The Rotten Beast

Jenna Fox Chronicles #1.5

by Mary E. Pearson

Presenting a new original science fiction story, “The Rotten Beast,” by author Mary E. Pearson, which takes place in the same near-future world of The Jenna Fox Chronicles.

In “The Rotten Beast,” a sixteen-year-old girl named Allys, living in a near future version of the U.S., is vehemently opposed to the way scientists are meddling with human and artificial life. In fact, she blames such scientific overreaching for the illness which is killing her. When she awakens one day to find that her parents have gone against her wishes and had an illegal operation performed to save her life and restore her body, she is furious and must come to terms with this new chance at life, which she didn’t ask for and didn’t think she wanted.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Dystopia, Fiction, Mystery, Ebooks

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2011

About the author

Mary E. Pearson is the International and NYT bestselling and award-winning author of multiple novels including her adult debut novel, The Courting of Bristol Keats, about a woman from a small town who is unexpectedly plunged into a world of gods, fae, and monsters.

Her other books include The Remnant Chronicles—The Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal, and The Beauty of Darkness—and its spin-off duology Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves. Mary's awards and honors include the Golden Kite for fiction, ALA Best Books, NYPL Best Books, IRA Choice Books, YALSA Teens Top Ten, Arkansas and South Carolina Young Adult Book Awards, and her science-fiction novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, was an Andre Norton Award Finalist. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages world-wide.

As a child she loved reading about and living in fantasy worlds. They were a portal to possibility that provided both escape and power. These days she loves writing about those worlds for the same reasons. She totally believes in magic, because, as one of her characters once whispered to her, “What is magic, but what we don’t yet understand?”

When she is not creating dangerous fantasy worlds, she enjoys the relatively safe pleasures of travel, gardening, friends, and family. Visit Mary on Instagram @maryepearson for book news and updates.

Reviews

[Nicole O · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really want to know what Ally's response after she found out that she is not human like Jenna. I knew that she did told her parents to report on Jenna and her father.

Good to know how she deal with it.

[Adi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Adoration of Jena Fox a few years back.
I don't recall much about the characters or the plot, which means i'll reread this novella when I will get the other two books in the trilogy and read them.
Mary E. Pearson is my comfort author. I'll read anything she writes even if it's a grocery list. I love the raw emotion that is always radiating from her words and i am in a journey to buy and read all her works.

I finished Dance of Thieves not long ago, which lead to me falling back into The Remnant Chronicles world and i decided to reread The Beauty of Darkness as one of the last books in 2021.
All that sent my back to the days i read The Adoration of Jenna Fox and through her website i had found this novella.

Back in 2009 Mary did an interview https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/5374-q-a-with-mary-e-pearson.html discussing the Jena world and sharing personal details about her life, how two of her daugethers were diagnosed with cancer, one when she was writting this book.
All the hate Allys feels towards doctors and the BioGel that to fix her ill body is lit in a different light after i read this inteview. In order to heal her, they had to transform her, all that made her human, into something else.
I have deep admiration to this women, her strenght and her wisdom. Can't wait to dive into this world again

[Scarlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read The Adoration of Jenna Fox like 3 years ago and remember liking it. It was a really interesting futuristic story. It kept me guessing and was actually nothing like what I was expecting it to be. I’ve read a lot of sci fi and can’t remember reading another series like it. But it’s been so long that I forgot a lot despite reading a summary before reading this short story, and kinda forgot the connection I had with the characters. So I think I would have really enjoyed this a lot more of I had read it all around the same time. It actually shed some light on a piece of the story that was missing in the first book. It was well-written and kinda creepy. This definitely adds to the story and I’m glad I read it. It made me remember how much I liked the series years ago.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only read the first two books in the Jenna Fox series, and those some years ago. This year, I want to be better about finishing up series that I started and are complete now. I also want to be better about reading shorts that are set in the same worlds as these series. I was surprised to see this series had one such short, but happy that it was available to read for free on Tor's website. While I have a hard time remembering the specific character this story is about, I still thought it was an interesting look into how someone can be seduced by taking one tiny step toward something they don't understand.

And now I want a chocolate peach.

[Yolanda Sfetsos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this story in one sitting and really enjoyed it. It was fun to read a story from the POV of Allys. It didn't have the same magical feel that The Adoration of Jenna Fox had, but it was still cool. :)

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so grateful to have found this short story! I was dying to know how Allys would react upon waking up, so thanks to the author for satisfying my curiosity!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super quick read. I read it in about 5-10 minutes. It was about Allys's transition into a bio-gel robot, basically. I'm just happy that she's still alive. And after the last book where her parents and friends were devastated about her nearly dying, I'm really happy that we get to read what happens to her. On that note, I actually didn't realize that Allys's story was unfinished in the first book. It definitely left me hanging. So in that regard I'm really happy to read more about her.

And if anyone is confused on where to find this book, I read it here: https://www.tor.com/2011/11/30/the-ro...

Overall, it was really a much needed snapshot into Allys's life after nearly dying. I liked it a lot, and I think it fits well into the Fox Chronicles. I also really like the chocolate peach. It sounds like a delicious combination, and something I would be willing to try.

[NonRevReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little novella that shares a bit more about Allys and her journey before the concluding chapter of The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I was extremely curious to learn about how Allys had adjusted to her new Bio-Gel body and we finally got a glimpse of it. While we do know that Allys was saved by Jenna’s dad in the first book, I wanted to find out more about her transition. This was a quick enjoyable little read that addressed my curiosity. I do wish we could’ve gotten a full book from Allys’ POV but this is a welcome read! I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much as I didn’t really care for the writing style in the first book.

[Haylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this

I loved this short story. I loved reading from Allys POV. It was different to Jenna. It was the story Jenna mentions in The Fox Inheritance. But I always liked Allys and loved reading from her POV.

[Nicki || lostbutcute · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kurzgeschichte, die die Sicht eines Nebencharakters aus „Zweiunddieselbe“ beschreibt und ein paar offen gebliebene Fragen beantwortet. War ganz nett, hat sich sehr schnell lesen lassen (sehr leicht verständliches Englisch) und hätte gern noch etwas länger sein können. 😇

[SaraKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story from Allys's POV after waking up. She is determined not to forget her principles and give in to the temptations the forbidden science has given her.

[Rampion · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[claire 🍉 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars
wish it was longer I want to see more of allys’ journey

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really great story, loved seeing Allys after she was changed over!

[Nina Sakura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[julita · Rating 4 out of 5]

so creepy

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice addition to the original story. It was so short that it didn't add much, but it was interesting to see Allys' pov.

[Lothfleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est en fait une nouvelle à lire entre le tome 1 et 2. On se retrouve avec une jeune fille qui a subi le même genre d'opérations que Jenna Fox mais qui, comme nous l'explique la présentation, trouve ces manipulations absolument immondes, immorales.
Ne connaissant pas le monde, j'ai néanmoins trouvé que ça ressemblait beaucoup à Skinned de Robin Wasserman avec ces opérations effectuées contre le gré du personnage etc – sauf qu'au moins elle reste elle-même Allys, elle n'est pas plus qu'une mémoire d'ordinateur. C'est peut-être pour ça que je n'ai pas accroché à ses jérémiades, à son rejet clair et simple des modifications sans chercher à se soucier de ce que les autres pensaient. Elle donnait l'impression de savoir mieux que tout le monde et donc que les autres devaient se conformer à son opinion, elle m'était assez antipathique. Mais, évidemment, la nouvelle traite du moment où elle doit faire face à la seconde chance que ces modifications qu'elle trouvent abominables et inhumaines lui donne : une chance de vivre purement et simplement.
Étant donné que c'est une nouvelle, certaines choses ne sont pas traitées, comme les questions sur la sécurité quant à la consommation et la culture des fruits génétiquement modifiés comme la pêche au chocolat, la fameuse « rotten beast », alors je suis vraiment restée sur ma faim. Mais si les romans abordent tous les sujets et pas seulement les modifications sur les êtres humains, ça pourrait être intéressant en tous cas !

[Roberta R. (Offbeat YA) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.

Pros: Provides a bridge between the 1st and 2nd book in the series (though you don't need to read this in order to better understand the sequel).
Cons: The only dissident voice in TAOJF is domesticated - in an outrageously easy manner.
Will appeal to: Those who need a life-affirming statement at any cost.

You may ask - what's the point in reviewing a short story that also happens to be a free read? It's not like one has to decide if it's worth one's money or not. But since I'm reviewing the whole series, it just didn't seem right to leave this one out.

Whole review here.

[Abigail · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was expecting something more. This is a short pathetic little narration that has as much depth as a puddle of water. Allys wakes up to find she has limbs and was recreated in a lab. She's angry, it's illegal, she wants to report them all, but she doesn't react much to having arms and legs again. Two lines about having fingers, that's all. She doesn't have anything to say about her second lease on life - unlike Jenna or Locke. She has absolutely nothing to say at all and then eats the chocolate peach and gives in. Just like that. And by eating the peach she's magically accepted it. That's all.

This short little story was completely unnecessary.

[Ani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary E. Pearson: The Rotten Beast – egy 1,5. rész, ami Allys újraszületéséről szól.
Bevallom, hogy ez igazán jó elgondolás volt az írónőtől, mert Allys egy igazán érdekes karakter. Én bírtam, hogy küzd egy célért, amiben hisz – annak ellenére is, hogy mi lenne a számára jó. Lebénult, elvesztette a végtagjait, haldoklik és mégis hisz abban, hogy rendszabályozni kell a gél felhasználását.

http://hagyjatokolvasok.blogspot.hu/2...

[Anja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see where she's coming from finding scientific advancement so repulsive. But it isn't all black and white, there are gray areas as well...
A a nice little insight into Allys. It fills a gap between last chapter and epilogue of The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I really wanted to know what happened after Ally's parents asked for help.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really find Allys all that interesting. But I found this story after finishing "The Fox Inheritance" ... so I read it. It was a nice little insight into her character. It reads more like a character study than an actual short story. Also, I think chocolate peaches sound disgusting (sure, I get their symbolism and function in the story ... still, gross.)

[Vandita · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars!

I really loved the first book in Jenna Fox chronicles. Second book not so much.
This short story is about Jenna's friend Allys who was remade with bio-gel. It was nice to have a look into her mind, not that it mattered much.

Anyway I do recommend The Adoration of Jenna Fox, that is the first book in Jenna Fox chronicles. It truly is a masterpiece.

[Mel (Daily Prophecy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“No. Not anymore. I’m a thing. You now have a thing.”

A chocolate peach. Sounds delicious!

It was interesting to see the character go from 'I'm a monster' to 'Okay, I can accept this.' It was bound to happen. There is nothing you can do about it and let's be real; if you could choose between dying or getting an advanced body, what would you do?

[Connor Rushen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this novella and I was happy to read a little bit up on Allys, since she's a character I absolutely love in the series. Though it was a bit short, I still very much enjoyed it! Read it! READ IT NOW!!!

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a book at all, more a short story, but nonetheless a crucial scene from the time right after "The Adoration of Jenna Fox," which explains some of what Allys (Jenna's friend) says and does in the sequel to "Jenna Fox".

[Sharon L · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox, and this short story let us see what happened between the last chapter and the epilogue.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story takes place after Allys gets sick in the 1st book. Her parents went to Jenna's father for help. This starts with her waking up and realizing she's different. The story shows her anger at her parents and at Jenna. Finally at the end we see when she comes to terms with what happened.

[sabrina caho · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lost chapter before the Epilogue of The Adoration of Jenna Fox, it shows how Allys changed her mind in her POV.