends the novel telling stories of the beasts. The stories we get are the real versions of her fictional stories. We learn with her about the origins of the beasts and how they have intersected with her life from before she was born.

This book has a Murikami feel to it with fantasy that blends with Asian sentiments. It felt like a novel of short stories and not chapters. I would definitely recommend this to any reader.

This book was a little hard to follow at times, but I finally got into the groove with it. Some chapters I liked better than others. The audio presentation of it was enjoyable. Overall a good listening experience.

2.25 stars
Trigger warning for suicidal thoughts and a suicidal attempt.
I think the premise was really interesting and where this book excelled was the rich and unique lore of each of the "beasts". I loved how different and complex they all were.
Unfortunately, for me, the characters fell flat. I felt a sense of separation from everyone and found pretty much all of the main/ recurring characters unlikable and hard to understand (our MC would act in conflicting ways towards the same person multiple times). It almost felt as if the MC had a mood disorder, with outbursts precipitated by calmness, though I don't think that was intentional. There may be cultural differences that don't translate well, but it took me aback when derogatory or insulting words were used either by the MC or directed towards the MC and it was just brushed over like that talk is normal. I think all the relationships (not just romantic but also with the professor and Charlie) were very unhealthy and hard to discern.
I wish more time was spent with the inner thoughts of our main character to find her motivations in studying these monsters, and how her interactions with them changed her (since the stories felt a bit disjointed). I also wanted more of the beasts' feelings, and the opinions and motivations of the people around our MC. It was hard for me to care when bad things happened because of this disconnect from the characters.
Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for a honest review.

I am very interested in Chinese literature, and it is wonderful to see works being translated into English from the original Chinese. Through reading works in translation we can learn about different cultures, values, and perspectives.

'Strange Beasts of China' is unlike any other book I have read. The narrator, a young cryptozoologist and writer in the fictional city of Yong'an, chronicles the tales of her interactions with different 'beasts': Sorrowful Beasts, Sacrificial Beasts, Heartsick Beasts, and others. Many are ancient beings who have existed alongside humans, while others have come into existence more recently.

The stories have a mythical quality, rather like a fairy tale. I also think there are some metaphors here for modern society and the treatment of animals, minorities, and government oppression.

This is quite a fascinating read. Highly recommended.

4/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this audiobook-arc!

A wonderful peak into Chinese literature. The author manages to seamlessly weave the identities of various beasts together through the narrative of one single character. It was floppy at times and boring. Tge narrative felt a bit clubky in a way it didn't manage to fully catch my attention. I adore the different characteristics and personalities of beasts and how interwoven they seem in this world that may or may not be non-fictional

This story was beautiful. I loved the way that it was initially told as short stories almost by describing each beast and then how it started to come together to be a more linear narrative. It was a clever way to draw the reader in to the story and I really appreciated it! I loved how the story was both light and magical but sad and mundane at the same time. It is a balance that is not often achieved by authors and Yan Ge really managed to do it well. Though I enjoyed this novel, it did lose me a bit toward the end. I was the biggest fan of the beasts at the beginning and I love the stories in the beginning. Though it was a clever way to draw me in, I think that it made me lose focus in the end. Still enjoyed this one!

Strange Beasts of China from Dreamscape Media


This is a weird one! With beautiful, poetic prose and bizarre creatures, Strange Beasts of China feels a little like a fever dream.

The blurb says it’s told in the form of a bestiary, which doesn’t feel quite accurately—it is a series of interconnected vignettes from the perspective of an untamed woman who studied as a cryptozoologist before becoming a journalist. Each chapter *does* include a brief summary of the appearance and diet of various strange beasts, in the style of a bestiary, but the main story is more of a fable-tinged fictional memoir. You learn far more about the narrator and the people of Yong’an than you do about any of the specific beasts. It’s more about noir-style observations and scenery than action and you’ll be pretty far in before any connecting threads between the stories start to make themselves apparent. Atmospheric story telling at its finest.

I listened to this one as an audiobook, narrated by the incomparable Emily Woo Zeller (Who is easily one of my top five favorite narrators, even if she does occasionally give older male characters a slightly comedic voice—anyone with even a passing interest in urban fantasy should listen to her narrate Rachel Aaron’s DFZ trilogy). As always, her performance is excellent.

"Strange Beasts of China", by Yan Ge, translated into English by Jeremy Tiang is a strange little book indeed.
It's been two weeks since I finished listening to this audiobook, and I still have a hard time articulating some thoughts about it. At first glance, the book is a fantasy collection of nine short stories that share the setting of Yong'an, a fictional Chinese city where humans and beasts live together. The stories are, in fact, connected, and share the same narrator- a young woman researching the different types of beasts living in Yong'an. Each story/chapter focuses on a different type of beast, but there is also an overarching mystery regarding the narrator, that becomes more apparent as the different types of beasts are introduced.

I enjoyed the tone and overall plot of the book, and particularly enjoyed the way that each story was written. The ending of each story mirrored its beginning, but after all the information from each story the meaning was often different. I thought that was a very original trick. Unfortunately, the stories themselves didn't seem to stay with me too long.

The narration, performed by Emily Woo Zeller, was great. Emily Woo Zeller is a phenomenal narrator, that always seems to bring all the different characters and even the setting to life. She does exactly that for "Strange Beasts of China". Listening to her was like seeing Yong'an come to life, and I definitely feel that listening to this book as an audiobook enhanced my reading experience. I think fans of fantasy would enjoy this book a lot. And if it sounds interesting at all, I'd definitely recommend the audiobook format. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I received this audiobook via netgalley for an honest review.

This book was beautiful, heartbreaking, magical, cynical, and hopeful all in one. If you are a fan of fantasy, mythology, or folklore this book is for you. I enjoyed the narrators voices for various characters. I thought I had figured out the ending and I was wrong. This is my favorite book that I’ve read so far this year.

This was really good. It reminded me a lot of a Murakami novel, with an atmosphere of dreaminess and characters who were both somehow aimless and decisive. Each beast story was interesting both in terms of the actual mystery of the beasts (and their metaphorical significance) but also because of the increasing hints to the larger backstory and history of the narrator and the main characters. And while <spoiler>A theme of "we are all beasts to each other, especially the ones we love" isn't that ground breaking,</spoiler> the moody fantasy noir made that theme seem much very significant, interesting, and entertaining.

I did not want to stop listening to this book, and I was listening to it on vacation so that means something. The unnamed narrator is a strangely likeable loner with a few very dysfunctional relationships, who (literally) stumbles her way through improbable interactions with “beasts” of all kinds. Felt a bit like a stranger, darker version of Harry Potter if it had been set in China with a disoriented adult woman as its center. I’m not going to lie, I’m not sure I totally understood what was going on at times but I enjoyed it all the same. The stories can be quite dark, so I probably would only recommend this for mature readers and listeners.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC.

Content Warnings: Violence, Suicide, Death, Alcohol/Drug Use/Abuse, Family Separation