The beast player

Format:

Book

Title:

The beast player

Uniform Title:

Kemono no soja I todahen II ojuhen. English

Author:

Uehashi, Nahoko author

ISBN:

9781250307460

9781713701156

9781250233264

Edition:

First American hardcover edition.

Publication:

New York : Godwinbooks, Henry Holt and Company, [2019]

Physical Description:

344 pages : illustrations, 1 genealogical table ; 24 cm

Series title(s):

Kemono no soja I todahen II ojuhen.

Number in series:

[1-2]

General Note:

Illustrations by Yuta Onoda.

Series numeration from www.goodreads.com.

"First published in English by Pushkin Press, 2018"--Title page verso.

Novel.

Contents:

The Toda -- The royal beasts.

Summary:

Nahoko Uehashi's The Beast Player is an epic YA fantasy about a girl with a special power to communicate with magical beasts and the warring kingdom only she can save.

Elin's family has an important responsibility caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. So when some of the creatures mysteriously die, Elin's mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath, she manages to send her daughter to safey. Alone and far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can communicate with both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great power, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no escaping the terrible battles to come? -- From dust jacket.

Reading Level:

840L Lexile

Sentence length: 4 (hard) Word frequency: 1 (very easy) Lexile.

Subject(s):

Magic -- Juvenile fiction.

Animals, Mythical -- Juvenile fiction.

Imaginary wars and battles -- Juvenile fiction.

Serpents -- Juvenile fiction.

Kings and rulers -- Juvenile fiction.

Magic -- Fiction.

Imaginary creatures -- Fiction.

Imaginary wars and battles -- Fiction.

Snakes -- Fiction.

Kings, queens, rulers, etc. -- Fiction.

Supernatural -- Fiction.

Fantasy.

Genre:

Young adult fiction.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Epic.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Animals / Mythical Creatures.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Girls & Women.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Diversity & Multicultural.

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	TEEN Uehashi, N.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	TEEN Uehashi, N.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	TEEN Uehashi, N.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	YA Fic Uehashi, N. 2018	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mount Angel Public Library	YA UEHASHI Beast	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Newberg Public Library	TEEN UEHASHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	YA UEHASHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stayton Public Library	TEEN UEHASHI Nahoko	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Elin's family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. So when some of the creatures mysteriously die, Elin's mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath, she manages to send her daughter to safety.

Alone and far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can communicate with both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great power, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no escaping the terrible battles to come?

Author Notes

Nahoko Uehashi is one of Japan's most popular children's writers. She has won numerous awards, including the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award. An associate professor at a Japanese university, she has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and studies indigenous peoples in Australia. Her books include the multivolume Moribito series. She lives near Tokyo, Japan.

Reviews (3)

Horn Book Review

In this Japanese-inflected fantasy, Elin's mother is killed by Toda, giant water serpents; Elin grows up to work with Royal Beasts, the gryphon-like enemies of the Toda. When the divine ruler wants to use Royal Beasts as weapons like the Toda, however, Elin rebels. An uneven start matures into a compelling, thought-provoking meditation on moral decisions and exploitation of the natural world. (c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

Can humans bridge the gulf that separates them from beasts? Is it love that binds all sentient lifeor fear?In this translation of the first entry in international-award-winning Japanese author Uehashi's (Moribito, 2014, etc.) hit series, 10-year-old Elin idolizes her mother, a skilled beast doctor for Toda, fearsome battle serpents. When some Toda die mysteriously, Elin's mother is sentenced to death. Elin escapes and finds a kind beekeeper in the mountains who raises her as his own. As she grows into adulthood, she discovers her love for all living creatures and a unique gift for communicating with the magical Royal Beasts. But the nation's political structure is fragile. Soon Elin is thrust into deadly civil conflict and must decide whether to use her beloved animal friends as tools of war. The author creates complex societies and fantastical creatures with imaginative, immersive detail. In a refreshing change for Western readers, the central issue hinges on neither individual power nor romantic love but kindness balanced against responsibility, and the narrative jumps among the perspectives of numerous characters in a more digressive style than they may be accustomed to. It's lovely to watch Elin blossom from a quiet, curious child into a compassionate, thoughtful young woman with a steadfast moral compasseven if that compass sometimes leads her astray.A richly detailed coming-of-age fantasy epic that rewards the patient and contemplative reader. (Fantasy. 13-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Fans of Studio Ghibli films will be enchanted by this new (to America) series. Uehashi is a well-known writer of teen fiction in her native Japan and winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her anthropology background shapes this thoughtful read, which introduces 10-year-old Elin as she is orphaned and must find her way in a politically restive situation, learning to employ her considerable intelligence and ability to communicate with animals. Elin's mother is a caretaker of the water serpents (Toda) that comprise the kingdom's army, and she is put to death when beasts under her care die mysteriously. Elin is taken in by an old beekeeper, who realizes Elin, like her mother, has special gifts with regards to the Toda and helps her learn to harness her powers. Uehashi takes her time building character, back story, and cultural history, and a fully realized world is the result. The beauty and power of the natural world is at the core of this intriguing fantasy, whose abrupt ending guarantees a sequel.--Debbie Carton Copyright 2010 Booklist