Member Review

An Allegory, an exemplum that symbolises Jungle book written with morals of Panchtantra.


What amazes me most is the simplicity of the writing of this book. Xingfu was more than just innocent and need true cuddling for the way it was presented. Since starting this novella gripped me and being a slow relaxed reader, I thought of it daily for when I would be relieved from my job hours and pick it back to read further and further. As far as you read, you realise it becomes more like a realistic work than just a fictitious work alone.

Each character was build so well that as a reader you do not find any conversation going away from the story-line. Mung, Meihui, Qingyang, Puyi and Yao were my most favorite after Xingfu. Story was set in the through back of Qing Dynasty imperialism but from the tongue of animals and not humans. This is another The Jungle Book in making with the blend of Tarzan of the Apes but the base to all such stories is पंचतन्त्र which further gave birth to Hitopadesa, Tales from the Kathasaritsagara, Jatak Katha: Jataka Tales - Classic Tales and Aesop's Fables.

Now, coming back to the story, this is about the upbringing of a tiger's cub who was left behind by his mother as the outcome of hunting. Mung, a crane took him on big leaf of a trees and flew back to the forest area which all living inhabitants called a village. There started the conflict of whether to keep this carnivorous animal with them or not. KU, a binturong or a bearcat was against keeping him since starting fearing his position of being a master of the village in future after Guan, a panda died. Mung took care of Xingfu very well but kept the secret to his real identity hidden to let him get its real nature come in face to face. An inevitable nature to kill for eating, to dominate. But circumstances fell in place as such that it demands Xingfu to leave the village against Mung's wish and few others. Meanwhile the horror that Mung had as premonition for hunter tend to become imminent. Mung's prudence who always was in place but Ku who was cunning with his power seeking thoughts blinded by the usefulness of a tiger against any human hunter. But till KU got to understand the gravity of Mung's decision it was so late and Xingfu wasn't there to save the villagers

What happen along the way and next to it till end, I suggest readers to my review to go ahead pick this book and enjoy every page of it. One thing however intrigued me for why Author chose background of China's forest from Qing Dynasty time and names of characters too? There would have been better Spanish names too if not Indian because Sir Rudyard Kipling already record in literature the jungles of India with Mowgli, an Indian jungle boy who used to co-live with animals and raised by pack of wolves. But to make a difference, the characters name would have been bit easy to understand as I happen to be forgetting who's which animal but only main characters.

This is indeed a novella focusing on the prime matters which usually matters more in human society as well. The human-like problematic matters based on someone's identity, their societal acceptance, leadership (its aura and power) and community to which one belongs. This tells a lot about the adaptation process where foster parents or foster children are to be matched in fine tuning with what life demands and not just one's bloodline.
I really would like to read more from Trevor and I wish is this book also could have been a paperback or hardcover instead of an e-book. Because Such are the stories that you would like to keep in your physical shelves forever.