Beasts of the Earth

A Novel

By: James Wade

Narrated by: Roger Clark

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2023 Spur Award 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.

©2022 James Wade (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Wait for it…wait for it

I thought the timeline was messed up several times. Then there is a plot twist that makes it all make sense.

good and evil

First time author for me. A bible verse is quoted at the beginning of the book saying there is good and evil in the world. With this the author brings good and evil people to the SE Texas and Lousiana swamps. Yes, there are good and evil characters, and they are brought to life in this story.

The meaning of life is discussed and, if anything, the discussions of these topics is so flowery that sometimes you have to pay close attention to understand and really get the gist of what the author is communicating.

It was an interesting listen, not too long.

Loved this!

I listened to this book in one day! I thought it was great. This is one that I will always remember. I am heartbroken for what a person has to go through.

Good Book!!

I love the narrator of this audiobook! His voice fits so well with the haunting storyline and characters! This was a good book, sad but good! I will definitely add James Wade to my list of authors to follow!! The writing is descriptive and detailed! I would recommend this book!

Truly impressive

Beautifully written prose that shines a revealing light on the darkest corners of the human experience. The abuse of children is horrifying and the author’s subtle, skirting telling makes it even more so.
The narrator breathed life into the story with a no-nonsense, slightly gravelly voice. This is not a pretty story but is realistically triumphant.

Another Texas Naturalist Novel

Another Texas Naturalist Novel

Wade writes in a hard scrabble way that is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy and others. It is fresh and refreshing.

Roger Clark's narration is spot on.

Ignore the ignorant haters!

I have listened to hundreds of books, and this lept to my top 5. The narrator lends his raspy, harmonic voice to a story that is so beautifully written that it reads like a poem. This man is a wordsmith. His prose should be bottled up and sold as inspiration to writers and readers alike.
I can't even begin to imagine what bland and tasteless swill the one-star reviewers prefer to a book of this high a caliber.

Poetic

Good story but depressing. It is a bit too poetically written for my taste but worth reading.

Excellent.

Great book. Sad. But excellent writing. Good narration as well. Give it a try. To Mr. Wade I would say keep up the good work.

Great Writing, Acceptable Plot

Beautifully written book with a decent, but not super well fleshed-out plot and decent character development. It's well worth reading, but could have been 30% longer to flesh out the interesting characters and circumstances. Worth reading. The narrator was fantastic.