BEASTS OF THE EARTH
James Wade, whose first two novels were praised as “rhapsodic” and “haunting,” delivers his most powerful work to date—a chilling parable about the impossible demands of hate and love, trauma and goodness, vividly set in the landscapes of Texas and Louisiana.
Beasts of the Earth tells the story of Harlen LeBlanc, a dependable if quiet employee of the Carter Hills High School’s grounds department, whose carefully maintained routine is overthrown by an act of violence. As the town searches for answers, LeBlanc strikes out on his own to exonerate a friend, while drawing the eyes of the law to himself and fending off unwelcome voices that call for a sterner form of justice.
Twenty years earlier, young Michael Fischer dreads the return of his father from prison. He spends his days stealing from trap lines in the Louisiana bayou to feed his fanatically religious mother and his cherished younger sister, Doreen. When his father eventually returns, an evil arrives in Michael’s life that sends him running from everything he has ever known. He is rescued by a dying poet and his lover, who extract from him a promise: to be a good man, whatever that may require.
Beasts of the Earth deftly intertwines these stories, exploring themes of time, fate, and free will, to produce a revelatory conclusion that is both beautiful and heartbreaking.
PRAISE FOR BEASTS OF THE EARTH
“Wade’s pitch-perfect, personality-driven dialogue sings in the voice of life, and his ability to meld existential thought, situational metaphor, and cinematic setting is a full-bodied experience…A soul-deep exploration of a wounded man in crisis, James Wade’s Beasts of the Earth…secures his position as an author of extraordinary merit.” —New York Journal of Books
“James Wade writes a terrific story, but that isn’t what makes him so good. Wade is a craftsman. His books should be read slowly, to luxuriate in his word choices, his sentence structure, his character revelation. That is why he is a joy to read.” —James L. Haley, Spur Award–winning author of the Bliven Putnam Naval Adventures
“I found myself rooting for the characters throughout their near-Biblical tribulations, and the storyline kept me turning the pages, desperate to find out what would happen next. Here we have a novel that blends realism with existentialist philosophy to redefine contemporary Southern fiction. Don’t miss this tour de force of modern literature.” —David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Spur and Anthony Award–winning author of Winter Counts
 |
| “Beasts of the Earth is a beautiful gut-punch of a novel.” —Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas |
“Sometimes there’s worse things than being gone.”
In 1965, Michael Fischer lives in the Louisiana bayou with his mother and little sister, Doreen, resorting to stealing from someone else’s traps for food. Munday Fischer, fresh from prison, shows up on their doorstep only to start terrorizing his wife and children once more. Running from the domestic nightmare, Michael meets Remus in the bayou and finds a safe place to land and to learn that not all men are evil. Fast forward to 1987: Harlen LeBlanc works in the Grounds Department at a high school in Comal County, Texas, shuffling through life, keeping to himself, and hiding a dark secret deep down in his shattered heart.
When a high school girl is murdered, LeBlanc’s young coworker is the prime suspect because of his history with the girl and inability to stay away from her. LeBlanc is convinced of the young man’s innocence, but in the process of trying to prove it, he progresses swiftly into the crosshairs of law enforcement. Who killed that girl and why? LeBlanc is a loner, and no one really knows him that well, so why would anyone believe anything he says?
In Beasts of the Earth, James Wade tackles the important issues of family, friends, and the danger of suppressing a grim secret and allowing it to consume and destroy from within. This literary fiction will leave readers smoldering with grief at the tragic destruction of childhood innocence and a grown man’s need to remain distant and detached while still going through the motions of living.
In true literary fashion, James Wade is a master at characterization, digging deep into the heart and soul of living beings to craft unforgettable and quite varied personalities, including a tired dog named Chester. The overall pacing is slow and steady but in no way loses steam or stagnates. In fact, this heartbreaking story will grip your thoughts and feelings right from the start, with the author eventually and expertly coalescing the two stories separated by 20 years and plunging the overall story into a plaintive ending.
While Beasts of the Earth is laden with despair and a few heavy-handed aspects of the human condition, such as morality, self-preservation, and guilt, do not think the story will be too mournful to read. Beasts of the Earth also shows some positive aspects of the human existence, such as finding safety and respect; standing up for and protecting others; and accepting truth and consequences, even if it hurts. No life is easy all the time, but some lives are fraught with terror, confusion, and wreckage at every turn. This story presents a literary snapshot of such an existence as a reminder that even while life can be punishing, good people do exist among the villains.
Enter the giveaway below on or before October 21, 2022, for a chance to win a signed copy of Beasts of the Earth by James Wade.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
James Wade lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country with his wife and daughter. He is also the author of River, Sing Out and All Things Left Wild, a winner of the prestigious MPIBA Reading the West Award for Debut Fiction, and a recipient of the Spur Award for Best Historical Novel from the Western Writers of America.
|
10/11/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/11/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/12/22 |
Audio Review |
|
|
10/12/22 |
BONUS Promo |
|
|
10/13/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/13/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/14/22 |
Audio Review |
|
|
10/14/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/15/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/16/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/17/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/17/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/18/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/19/22 |
Audio Review |
|
|
10/20/22 |
Review |
|
|
10/20/22 |
Review |
outstanding review, as always. (and an outstanding book. WOW.)