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Gus: The Life and Opinions of the Last Raffles’ Banded Langur
Finalist for the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize
In this action-packed eco-novel, wild talking monkeys lead a revolution in a troubled Singapore. Gus, a precocious Raffles' banded langur, seeks to get home to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a Filipino nurse tries to heal her grief, and an auditor strives to be a clown. Their adventures take place along the Rail Corridor, among the shophouses of Blair Plain, and beneath the skyscrapers of downtown Singapore.
“An ecological dystopian romp…a zeitgeisty, absurdist tale that will entertain and make you think.”
Lee Jing-Jing, author of How We Disappeared
“A truly one-of-a-kind work of speculative fiction.”
Ng Yi-Sheng, multi-award-winning author of Lion City
“…funny and tragic…An utter page turner, Gus is the product of a magnificently troubling imagination that will scare its readers the next time they attempt a hiking trail.”
Gwee Li Sui, poet, graphic artist and literary critic
“Breathless, unrelenting, but also hilarious and unexpectedly poignant, here is a surreal and wildly entertaining morality tale about what happens when the natural world fulfils its vengeance on modern life...”
Cyril Wong, award-winning poet and author of This Side of Heaven
“…a thought-provoking and entertaining work that hurtles from escapade to escapade with humour and compassion.”
Yeo Wei Wei, author of These Foolish Things
“…absurdist, absolutely gonzo, post-apocalyptic book. Creative, propelling – a real pleasure to read (as long as you're not on a dark forested path along Bukit Timah)."
Victor Fernando R Ocampo, author of The Infinite Library and Other Stories
422 pages, Paperback
Published April 16, 2024
About the author
Jon Gresham
17 books71 followersJon Gresham's debut novel, Gus: The Life & Opinions of the Last Raffles' Banded Langur, was a finalist for the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize. His collection of short stories, We Rose Up Slowly, was published in July 2015 by Math Paper Press.
He co-edited, In This Desert There Were Seeds (Ethos Books & Margaret River Press. 2019), with Elizabeth Tan.
His story, The Visit, was shortlisted for the Short Fiction Essex University Prize in 2020.
His stories have appeared in various anthologies and literary journals including The Best Asian Short Stories 2020, Best Singaporean Short Stories 1, Best New Singaporean Short Stories Volume Three, In Transit, Singapore Love Stories and many others.
From 2019 to 2023, Gresham ran the Asia Creative Writing Programme, a partnership between the National Arts Council and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
He is also a co-founder of the Singaporean literary community, Sing Lit Station, the founder of the Book a Writer programme and ran the Writing the City creative writing workshop from 2016 to 2022.
Gresham lives in Adelaide and Singapore. He writes stories and takes photos for www.igloomelts.com
He co-edited, In This Desert There Were Seeds (Ethos Books & Margaret River Press. 2019), with Elizabeth Tan.
His story, The Visit, was shortlisted for the Short Fiction Essex University Prize in 2020.
His stories have appeared in various anthologies and literary journals including The Best Asian Short Stories 2020, Best Singaporean Short Stories 1, Best New Singaporean Short Stories Volume Three, In Transit, Singapore Love Stories and many others.
From 2019 to 2023, Gresham ran the Asia Creative Writing Programme, a partnership between the National Arts Council and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
He is also a co-founder of the Singaporean literary community, Sing Lit Station, the founder of the Book a Writer programme and ran the Writing the City creative writing workshop from 2016 to 2022.
Gresham lives in Adelaide and Singapore. He writes stories and takes photos for www.igloomelts.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 12, 2024
What an interesting read! Primates have taken over Singapore in this dystopian novel that I couldn't put down. Themes of friendship, betrayal, clowns and loyalty. Highly recommend as an original, funny, (completely NOT Planet of the Apes) moving read.
July 6, 2024
Book- Gus: The Life and Opinions of the Last Raffles’ Banded Langur
Author- Jon Gresham
The story is set in a dystopian Singapore not so far in the future where its people are grappling with the revolution and evolution of the primates who are set to break the shackles that the humans have imposed upon them. This beautifully penned fiction by Jon Gresham compels its readers to stop and analyse the actions undertaken by us humans as co-existing beings on this planet. Although this is clearly a fiction, it draws heavily from reality of the modern world. The story does not seem unimaginable given the nature of humans. The way we experiment with nature and the extent to which we have been destroying it, the talking and controlling primates might not just remain as figments of our imagination.
When Gus, the banded langur, escapes with Charlie, an auditor and a closet clown, he wishes to go far away from his tough life in Jakarta under Bapak Mokkel’s captivity. All he wants is to be united with his family in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Little does he know that the place he calls home does not exist anymore. In fact, the entire Singapore population is under the attack of primates. His simple plan to reach home now requires facing hostilities from his own kind and the humans alike.
But how did this come to be? The answer is simple. Genetic engineering, which enhanced intelligence and talking capabilities in the primates, went out of hand. Hybrid creatures, experiments in nature and cutting down forests are only a few of the atrocities people committed in this imagined world of Gresham that led to the marauding monkeys causing mayhem from Marsiling to Marina Bay.
Although the humans themselves sought these abilities in those monkeys through years of experiment, the very ability of speech turned them into rivals of selfishness and greed.
If you like stories where animals run the show, this book is for you! This action-packed, page turning fiction will surely keep you hooked until the very end.
Author- Jon Gresham
The story is set in a dystopian Singapore not so far in the future where its people are grappling with the revolution and evolution of the primates who are set to break the shackles that the humans have imposed upon them. This beautifully penned fiction by Jon Gresham compels its readers to stop and analyse the actions undertaken by us humans as co-existing beings on this planet. Although this is clearly a fiction, it draws heavily from reality of the modern world. The story does not seem unimaginable given the nature of humans. The way we experiment with nature and the extent to which we have been destroying it, the talking and controlling primates might not just remain as figments of our imagination.
When Gus, the banded langur, escapes with Charlie, an auditor and a closet clown, he wishes to go far away from his tough life in Jakarta under Bapak Mokkel’s captivity. All he wants is to be united with his family in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Little does he know that the place he calls home does not exist anymore. In fact, the entire Singapore population is under the attack of primates. His simple plan to reach home now requires facing hostilities from his own kind and the humans alike.
But how did this come to be? The answer is simple. Genetic engineering, which enhanced intelligence and talking capabilities in the primates, went out of hand. Hybrid creatures, experiments in nature and cutting down forests are only a few of the atrocities people committed in this imagined world of Gresham that led to the marauding monkeys causing mayhem from Marsiling to Marina Bay.
Although the humans themselves sought these abilities in those monkeys through years of experiment, the very ability of speech turned them into rivals of selfishness and greed.
If you like stories where animals run the show, this book is for you! This action-packed, page turning fiction will surely keep you hooked until the very end.
May 27, 2024
Gus is an amazing book to delve into!
It's set in the near future and follows Gus, a Raffles Banded Langur who now has the ability to speak. In this dystopian eco-thriller world, all animals - even insects - have acquired the power of speech, and they are not short of opinions which I found to be very amusing!
The story unfolds as The Monkey King gains control over Singapore, revealing the vulnerabilities of the city's ports and location, while all Gus wants to do is find his family. Throughout the novel, many themes are addressed, including the demise of modern society. It questions who we are without our modern devices and highlights how important community and family are.
Despite its serious themes, the book manages to balance humour and moments of poignancy skilfully, showcasing the talent of Jon Gresham.
It's set in the near future and follows Gus, a Raffles Banded Langur who now has the ability to speak. In this dystopian eco-thriller world, all animals - even insects - have acquired the power of speech, and they are not short of opinions which I found to be very amusing!
The story unfolds as The Monkey King gains control over Singapore, revealing the vulnerabilities of the city's ports and location, while all Gus wants to do is find his family. Throughout the novel, many themes are addressed, including the demise of modern society. It questions who we are without our modern devices and highlights how important community and family are.
Despite its serious themes, the book manages to balance humour and moments of poignancy skilfully, showcasing the talent of Jon Gresham.
February 15, 2025
“I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound or stab us. If the book we're reading doesn't wake us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for? So that it will make us happy, as you write? Good Lord, we would be happy precisely if we had no books, and the kind of books that make us happy are the kind we could write ourselves if we had to. But we need books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is my belief.”
― Franz Kafka
― Franz Kafka
May 25, 2024
The book is a daring and clever satire highlighting many of the world’s contemporary challenges ( particularly those relevant in Singapore) in an amusing way. It requires an imaginative reader willing to be stretched. It is both fun and funny, yet as deadly serious as the langurs that are portrayed.
April 4, 2026
it started off fun and i loved reading about how the monkeys were taking over familiar singapore landmarks! but the book got progressively more chaotic and violent and i became quite bored from the second half. so i struggled to finish this and i felt like the story was much longer than i wanted it to be!
January 31, 2026
Saw this in a bookstore in Singapore. Very clever. Loved the conundrums the characters found themselves in, and bountiful descriptions of flora in green Singapore. If only current humans could recognize their good fortune.
4.5
4.5
May 24, 2024
We did not need another planet of the apes spin off
May 27, 2024
I love talking monkeys. This is a funny & thoughtful book. I really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews