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

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.

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.

This novel is different. It's a laughoutloud comedy,, but it turns to a dark comedy. It's also a mystery until the very end. Hysterical dialogue and oddly believable characters. A quick and easy read that will leave you thinking for days. My book club is discussing it this month.

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.

one of my favorite books, interesting, quirky characters. Pure brilliance of the author to make such a weird plot so engaging and fantastic!

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.

Loved it. A very unusual book. Very dry wit. If you appreciate the strange, different and weird, this is the book for you.

great reada dry wit classic

I had to read this for my book group and approached it with some trepidation after seeing reviews. I actually ended up really enjoying it. Descriptions of the offhand violence (admittedly usually accidental) and the squalid living conditions of the main characters could have been utterly repellent. For some reason they weren't and the dry humour came over really well. There was certainly something bizarre and menacing going on. At one stage about a page or more of text form the beginning of the book was repeated word for word towards the end. There may have been more of this but I didn't spot it. This must have been to highlight the repetitive nature of the characters' employment. This was somehow conveyed without becoming boring in itself. I will look out for more books by Magnus Mills, especially "A Cruel Bird came to the Nest and looked in" - what can this be about?

The story is deliberately mundane, but Magnus Mills' plain style and deadpan humour make it very special. This is one of the funniest books I have read. And, just as the gang of fence-builders get sucked in to more and more peculiar projects, I found myself drawn in the the dull routines of their work - and work-dodging. Much of the humour comes from the awkwardness of the relationships; the narrator's reluctance to assert himself as foreman of the gang, and the discomfort of the gang as they face the company manager. It all felt just a little too real to me.Even on this third re-read, I'm still not certain if Roger is canine or human. Mills keeps the tease going all the way through. Brilliant!

I have devoured this book 3 times already, so this time I read really slowly and so enjoyed every morsel of nuance and rhetoric. It describes the characters as if they were present company, I felt I knew them all and I probably have bumped into their real life doppelgänger’s from time to time. The plot is just an added bonus.

Great, offbeat text.

Good fun. Magnus Mills's usual quirky humour. Go and get a job, any job. Any experience is life-enhancing.