Strange Beasts of China

Yong’an City is full of all kinds of strange beasts. These beasts live and work alongside the city’s human inhabitants. Among these are the Sorrowful beasts, who love vanilla ice cream and the Flourishing beasts who have lived as gardeners since ancient times. Other than serrated earlobes or a strange birthmark, many beasts have very human characteristics. And all these beasts have their own story. One young journalist has set document the city’s beasts. With the help of her zoology professor and his young assistant, the journalist uncovers the beasts’ stories and learns much about herself along the way.

Strange Beasts of China is the latest work by Yan Ge. First published in 2020 and translated into English in 2021, Ge has joined the surge of Chinese sci-fi masters making a splash with Western sci-fi readers. Named by People’s Literature magazine as a Future Literature Master, Ge has created a masterpiece that is part detective story and part love story. Ge is able to bring these peculiar and innovative beasts to life through her illustrative writing style. As creative and fun as these beasts are, this story explores questions of humanity, morality, and identity. Enjoy this wonderful novel, but be warned, you might discover what beast you really are.