This one took me by surprise. Preston L. Allen would hardly be the first author out there to imagine a world in which humans are pets, but most authors wouldn't make nearly as much as he has out of that little conceit. I think that "Every Boy Should Have a Man" was advertised to me as a science fiction novel, but I'm not sure that that's quite accurate. This one deftly avoids categorization, since it also weaves in bits of fairy stories and the odd biblical trope. Nor is it just a PETA-friendly vegetarian analogy. If anything, it's an interrogation of the inconsistencies involved in being an omnivore: human flesh gets consumed here on a regular basis, but man-eaters are not always monstrous. Allen also seems to be asking what our pets -- beings that are enormously dear to us but that usually die well before we do -- mean to us, and, finally, what our awareness of language might contribute to our own humanity. If that seems like a lot to digest -- and I hope you'll forgive the pun -- that's because it is.

Beyond its awful title, "Every Boy Should Have a Man" rises above its "How To Serve Man" brethren because it really is very well written. The author employs just enough linguistic innovation here -- "man" is used for all humans, and doesn't take an irregular plural -- to keep the reader from getting too comfortable, and the book's tone and language is marvelously consistent. He succeeds: both the brutality depicted in this novel and its basic weirdness never fail to leave an impression. There are also a couple of fun bonuses, like a couple of epilogues and some faux-epic poems which would register as tedious "world-building" in a less-effective novel but are pretty delightful in this context. I'd never heard of the author before picking this one up, but I feel like I've actually made a fine discovery here. Recommended to fans of speculative fiction, readers with an interest in fairy tales, or anyone, really, that doesn't think that a little bone-crunching gore should get in the way of appreciating a good novel. ( )

Great ( )

I received this book as part of LibraryThing's "Early Reviewers" program. I absolutely loved it! It describes the plight of "mans" (normal humans) and their status as pets or slaves in the society of the Oafs (giants). The book discusses issues of class, the absurdity of war, and prejudice against races considered inferior to the "majority" race. The reader is told the story from the view of Oaf Society, so we don't realize until the end of the book, when the main character, Red Locks, tells her former master that all Mans talk, but not all speak the language of the Oafs, which Zloty (the former master of Red Locks) cannot fathom at all because Oafs have only one language. Every Boy Should Have A Man is a wonderfully written retold version of Jack and the Beanstalk with social commentary that is blatantly applied to our own world and society. ( )

I liked this book, but I don't think it was meant for me. I suspect this is the sort of thing high school students (or 7th/8th grade students) should be made to read, as it would be a great source of discussion fodder on racism, animal rights, and what it means to be human. I care about all of these things, but I thought the storytelling was a little sloppy. I think it could be much better received by a more naive audience, and these are important topics, so I welcome any novel that attempts to address them. It's a very quick read, and the underlying themes are things that we ought to be talking about more. ( )

Review based on ARC.

As a start, the title is misleading. The book implies that every human boy should have a human man, but the book is, in fact, about every "oaf" boy having a human man (which is sometimes a human female man) as a pet. And I think that that statement is incomplete and unfair to the book as well.

In 164 pages, Preston Allen manages to craft a story with depth, emotions, and morals. No words are wasted and no story line drags. Allen interweaves multi-generational stories and breaks off into almost-subplots, and he impressively gives the reader a real sense of the personality and the character of the individuals in the book.

It is an almost everyman kind of story, that is simultaneously a fantasy and a serious, dramatic, "life lesson" kind of book. It is interesting and intriguing. It is almost, but not quite, preachy. It conveys a message firmly and intensely, but inoffensive and loving.

You get the sense that the author has a great care for humans and their follies, earth and its weaknesses, and the interplay between the two. And yet it is a fantasy, in which giants have humans for pets. And even more, there is a twist.

I cannot say more because at 164 pages, there is too much to ruin. But I greatly enjoyed reading this book (in one sitting), and I would recommend it to ... I think anyone I know.

For me, while the book was indeed great, it wasn't a 5-star book that blew me away only because it wasn't. It was great. Impressive. Enjoyable. Enlightening. But it did not make me feel like squeezing the book because I was so pleased with it, and it did not make me insist that every single person I know read it. So a VERY strong Four out of 5 stars. ( )