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Magnus Mills
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The Restraint of Beasts: A Comedic Novel Paperback – July 1, 2012

by Magnus Mills (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 282 ratings
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Once upon a time in Scotland, there were three men who built high-tension fences, the kind that keep animals in and humans out—or maybe the other way around. Magnus Mills gives us a wiry novel of tensile strength that proves him a writer of ferocious talent. Eerie, resonant, spare yet rich in tones both hilarious and ominous—as if a work by Irvine Welsh, or perhaps Macbeth, had been adapted by the Coen brothers—his story has a finale so ingenious, insidious, and satisfying, it remains locked in the mind long after the last wire has been strung into place.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Arcade
  4. Publication date
    July 1, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 5.5 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1611455138
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1611455137
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Magnus Mills was a London bus driver for a dozen years before the worldwide success of The Restraint of Beasts. He is the author of six novels and a short story collection, and his books have been translated into twenty languages.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcade; Reprint edition (July 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1611455138
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611455137
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 5.5 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 282 ratings

About the author

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Magnus Mills

Magnus Mills

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Magnus Mills was born in Birmingham and brought up in Bristol. After graduating with an economics degree from Wolverhampton Polytechnic he now lives in London.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
282 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kcorn
5.0 out of 5 stars A standout for the characters and humor
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2002
Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved this well-written glimpse into the life of 3 fence builders and their adventures in Scotland and England.I was laughing throughout this book, but readers should be forewarned that the humor isn't for everyone (it is a very dry humor, even a black humor) and the plot, such as it is, tends to ramble, meander and go in anything but a straightforward direction. Still, I couldn't put it down, riveted by the lives of these three men, the various crises that came up and their way of bumbling through each day as best they could. It was obvious that the author know about the life described here.
10 people found this helpful
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Cynthia Baxter
4.0 out of 5 stars The Restraint of Beasts
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2014
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Darkly comedic, this story is the tale of three fencing contractors who lack any appreciable skill beyond labor. Their world revolves around pints of ale at night, shuffle thru work the next day to return to the pub that night. They have no money and no real way ensuring that payroll even exists for this week. Not to mention, this curse of bad luck seems to follow them from sight to sight as they murder their clients by accident... But the bodies are piling up, there is no security in their job and our fencers really would like to just go home. But fate is not finished playing with these three hapless souls and take the final twist at the end that pulls everything over and locks it up tight. I read this book in a single day, there are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Completely enjoyed this read.
One person found this helpful
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Kody
5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorite books, interesting
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2018
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one of my favorite books, interesting, quirky characters. Pure brilliance of the author to make such a weird plot so engaging and fantastic!
2 people found this helpful
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John Reynolds
3.0 out of 5 stars How to write a Prize-Winning Novel
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2002
I wish I'd thought of doing it! Take two classic yet under-appreciated novels, extract the most compelling aspects of each, sandwich them together, and voilá, a brand-new novel from a brand-new talent, bound to attract the attentions of the literary establishment, and if you happen to be a bus driver, the broader media too, guaranteeing a best seller.
The Restraint of Beasts shares with Flann O'Brien's brilliant "The Third Policeman", early death, followed by a consequent surreal, repetitive circularity of events and lack of final resolution. Paul Auster's "The Music of Chance" features two men forced into building an apparently endless wall for a pair of eccentric millionaires, who excercise complete control over them. Sound familiar?
Though the book is worth a read, and contains some amusing moments, O'Brien's and Auster's are much more rewarding.
2 people found this helpful
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lkoch
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it.
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2017
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Loved it. A very unusual book. Very dry wit. If you appreciate the strange, different and weird, this is the book for you.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2016
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Enjoyable, lighthearted read that causes you to do a double take in some parts due to the dry British humor and twists that the author so wittingly conveys, even with the Ironic twisted ending that perhaps may leave some readers scratching their heads. Nonetheless, a comedy of babbling idiots who make terrible errors along the way of this story.
2 people found this helpful
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Lindsay Beck
5.0 out of 5 stars A quick totally entertaining read.
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2014
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An unpredictable plot that keeps you thinking "what is going to happen".
I loved it and all those I have recommended it to have also. Everyone was keen to speak about the characters and events.
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M. Kennedy
2.0 out of 5 stars Left empty by the ending
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2001
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I loved All Quiet on the Orient Express by Mills but I must say I was disappointed by Restraint of Beasts. The characters were good but the ending was abrupt and without closure. I was even wondering whether the last pages were missing (unfortunately, no). It is a quick read so I don't feel it was a waste. Take from it what you can and then pick up All Quiet on the Orient Express.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on May 23, 2017
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all good
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Mills
Reviewed in Australia on April 12, 2015
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Magnus Mills is a recent discovery for me. This was the third of his novels I have read. I love the deceptively straightforward writing style, the black humour and the insightful observations of common human behaviour.
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N. R. Walters
5.0 out of 5 stars Beery Farts
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2001
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A great book, that repays frequent re-reading. I can almost smell the beery farts of Tam and Richie. I would love to make a film of this, it would be a classic along the lines of "Withnail And I." My only (slight) criticisms are:
1. Mills doesn't go far enough in depicting the squalor, and never once mentions Richie and Tam's toilet habits. These are the sort of chaps who would relish farting in your face first thing in the morning. And the amount of beer they drink, they would always be on the toilet (where IS the toilet, anyway? In the caravan? It's never mentioned) or relieving themselves behind a hedge. This seems prudish of Mills and detracts from the realism of the story.
2. The accidental murders, whilst funny the first time round, also detract from the reality of the story, giving it a stylised, rather unreal (surreal?) feel, but perhaps that was the author's intention.
Despite these very minor quibbles, I recommend this book to virtually everyone. It is NOT badly written as some have claimed, in fact it is very well written, in a calm, deadpan style that is so dry that one fears for the sanity of the narrator. There's a claustrophobic sense of endless repetition - indeed there are two whole scenes, at the beginning and towards the end, which are repeated word for word.
Someone make a film of this book, please. And use Tam's (or is it Richie's?) warped Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden tapes as the soundtrack.
8 people found this helpful
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ian potts
4.0 out of 5 stars Restraint of Beasts
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020
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Good fun. Magnus Mills's usual quirky humour. Go and get a job, any job. Any experience is life-enhancing.
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andy weston
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh What Fun...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2017
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Magnus Mills is high on the list of people that I would very much like to share a pint and a chat with. I cannot figure how his mind works, and would love more of a clue. Having read this I will never look at a fence in the same way again. And when I do look properly, I may well have to genuflect.

Tam and Richie join the narrator X for a trip to England for a contract to build a fence that lasts a few weeks. They take with them their company caravan, but spend most of every evening in the pub. Mill's books generally have dark humour, and this is no exception. The antics of the 3 labourers are a tremendous read and surely built on some characters Mills had personally observed. It is black of course, blacker than any of the other Mills I have read (Field of the Cloth of Gold and X).

I'm not sure why it took me so long to get round to this, but I have been duly rewarded.

And, it has a great title...
4 people found this helpful
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