btmarino84's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely genius and beautiful. I had read a previous novel (Veronica) by this author which was much more explicitly fantasy with spiritual and magical elements treated as complete reality. This had magical realist elements, but they were all subtle. I don't want to give spoilers but most of the "magic" in this book comes from illustrations and descriptions of mythical creatures that may or not exist. The main plot, the narrator's search for a mythical bestiary of animals left off of Noah's Ark, is mostly a frame for the author's examination of things like Vietnam and the student movement. It is a bildungsroman disguised as an adventure. The author's descriptive powers are absolutely impeccable. Prose as gorgeous as anything I have read. Definitely a newer classic.
tchristman's review against another edition
2.0
I so wanted to like this! Beautiful concept, searching for a long lost book detailing all of the exotic creatures left off the Ark. Likable characters, I loved the way the author wove the tale of the hurt caused to a growing boy by his neglectful father. I loved the stoic father figure as he is slowly revealed. So many exotic locations visited in his travels. What went wrong? The story meanders and never really develops. The ending was not satisfying. I just wanted more!
jeregenest's review against another edition
4.0
Nicholas Christopher is on the list of authors that I don’t understand why he’s not more popular amongst fantasy fans. Probably because he is firmly in the literary camp and thus ignored by most genre people. It’s a pity because he writes good fantasy of history. A literary omnivore (which I always appreciate), he is versed in classical lore and pulp fiction, and his books are a thrilling amalgam of the two: erudite, lyrical and breathlessly paced. Unlike Christopher’s previous novels, The Bestiary merely teeters on the edge of fantasy. But it teeters in such a delightful way.
The Bestiary concerns a medieval manuscript with a whiff of heresy, suppressed and possibly destroyed by order of the pope. And the story is primarily that of a fable. The main character’s – Xeno - hunt for this bestiary is quixotic — it is, he soon realizes, a thinly veiled quest for his own identity — and the novel is less a detective story than a kind of theme and variations on the failure of man’s dominion over nature.
I recommend folks read this book, I also really recommend going out and finding Veronica and [b:A Trip to the Stars|14967|A Trip To The Stars|Nicholas Christopher|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166669092s/14967.jpg|16921], which are on my must list of book recommendations.
The Bestiary concerns a medieval manuscript with a whiff of heresy, suppressed and possibly destroyed by order of the pope. And the story is primarily that of a fable. The main character’s – Xeno - hunt for this bestiary is quixotic — it is, he soon realizes, a thinly veiled quest for his own identity — and the novel is less a detective story than a kind of theme and variations on the failure of man’s dominion over nature.
I recommend folks read this book, I also really recommend going out and finding Veronica and [b:A Trip to the Stars|14967|A Trip To The Stars|Nicholas Christopher|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166669092s/14967.jpg|16921], which are on my must list of book recommendations.
thirdcoast's review against another edition
2.0
I guess I wanted more from this book. The idea intrigued me. It follows the trail of a bestiary that has been lost, which detailed the animals that were not on board the ark when the flood came. There are some elements of fantasy here, but not really. Personally, I wanted this to go into the realm of fantasy, see what really happened to these mythological animals, but that never happens. Instead, it is one man's pursuit of an idea and how that sustains him through his life. The novel can be summarized as a simple quest story.
audaciaray's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book, since it has imaginary animals, world travel/adventure, and nerdery in it. But it just didn't hold together for me, the scope felt very fragmented, emotionally disconnected, and not very actiony. Most of the action centers around searching for a manuscript, which sounds like a fun real-life adventure to me but isn't actually very much fun to read about. I will, however, try more Nicholas Christopher, since I liked Franklin Flyer a lot.
trmtss's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
danbydame's review against another edition
4.0
Less "magical" and more "realism" than other books by Nicholas Christopher I have read. I did miss that dreamy, floaty state I experienced reading Veronica. But still, I found the story quite absorbing. It's a relatively quick, straightforward read. The life story of the hero, Xeno, is not complex or surprising, but it has enough going on to carry you along as you gather up the true rewards of the story. Those are the arcane tidbits of ancient history, mythology of the entire Mediterranean region, imaginary (?) animals, and the lonesome life of scholarly research.
Now if someone would just publish a full color, illustrated edition of this. I would be first in line to buy it. As with all of his books, Christopher has sent me away wanting to know more. Off to Google to research bestiaries .... And if i can buy anything interesting....
Now if someone would just publish a full color, illustrated edition of this. I would be first in line to buy it. As with all of his books, Christopher has sent me away wanting to know more. Off to Google to research bestiaries .... And if i can buy anything interesting....
wordnerdy's review against another edition
3.0
I had mixed feelings about this book--I think sometimes the author wasn't sure if it was more of a coming-of-age story or a story about a scholar hunting down a mysterious book--containing details of all the mythological animals ever--missing since the 1300s. Some parts were slow, some parts were predictable, and the end felt abrupt, but it was mildly entertaining. B.
megmcardle's review against another edition
4.0
Fans of books about books should give Nicholas Christopher's new novel, The Bestiary a try. The book here is an ancient illustrated book called The Caravan Bestiary that describes all the animals that were left off of Noah's ark at the time of the flood. From a young age Xeno Atlas seeks this book, and the journeys he takes in the searching are the meat of the book. Vividly described locales include Venice, Paris, Gibralter, Vietnam, and the Greek Isles. What I like about Christopher's books is that they all have a dreamy, magical quality. They are full of strange coincidences and single-minded quests. This one doesn't quite compare to his best book [b:A Trip to the Stars|14967|A Trip To The Stars|Nicholas Christopher|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166669092s/14967.jpg|16921], but is still worth reading.
kfan's review against another edition
5.0
10 stars, a hundred. I was so disappointed when I turned the page and saw that it was over. Darth Vadar style, all NooooOOoooOOOoo......
The back jacket says this is a book about a quest to find the Caravan Bestiary, a legendary, lost illuminated manuscript detailing all the mythical creatures who were not granted passage on Noah's Arc. (Griffins, manticores, dragons, hydras, etc.) And it's totally about that, and on one level it's a really fun summer blockbuster-style ride.
Except not really, because that doesn't capture the pace and style with which the book unfolds, and that's not really what it's about. It's about the human animal, and how we each evolve over a lifetime, and the ways that we disappear from each other's lives, and return, or don't. How we come together and come apart.
If I had to bullet-point the reasons every page of this book sang to my soul they would be, in no particular order:
* National Treasure/Dan Brown-style secret historical intrigue;
* acceptance of the exertion and influence of the supernatural on our everyday lives;
* exploration of the relationship between humans and animals (real, imaginary, future, extinct) on this planet;
* dark stuff about children's relationships with their parents, plus light stuff about the family you get vs the family you choose.
Anyways, loved it.
A couple of page breaks now because I want to talk about some other stuff. Not spoiler, more notes to future readers if they want them.
The author sets up a lot of things in motion early on, and if you are a person who likes to figure out the ending of a movie 30 minutes in, or always find that type of set-up very obvious, then there might be a point towards the end of the book where you're like "Well, duh." But I am not a person like that, so when I finally realized what was about to happen, and I saw how things that had been set up chapters ago were suddenly about to click into place, my love for the book shot through the roof. I was reading it on the subway and couldn't stop smiling.
There are a couple of set pieces in the book (funeral, Vietnam) that I thought were incredibly well-written.
Also this is a book about animals, so there are a lot of casual references to animals. There's a phoenix on just about every page, or someone is from Hydra, or something is zebra-striped, etc. The references are piled on top of one another. I can see that being annoying to some people, but I really enjoyed it. It was to the point where I almost stopped seeing them, which is kind of how it is, in real life. Humans have this whole weird relationship with animals and what we think that means isn't really what it means, we just don't think about it on a daily basis. Really interesting stuff.
The back jacket says this is a book about a quest to find the Caravan Bestiary, a legendary, lost illuminated manuscript detailing all the mythical creatures who were not granted passage on Noah's Arc. (Griffins, manticores, dragons, hydras, etc.) And it's totally about that, and on one level it's a really fun summer blockbuster-style ride.
Except not really, because that doesn't capture the pace and style with which the book unfolds, and that's not really what it's about. It's about the human animal, and how we each evolve over a lifetime, and the ways that we disappear from each other's lives, and return, or don't. How we come together and come apart.
If I had to bullet-point the reasons every page of this book sang to my soul they would be, in no particular order:
* National Treasure/Dan Brown-style secret historical intrigue;
* acceptance of the exertion and influence of the supernatural on our everyday lives;
* exploration of the relationship between humans and animals (real, imaginary, future, extinct) on this planet;
* dark stuff about children's relationships with their parents, plus light stuff about the family you get vs the family you choose.
Anyways, loved it.
A couple of page breaks now because I want to talk about some other stuff. Not spoiler, more notes to future readers if they want them.
The author sets up a lot of things in motion early on, and if you are a person who likes to figure out the ending of a movie 30 minutes in, or always find that type of set-up very obvious, then there might be a point towards the end of the book where you're like "Well, duh." But I am not a person like that, so when I finally realized what was about to happen, and I saw how things that had been set up chapters ago were suddenly about to click into place, my love for the book shot through the roof. I was reading it on the subway and couldn't stop smiling.
There are a couple of set pieces in the book (funeral, Vietnam) that I thought were incredibly well-written.
Also this is a book about animals, so there are a lot of casual references to animals. There's a phoenix on just about every page, or someone is from Hydra, or something is zebra-striped, etc. The references are piled on top of one another. I can see that being annoying to some people, but I really enjoyed it. It was to the point where I almost stopped seeing them, which is kind of how it is, in real life. Humans have this whole weird relationship with animals and what we think that means isn't really what it means, we just don't think about it on a daily basis. Really interesting stuff.