Beasts of the Earth

A Novel

By: James Wade

Narrated by: Roger Clark

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

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 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.

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.

Dark. Excellent. Heavy

Enjoyed the book and the voice actor. Great job all around, this book starts heavy and stays heavy. Very good listen.
My first read by this author, will look for more.

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.