Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance Published by St. Martin's Press on November 2017
Genres: Adult Fiction
Pages: 346
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Orphaned, raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin, Weylyn Grey knew he wasn’t like other people. But when he single-handedly stopped that tornado on a stormy Christmas day in Oklahoma, he realized just how different he actually was.
That tornado was the first of many strange events that seem to follow Weylyn from town to town, although he doesn’t like to take credit. As amazing as these powers may appear, they tend to manifest themselves at inopportune times and places. From freak storms to trees that appear to grow over night, Weylyn’s unique abilities are a curiosity at best and at worst, a danger to himself and the woman he loves. But Mary doesn’t care. Since Weylyn saved her from an angry wolf on her eleventh birthday, she’s known that a relationship with him isn’t without its risks, but as anyone who’s met Weylyn will tell you, once he wanders into your life, you’ll wish he’d never leave.
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird. Although he doesn’t stay in any of their lives for long, he leaves each of them with a story to tell. Stories about a boy who lives with wolves, great storms that evaporate into thin air, fireflies that make phosphorescent honey, and a house filled with spider webs and the strange man who inhabits it.
There is one story, however, that Weylyn wishes he could change: his own. But first he has to muster enough courage to knock on Mary’s front door.
In this warm debut novel, Ruth Emmie Lang teaches us about adventure and love in a beautifully written story full of nature and wonder
Orphaned, raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin, Weylyn Grey knew he wasn’t like other people. But when he single-handedly stopped that tornado on a stormy Christmas day in Oklahoma, he realized just how different he actually was.
That tornado was the first of many strange events that seem to follow Weylyn from town to town, although he doesn’t like to take credit. As amazing as these powers may appear, they tend to manifest themselves at inopportune times and places. From freak storms to trees that appear to grow over night, Weylyn’s unique abilities are a curiosity at best and at worst, a danger to himself and the woman he loves. But Mary doesn’t care. Since Weylyn saved her from an angry wolf on her eleventh birthday, she’s known that a relationship with him isn’t without its risks, but as anyone who’s met Weylyn will tell you, once he wanders into your life, you’ll wish he’d never leave.
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird. Although he doesn’t stay in any of their lives for long, he leaves each of them with a story to tell. Stories about a boy who lives with wolves, great storms that evaporate into thin air, fireflies that make phosphorescent honey, and a house filled with spider webs and the strange man who inhabits it.
There is one story, however, that Weylyn wishes he could change: his own. But first he has to muster enough courage to knock on Mary’s front door.
In this warm debut novel, Ruth Emmie Lang teaches us about adventure and love in a beautifully written story full of nature and wonder
Review: Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
Review:
This magical fiction reads more like a fable than a magical realism. There’s a boy who can control the weather, talk to animals and a magical pig. There’s a great love and a great longing and lots of people along the way.
The story unfolds through different narratives, all who know Weylyn. He touches them in different ways – wolfman, son, brother, friend and love. He is mysterious and awkward. I think I’m supposed to love him, to be intrigued by him. Instead, I’m only slightly curious.
I like the settings and the writing. The novel almost reads like short stories all woven into each other. There are so many narrators though, none sound truly different. I always want one or two of the POVs to be really distinct among the mass, but these all sounded the same, only with different views. And because we only get Weylyn’s point of view at the end, I felt very detached from him. I was curious about what happened, but I didn’t feel an emotional attachment to the character like I had hoped I would. He seemed more like a strange fairy tale character my grandmother told me about than a whole realized character from the book.
The plot moves slowly starting with Weylyn’s young life. His life in itself is interesting and intriguing. You have to feel sorry for this orphan being raised by wolves. And there is something special about him. The plot kept my interest long enough for me to finish the book, but I can’t say that I loved the book or loved Weylyn.
I would read another book by this author though. I like her imagination and the scenes were always very vivid.
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
