Boys, Beasts & Men – reviewed by Alec
Trigger Warning: The following book contains depictions/mentions/alludes to homophobia, violence, and sex.
Sam J Miller’s Boys, Beasts & Men reads like you’ve stepped into the mind of each character, each as harsh and compelling as the other. It was honestly such a joy to read, as someone who struggles to read longer books, but wants that feeling of being immersed in a world, this book was perfect for me. The collection of short stories it poses as a fantastical and dark assembly of queer stories. Majority of the stories are set in fantasy and/or sci-fi settings, in the past, present, and future – but with some hauntingly realistic depictions of what it is like to be queer, even in a non-fantasy setting. Although most stories, as the title suggests, revolve around queer-men and mlm relationships rather than the broader LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
My favourite short story of all the 14 ones in the book is number four, Conspicuous Plumage. So. Many. Metaphors. Which I suppose speaks to who I am as a person, but less on that. I truly admire what Miller did with this story. It follows the brother of a boy who was murdered, and enlists the help of another boy – whose ‘power’ is to “cause visions” of things that have happened, will happen, or are fictional entirely. He wanted to find out how his brother died. What I find beautiful about the story though, is the lens through which all the characters are portrayed and the way that all the information is unfolded, eventually resulting in a spectacularly formed piece of art, in my opinion anyway.
But honestly, not even in just this story but in all of them, Miller uses metaphors and different allegories to really elevate his storytelling, allowing for nuanced interpretations. Like in Conspicuous Plumage, birds are used to convey queerness and love and outward displays of joy which Miller uses to his utmost advantage to produce a really heartbreaking but beautiful story. And he does this over and over again. Between each chapter also, there is about a paragraph that reflects the previous story, easing you into the next.
So if you’re a big fan of darker, grungy, but also very poetic books; I highly recommend Boys, Beasts & Men. Whilst it focuses a lot on messy, sometimes distressing, queer stories, it’s written with such heart that I found it near impossible to stop reading. The best way I could describe his writing is like a cold fire, burning everything, devouring, but cold to the touch. Sometimes a good cry is needed, I think Miller kept that in mind when writing this.
