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Beasts: Beginning of the End
What if your whole life was a lie?
The future seems utopian, with telegraphic technology that connects everyone. People speak through feeling, and there is peace, or so Atlia thought. Atlia did not intend on doing anything other than becoming a leader until she was framed for her father's telecide (murder by telegraphic). When sentenced to the farm she learns the darkest secrets her society has been hiding, even her family. Which will she choose? Each path is as dangerous as the next as she uncovers the map of lies.
"I have smiled, laughed, marveled, fell in lasting love, and faced momentary despair along side her characters as I experience their lives unfold in the words. "
-C.L. Hogan, writer, advanced editor, and fan
"OMG! Reading Beasts I had a hard time putting it down! When I read the first three paragraphs the hair on the back of my neck was standing up!"
-LivShakti - avid reader
The future seems utopian, with telegraphic technology that connects everyone. People speak through feeling, and there is peace, or so Atlia thought. Atlia did not intend on doing anything other than becoming a leader until she was framed for her father's telecide (murder by telegraphic). When sentenced to the farm she learns the darkest secrets her society has been hiding, even her family. Which will she choose? Each path is as dangerous as the next as she uncovers the map of lies.
"I have smiled, laughed, marveled, fell in lasting love, and faced momentary despair along side her characters as I experience their lives unfold in the words. "
-C.L. Hogan, writer, advanced editor, and fan
"OMG! Reading Beasts I had a hard time putting it down! When I read the first three paragraphs the hair on the back of my neck was standing up!"
-LivShakti - avid reader
264 pages, Hardcover
Published August 20, 2018
11 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 6, 2019
Firstly, the “crime of telecide” – admit it, that sounds so cool? The wonderful thing about sci-fi, especially in a novel set 1,000 years from now, is the possibilities are endless. In Beasts, Levley has created such a detailed world. Don’t let the technology put you off, while being complex in creation, you quickly understand the World Collective. Language is ancient, people “intention” to each other through a group channel or a private channel – this method of communication was one of my favourite things about this novel. Not just because it’s so cool, but because nothing was done without intention. (sorry, I could help it!). Nothing was done without meaning, and this novel had more meaning than the blurb would have you believe.
You have an interesting story, a heroine in Atlia – despair, hurt, hate, love, laughter, you experience it all with her! But more than the story, which was great, and I’m really hoping a second book will follow, is the questions this novel raised. By the second page, this novel made me pay attention!
“I have read about you. How you made something called money, a non-existent item. That you were so untrustworthy of other people, you put their merit into pieces of “digital currency”. You are known to my people as the brokenhearted, for your hearts must surely have been broken to stoop so low as to treat lives as things.”
I love when characters talk directly to you the reader, personally involving you in the plot. When it feels like a character is talking directly to you, it makes you feel accountable, and that’s the thought-provoking nature of this novel. You question your actions and those of society – I did plenty of that while reading this one! For example, what if everyone knew all of your thoughts all of the time, how would your relationships with those closest to you change? And for the first time ever, a book made me think about vegetarianism and veganism – it was so cleverly done too; not through any kind of cruelty to animals, no direct telling the reader not to eat meat, but it was seamlessly weaved in in a way that you don’t even realise until you pause reading and start to really think about the messages being delivered in this novel.
Levley is an author you may not have heard off, but Beasts really is a novel that should be more well-known. Levley is a great storyteller, she has crafted a new world, written a thought-provoking novel, that not only challenges the perspectives of the characters but challenges the perspectives of the reader! This is definitely a novel, I recommend!
*My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book*
You have an interesting story, a heroine in Atlia – despair, hurt, hate, love, laughter, you experience it all with her! But more than the story, which was great, and I’m really hoping a second book will follow, is the questions this novel raised. By the second page, this novel made me pay attention!
“I have read about you. How you made something called money, a non-existent item. That you were so untrustworthy of other people, you put their merit into pieces of “digital currency”. You are known to my people as the brokenhearted, for your hearts must surely have been broken to stoop so low as to treat lives as things.”
I love when characters talk directly to you the reader, personally involving you in the plot. When it feels like a character is talking directly to you, it makes you feel accountable, and that’s the thought-provoking nature of this novel. You question your actions and those of society – I did plenty of that while reading this one! For example, what if everyone knew all of your thoughts all of the time, how would your relationships with those closest to you change? And for the first time ever, a book made me think about vegetarianism and veganism – it was so cleverly done too; not through any kind of cruelty to animals, no direct telling the reader not to eat meat, but it was seamlessly weaved in in a way that you don’t even realise until you pause reading and start to really think about the messages being delivered in this novel.
Levley is an author you may not have heard off, but Beasts really is a novel that should be more well-known. Levley is a great storyteller, she has crafted a new world, written a thought-provoking novel, that not only challenges the perspectives of the characters but challenges the perspectives of the reader! This is definitely a novel, I recommend!
*My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book*
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September 23, 2018Imagine if the food on our plates was once one of us?
What if the animals in the factory farm, or our very own pets, started planning their revolt?
Beasts is a YA Dystopian where the heroine, Atlia, is wrongfully accused of her father’s murder. When she is taken to The Farm to be “rehabilitated”, she begins to see that the society in which she resides is far from the utopia it claims to be...
I really enjoyed the way the novel begins, with its narrative voice drawing the reader in by speaking directly to them and encouraging them to suspend their disbelief.
The setting itself is also interesting. The reader is told by Atlia that this is how future events will pan out, offering a bleak depiction of humanity and the way in which current society’s reckless, selfish behaviour and violent greed will lead to “the Greatest War”. This war brings about the destruction of all livings things, apart from a small minority of human and some plant species.
Atlia’s society initially presents itself as being highly moral and harmonious, distinguishing itself from the flawed and destructive humans of the past. She describes everyone as her family, whether they are related to her by blood or not. They do not communicate verbally, but instead send thoughts or feelings to each other (“intentions”) telepathically using biotechnology known as “telegraphics”. This presents to the reader an intimate (and stifling) atmosphere.
The telegraphics are integrated into the human body during childhood and cannot be removed. As well as monitoring the body’s vital signs and preventing illness, it can also be used to create illusions - the darker side of this being that it distorts one’s sense of reality.
Those who rebel against society’s expectations and behavioural standards are considered to be “lessers”, and are not allowed to live within the confines of the city. Atlia’s indoctrination with these rules are so apparent that she struggles to even perceive the lessers as human when she is first taken to the farm.
It is there that she uncovers the darkest truth of her society... That the lessers are being slaughtered and used to provide “nourishment” for her people.
The cruel treatment of the lessers offers a powerful and compelling message about irresponsible food production. By putting actual humans in the place of battery farm animals, the reader is forced to confront the horrible reality of the process which leads up to their meals.
I do, however, feel like this novel could have benefited from more detail and better research on the consequences of devastated ecosystems. Recent scientific research has proposed that there are five species the human race needs to survive (honeybees, bats, plankton, primates and butterflies), and I’m curious as to how the novel’s future society was able to get on without these species.
Moreover, how were they able to sustain a cannibalistic diet without getting sick or weakened? Part of the reason we eat other species (morality aside) is because they contain proteins and nutrients we ourselves do not naturally produce.
I also felt like the telegraphics could have offered a better source of tension within the narrative. It is essentially a part of the human body which constantly monitors characters, can control what they see and makes it difficult for them to hide their inner most thoughts from others. Sounds frightening, yes?
However, the dystopian theme of inescapable surveillance was made flimsy by the fact that characters could easily block the effects of their telegraphics and didn’t seem to suffer any consequences / get caught with making their thoughts and emotions private.
Criticisms aside, I can appreciate the fact that Beasts is a debut novel, and one which has been published without the help of a large publishing house. Dystopians are notoriously difficult to write because they require such an in-depth and accurate knowledge of the issues the fantasy, future world is supposed to reflect.
Therefore, I want to finish this review with a congratulations to the author on completing this project and wishing her all the best with the other books in the series.
What if the animals in the factory farm, or our very own pets, started planning their revolt?
Beasts is a YA Dystopian where the heroine, Atlia, is wrongfully accused of her father’s murder. When she is taken to The Farm to be “rehabilitated”, she begins to see that the society in which she resides is far from the utopia it claims to be...
I really enjoyed the way the novel begins, with its narrative voice drawing the reader in by speaking directly to them and encouraging them to suspend their disbelief.
The setting itself is also interesting. The reader is told by Atlia that this is how future events will pan out, offering a bleak depiction of humanity and the way in which current society’s reckless, selfish behaviour and violent greed will lead to “the Greatest War”. This war brings about the destruction of all livings things, apart from a small minority of human and some plant species.
Atlia’s society initially presents itself as being highly moral and harmonious, distinguishing itself from the flawed and destructive humans of the past. She describes everyone as her family, whether they are related to her by blood or not. They do not communicate verbally, but instead send thoughts or feelings to each other (“intentions”) telepathically using biotechnology known as “telegraphics”. This presents to the reader an intimate (and stifling) atmosphere.
The telegraphics are integrated into the human body during childhood and cannot be removed. As well as monitoring the body’s vital signs and preventing illness, it can also be used to create illusions - the darker side of this being that it distorts one’s sense of reality.
Those who rebel against society’s expectations and behavioural standards are considered to be “lessers”, and are not allowed to live within the confines of the city. Atlia’s indoctrination with these rules are so apparent that she struggles to even perceive the lessers as human when she is first taken to the farm.
It is there that she uncovers the darkest truth of her society... That the lessers are being slaughtered and used to provide “nourishment” for her people.
The cruel treatment of the lessers offers a powerful and compelling message about irresponsible food production. By putting actual humans in the place of battery farm animals, the reader is forced to confront the horrible reality of the process which leads up to their meals.
I do, however, feel like this novel could have benefited from more detail and better research on the consequences of devastated ecosystems. Recent scientific research has proposed that there are five species the human race needs to survive (honeybees, bats, plankton, primates and butterflies), and I’m curious as to how the novel’s future society was able to get on without these species.
Moreover, how were they able to sustain a cannibalistic diet without getting sick or weakened? Part of the reason we eat other species (morality aside) is because they contain proteins and nutrients we ourselves do not naturally produce.
I also felt like the telegraphics could have offered a better source of tension within the narrative. It is essentially a part of the human body which constantly monitors characters, can control what they see and makes it difficult for them to hide their inner most thoughts from others. Sounds frightening, yes?
However, the dystopian theme of inescapable surveillance was made flimsy by the fact that characters could easily block the effects of their telegraphics and didn’t seem to suffer any consequences / get caught with making their thoughts and emotions private.
Criticisms aside, I can appreciate the fact that Beasts is a debut novel, and one which has been published without the help of a large publishing house. Dystopians are notoriously difficult to write because they require such an in-depth and accurate knowledge of the issues the fantasy, future world is supposed to reflect.
Therefore, I want to finish this review with a congratulations to the author on completing this project and wishing her all the best with the other books in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2018
This is a unique book about a far distant future in which animals have gone extinct. So to get their protein, people are now eating...people. Anyone who commits murder or some other offense is deemed less than human- a “lesser”, and slaughtered the way animals are, just for food.
There are so many intensely gripping moments that made me unable to put the book down, and if I weren’t already a vegetarian, I would be now!
Also, the main character is a woman who is in love with another woman. I’m always all for books with queer representation.
The main reason I’m giving this 4 stars and not 5 is because I wanted more of an explanation of the technology in the story, because the technology of this world is so much more advanced than anything else I’ve read, that it didn’t add as much to the story as I had hoped.
My favorite book, Oryx and Crake, has a lot of similar themes to this, but the reason Oryx and Crake has such a profound impact is because though the technology is advanced, the future it depicts still looks like the world as we know it, so we don’t know if it’s that far away or just around the corner.
That’s what I had hoped to get from this book, but the advanced names for things like family members and ages, and the fact that everyone speaks directly to each other’s minds and people can get pregnant through the right mental contact with others didn’t add much to the story.
Overall, this is a great book with profound themes that I truly hope everyone reads.
There are so many intensely gripping moments that made me unable to put the book down, and if I weren’t already a vegetarian, I would be now!
Also, the main character is a woman who is in love with another woman. I’m always all for books with queer representation.
The main reason I’m giving this 4 stars and not 5 is because I wanted more of an explanation of the technology in the story, because the technology of this world is so much more advanced than anything else I’ve read, that it didn’t add as much to the story as I had hoped.
My favorite book, Oryx and Crake, has a lot of similar themes to this, but the reason Oryx and Crake has such a profound impact is because though the technology is advanced, the future it depicts still looks like the world as we know it, so we don’t know if it’s that far away or just around the corner.
That’s what I had hoped to get from this book, but the advanced names for things like family members and ages, and the fact that everyone speaks directly to each other’s minds and people can get pregnant through the right mental contact with others didn’t add much to the story.
Overall, this is a great book with profound themes that I truly hope everyone reads.
August 10, 2018
I am currently reading this book - and it AMAZING! 4 chapters in and I am already hooked, and trust me, it is pretty hard to get me hooked on a book because I am not a huge reader just in general. However, I enjoy reading this one. This is a very creative fantasy yet somewhat still realistic book that has a very relatable character as we watch her go through a struggle that connects to all of us! It gets very deep, dark, and brings you to exactly what the character is feeling and seeing, and shows you how a different community handles life. It also forces you to think about the meaning of life, how much a life is worth, how important people are, and how to show love. Without giving too much away, there are some very cute creative things the author Ana added in which also keeps things fun and interesting. I can not wait to see what happens next as this is an absolute page turner!
August 17, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book because it covers so many issues relevant to today. It is not hyper-focused on any one topic and creates a cohesive story. The technology used in this series is extremely novel, on par with Isaac Asimov's "Robot Dreams", which is hard to do these days. I look forward to seeing the expanded world in the rest of the series. I hope that many others will read this book as well and share it in order to spread awareness of issues that are so important to the world, particularly for the animals and our environment. I can totally see this book becoming a fantastic movie.
December 8, 2018
This is a very good book. The author has the ability to draw you into a future society where animals do not exist. The people are eating meat – care to guess where they are getting it from? Let’s just say there are other ways to pay for your crimes.
The reader is presented with a well thought out scenario that borders close to the direction we may be heading in. Realistic occurrences from today’s world provide a solid basis for this futuristic vision.
This book opens to door to a plethora of thought and questions as to what is humane and where is our world heading?
The reader is presented with a well thought out scenario that borders close to the direction we may be heading in. Realistic occurrences from today’s world provide a solid basis for this futuristic vision.
This book opens to door to a plethora of thought and questions as to what is humane and where is our world heading?
April 16, 2019
As I opened this book I found it had a great deal of information to absorb quickly, was hard to get into and impossible to put down. The first chapters took determination, and then Ana allowed the dam to break. I read it in one sitting. I had to.
I started chapter five with a horrified fascination, as if watching a horror movie and hiding behind the sofa, yet the book started out innocent of all horror. And yet it is an adventure story woven around banal, everyday horror. It is the very banality that made me squirm.
Squirming or not I did not have to force myself to read on. I tried to force myself to stop instead.
A peculiarity is that I was absorbed by the story, needing neither to like nor to identify with any of the cast of characters. I am not sure any were written as likeable. Loyal, frail, strong, powerful, fearful and much more besides, those traits were written in. Normally I feel the need to like or identify with one of them.
As with all well written non "Earth as we know it" books there is a 95% grounding in reality, albeit somewhat distorted, with just 5% requiring suspension of disbelief.
My feeling is that Ana Levley has found a rich seam of similar strength to The Handmaid's Tale.
I started chapter five with a horrified fascination, as if watching a horror movie and hiding behind the sofa, yet the book started out innocent of all horror. And yet it is an adventure story woven around banal, everyday horror. It is the very banality that made me squirm.
Squirming or not I did not have to force myself to read on. I tried to force myself to stop instead.
A peculiarity is that I was absorbed by the story, needing neither to like nor to identify with any of the cast of characters. I am not sure any were written as likeable. Loyal, frail, strong, powerful, fearful and much more besides, those traits were written in. Normally I feel the need to like or identify with one of them.
As with all well written non "Earth as we know it" books there is a 95% grounding in reality, albeit somewhat distorted, with just 5% requiring suspension of disbelief.
My feeling is that Ana Levley has found a rich seam of similar strength to The Handmaid's Tale.
August 18, 2018
Beasts has taken my breath away. I'm amazed how the story evolves and surprises us with the process that Atlia experiences. Her point of view shows us the human beings' decadence and how love, compassion and understanding can be the perfect resistance to fight that world full of beasts. The book is charged with thought provoking and polemic topics that make us question and reflect our current society. Enjoy the journey and hopefully you will have besomeone special to hold your hand and give you a hug because the emotions are deep on this ride!
February 4, 2020
Completely imaginative, riveting imagery, and captivating characters. The amount of twists and turns is mind boggling. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews