Una America futuristica y anarquica en que el protagonista es una nueva especie, parte leon, parte hombre. Norteamerica ha sido destruido por la guerra civil. Los animales han sido transformados biologicamente en criaturas hibridas. Violentas bandas de barbaros combaten contra los agentes de ingenieria social. Pero unos y otros odian por igual a los leos y a todas las ultimas criaturas depredadoras, que los hombres llaman Bestias.

Loved the chapter on Sweetie, the dog. Loved the pace of the story and actually was surprised at the ending. ( )

Intriguing premise is carried through a well plotted story stocked with memorable characters, both human and animal. John Crowley's prose carries the reader through a story that is episodic but not choppy and manages to surprise you when you find yourself reading from the point of view of an animal suddenly. The central character of Painter, the leo, one of a race of genetically created human/lion hybrids, is the standout character, along with his relationship with the human, Caddie. Crowley's descriptions of his movements and quiet but authoritative voice paint a compelling picture of lion man that can't help to remind me of the Beast from the 80s CBS series Beauty and the Beast. Reynard the one-of-a-kind fox creature is a perfect far future version of the classic Renard of classic yore. His motivations are a constant mystery throughout the book and even to the end, he remains an enigma, defying those who don't realize that he is simply a creature slave to his nature. Crowley elicits a simple beauty from the manner in which the animal characters, despite any human manipulation or enhancements, maintain a slavish adherence to whatever is their essential nature; lions roam and hunt, foxes cunningly plot and escape, etc. The plight of Sweets and the other dogs in this slightly dystopian future was one of the standout chapters in this book, a complete surprise in a novel that kept refreshing itself with each new section with a scenario that was as different as the last. The section on the Mountain and the Genesis Preserve provided the best insight into this future world that was on the mend from some great wars clearly, but Crowley chooses to only give the reader the bare minimum as to what has happened. Some of the politics of the time do rear its head through Reynard and the story of Sten and Loren as they deal with the increasing reach of the Union for Social Engineering who serve well as the heavies for the book. The perils of humans tampering with nature on all levels is the undercurrent theme to the novel and adds elegiac quality as even the best intentioned of the humans, such as those in the Mountain, are seen to clash with the enhanced forces of nature unleashed, such as the leos. Beasts is a read with broad appeal to sci-fi readers and even those who generally reject science fiction might want to give this a try. ( )

Would have worked better as a trilogy. Too much political intrigue and too many ideas left not enough room for thorough world-building or hardly any character-building. Too quiet - was intended to be penetrating but I just didn't feel it. ( )

A compassionate exploration of alienation and the rational/instinctive dichotomy. The story centers on a leo (mix of man/lion) named Painter and his struggle to survive. When we reject the beast, we also reject our humanity. ( )