Mountain Devil

Recommend: Yes

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a sequel to a thinly veiled allegory.

If you liked Animal Farm, I think you’ll like this book. It continues the fable setting of Manor Farm in a similar style with a different political allegory underpinning it. If this interests you, don’t read the rest of this review, read the book and see how you interpreted it.

This book intrigued me because it had an intriguing title and a simple picture of a pig on the spine. I read the first few pages in the shop and realised it was a sequel to Animal Farm. I added it to Caitlin’s pile and later read it in a quick three days.

The themes of truth and its ability to be manipulated and used to control others are just as relevant, if not moreso, to this modern sequel as they are to the Soviet original. It doesn’t feel particularly subtle at times, less so as it got nearer the end, but maybe the original wasn’t subtle either when it was published. This story is just more relevant and topical so it is easier to make the associations.

The focus of Beasts of England is very contemporary. With it seeming to want to be to Trump’s American what Animal Farm was to Stalin’s USSR. There is a risk that this can feel a bit preachy and on the nose, but it manages to mostly stay clear of this. The book is at its best when it uses these modern current affairs as inspiration and tells its own story without an obvious real world parallel (or one that I didn’t realise). Thankfully this is most of the book.

Unfortunately, there is an epilogue that removes any hint of subtlety and all the animals are now basically in a fascist dystopia. This was a bit disappointing and could have been handled in a better way rather than just having an obvious bad ending realised. It feels like there was an obvious ending with a deliberately similar (arguably obtusely so) parallel to the ending of Orwell’s original that an editor read and said “nope, we need to make it clear Trump is the bad guy”.

Finally, everyone knows you get full marks in your Year 9 English essay if you list what each character is supposed to represent. The following is my interpretation of what the characters in Beasts of England were allegories of:

• Jumbo (pig): Modern populist demagogue (Trump or maybe Boris Johnson). Has a history of scandals and stylish hair. Focuses on the deeds done by the now passed and seeks to realise them again (Traviatina the pig and MAGA)
• Pearl (pig): The religious conservative politician. Eventually they become completely dissociated from the political reality to focus on their ideological end-state  (Sugarloaf mountain, although I thought that was MAGA for a bit, but I think that it too subtle)
• Ribbons/Buttercup (pig): Traditional politicians (both left and right) who have been in the game for a long time and are the status quo. They are eventually ousted by the new order
• Starlings: Social media and its engaged users (Twitter). They are always spreading stories that influence others, but unclear if they know the origin of the stories or what is actually true.
• Balmoral/Flaxen (Roe Deer): The stereotypical conservative. Not a fan of outsiders and wants to believe in Sugarloaf mountain. Wants to build a moat (great big beautiful wall) and angrily rejects possible involvement from other farms (the UN).
• Foxes: The alt-right. Society pushed them out as unwanted, but they crept back in and their trolling and bullying is used by Jumbo to deningrate and control others.
• Geese: The traditional media. They love to chat and gossip and have a better memory of the past than most.
• Sheep and Cows: The working class. Similar to the original book in this regard. There is also a bullock who wants to reclaim his testicles that is representing something akin to toxic masculinity.
• Alpacas: Second and third generation immigrants. Rejected as not truly being from manor house and blamed for disease.
• Cosmo (Owl): Third parties in the old administration (Bernie Sanders). Not innocent. Was aware that the grain reserve (National debt) had been well and truly plundered all throughout the previous administration.

There were others I can’t remeber and I have no idea if the above is what the author intended or what the broader consensus is. I feel it is important to write down how I read it before I see what others think though.