City of the Beasts

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City of the Beasts
Author	Isabel Allende
Original title	La ciudad de las bestias
Translator	Margaret Sayers Peden
Country	United States
Language	Spanish
Genre(s)	Children's literature
Publisher	Rayo
Publication date	2002
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages	406 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0060509171
Followed by	Kingdom of the Golden Dragon

City of the Beasts (La ciudad de las bestias in Spanish) is the first young adult novel by Chilean-American writer Isabel Allende. Published in 2002, the story is set in the Amazon rainforest. The novel was translated by Margaret Sayers Peden from Spanish to English. Walden Media is said to be producing a movie. ^[1]

[edit] Plot summary

[edit] Beginning

City Of The Beasts begins with the story of Alexander Cold. Alex is 15 years old, and going through a crisis. His mother has just started chemotherapy to fight her cancer and his father has decided to send his kids to live with relatives for a while. Alex flies to New York City to stay with his eccentric grandmother Kate Cold, who is a reporter for the International Geographic and who will be taking Alex with her to the Amazon rainforest during his visit. Once he arrives in NYC, Alex's backpack is stolen by a runaway girl named Morgana; however, he still has his passport with him. Without money and lost in the unfamiliar New York of the 1990s, Alex walks all the way across the city through the snow to find his grandmother's apartment.

Alex finds out that their trip to the Amazon is the next day; his grandmother will be investigating reports of an Amazonian “Yeti” for International Geographic magazine. Kate, upon learning of the loss of Alex's bag (which had contained his prized flute) gives him, somewhat reluctantly, the flute that belonged to his grandfather, Kate's former husband, who is revealed to have been a world-famous musician.

[edit] Arrival In The Amazon and members of the expedition

When Alex and his Grandmother Kate reach the jungle, they meet up with the rest of the expedition group: Timothy Bruce (photographer); and his assistant Joel Gonzalez. Accompanying them is the famous trigger happy anthropologist, Ludovic Leblanc, the beautiful Venezuelan physician Dr. Omayra Torres, who is coming along to vaccinate natives, and Cesar Santos, their Brazilian guide. Alex soon befriends Nadia, a girl about his age who is the daughter of Cesar Santos. They also meet an entrepreneur named Mauro Carias, the man responsible for drawing the magazine's interest to the mysterious Beasts.

[edit] The Shaman's Wisdom

Outside of a small town in the middle of the Amazon named Santa Maria de la Lluvia, Alex is introduced to a friend of Nadia's, a native shaman by the name of Walimai. After informing them that the two of them have been "called", he disappears without a trace.

That night, the two children wake up to the sound of voices. They overhear Captain Aristo and Mauro Carias discussing a plan in which the expedition is used as a cover to hide what they're really doing: getting rid of the Indians so that they can prospect in the World's Eye.

Upon visiting Carias's house the next day, the members of the expedition are shown a captive black jaguar. Alex is mesmerized by it and has a vision by which it is revealed that his totemic animal is a jaguar. Cesar Santos, Nadia's father, kills the jaguar so that it will not have to live in bondage. Nadia begins to call Alex Jaguar, because that is his "true name".

[edit] The Expedition

The group leaves by boat, traveling upriver toward their destination in the World's Eye. Everyone in the group feels uncomfortable, as if someone were watching them constantly. One of the soldiers who is with them dies when he is shot by a poisoned dart. Later, Joel Gonzalez, the photographer's assistant, is attacked and nearly killed by an anaconda. After another soldier's death, this time at the hands of a Beast, they decide to send several people back with the wounded Joel Gonzalez - and they are given the task to send help back to the expedition.

When they are left alone, Alex plays his grandfather's flute to relieve the tedium. The music attracts the mysterious People of the Mist, who kidnap the two children. They travel farther into the forest and arrive at a waterfall which they must climb to reach the World's Eye. Due to Alex's skills in rock climbing, this isn't much of a problem for him; however, Nadia is afraid of heights. After they reach the top, Alex is sent back down again to rescue their chief, Mokarita, who had fallen and been mortally wounded. When everyone arrives at the top, they set off for the home of the People of the Mist.

[edit] The People Of The Mist

When they reach the village, they are welcomed by the Indians - but their happiness is tempered by the death of Mokarita, which follows shortly after. He is given a traditional funeral, which unfortunately sends up a great amount of smoke from the pyre. During the funeral, everyone is given a drug which reveals to Nadia her totem of the eagle. Jaguar and Eagle are initiated into the clan. Alex, being fifteen, is put through a rite of passage into manhood; during the ceremony, unusual things happen. Firstly, he turns into a jaguar, his totem; secondly, he receives a vision of his mom in her hospital bed and talking briefly with her. After the ceremonies, the Shaman takes them to visit the Beasts, who live in a city deep within the forest. These Beasts are considered gods by the People of the Mist. Jaguar correctly assumes their city to be the famous El Dorado, and he embarks on a journey to visit this place and its inhabitants with Walimai; the mystic's spirit wife, who will guide the group; and Nadia. The city is located inside of an inactive volcano; the only entrance is through a confusing labirynth of lava tunnels and caves.

[edit] The Beasts Of The Amazon

Upon arrival, Alex and Nadia meet with the “Beasts”. The creatures, which look something like giant sloths, function as the living memory of the tribe by remembering long epic poems recited by Walimai and his predecessors. Fearing the capture of these ancient creatures by western scientists, they warn them to be careful of foreigners (such as the expedition group they both belonged to). In exchange for protecting them, the two children ask for gifts: Nadia the "crystal eggs" and Alex the water of life to save his mom. They both manage to get them, but only by giving up that which was really important to them. Upon returning to the village, they discover that it has been taken over by the Expedition, Carias, and Ariosto. After Nadia convinces the Indians to receive vaccinations, the children realize that the vaccines are actually deadly doses of the measles virus, part of Carias's plan to destroy the Amazonian Indians. Karawake, an expedition member, is revealed to be an officer of the Department for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples; he is shot by Carias. The Indians flee into the woods as a full-fledged gunfight breaks out. Luckily, it stops quickly. Ariosto and his soldiers take captive all of the members of the expedition, while Carias (who was given a serious head wound during the fighting) is airlifted to a hospital. The two children manage to escape; the rest of the men are knocked unconscious by the smell of one of the Beasts. Ariosto is killed by the stench. After the People of the Mist reach an agreement with the remaining members of the expedition (they will protect that area with all the power, influence, and money they can muster), they leave.

[edit] Ending

In the end, Eagle and Jaguar must part. She gives Alex the three "crystal eggs", which turn out to be giant diamonds. With the money gained from their sale, it was hoped that they would be able to fund a foundation to keep the World's Eye safe. Alex tells her that the best thing about the trip was meeting her, and they agree that they will be best friends forever.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Members of the Cold family

Alexander Cold - The main character of the novel, he is a 15-year-old Californian who has become angry because his mother has cancer. He learns many things during the course of the novel. At the beginning of the novel, he is depicted as a finicky eater, moody, and childish. In the Amazon, he discovers that his totemic animal is the black jaguar and that his skill as a flautist is able to help him speak to others who don't know English. After going through a ritual induction into manhood, he greatly improves. Nadia teaches him to "listen with his heart", which allows him to understand what people are saying in other languages.

Lisa Cold - Alexander's mother, who has cancer. She undergoes chemotherapy during the time when Alex is in the Amazon.

John Cold - Alexander's father. He is a professional mountaineer and a doctor, and has participated in many mountain rescues.

Kate Cold - An explorer/writer for the magazine International Geographic. Although she is very proud of Alex, she tries not to show it. She's a strong believer in harsh lessons.

[edit] Expedition Members

Nadia Santos - Daughter of Cesar Santos, and a new friend of Alex. Her mother is in a mental institution in Canada. Her totem is the eagle. Can talk to animals.

Omayra Torres - Doctor of the expeditionary group. Part of a scheme to exterminate the Indians of the Amazon. Loves Mauro Carias.

Cesar Santos - Father of Nadia. Guide of the expedition. Owns an airplane which has broken down.

Timothy Bruce - English photographer and friend of Kate Cold.

Joel Gonzalez - Assistant of Timothy Bruce. Is attacked by an anaconda.

Ludovic Leblanc - A conceited man who is a famous anthropologist. Refers to himself in the third person, and hires an Indian to shade him from the sun with a banana leaf.

[edit] People of the Mist

Walimai - Old shaman who is in contact with the Beasts. Friend of Nadia. When he was young, he was forced to kill his wife, who now follows him everywhere in spirit form.

[edit] Other Important Characters

Mauro Carias - Entrepreneur and director of the scheme to exterminate the Indians. Is in a romantic relationship with Dr. Torres.

Captain Ariosto - Corrupt member of the Brazilian army. In league with Carias.

[edit] Themes & Issues

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Major themes include respect for others, honoring the balance of life, and relying on internal strength to meet challenges ^[2]. Also mentioned are environmentalism, the evil of greed and corruption, and appearance vs. reality.

[edit] Literary significance and reception

Initial reception was split between harsh criticism and approval. Some critics regarded the novel as a an engaging read and a good first try at a children's book ^[3], while others note its slow start and somewhat unconvincing speech in translation.

[edit] Awards and nominations

San Francisco Chronicle Book Review for Nov. 17th 2002: one of the best Young Adult Science Fiction novels of 2002^[4] Book Magazine Best of 2002 list for Young Adults^[5]

[edit] Publication history

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[edit] Sequels

Eagle and Jaguar meet again in the sequel to this book, "Kingdom of the Golden Dragon", and a third book in this series, "Forest of the Pygmies."

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

The book's page on the author's website.