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mandapandemon's review against another edition
4.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book more.
Don’t get me wrong it was a good read, morbid clowns and slap stick cartoonish violence, should have been more entertaining. ( I will note I read this in a dark depression period so don’t base this review as a reason to pass)
There are a lot of story lines in this book, that all come together quite nicely and I have to admit I came to love several of the characters. I’ve read several other Mellick novels and he’s worth the investment… covers alone are wicked.
Don’t get me wrong it was a good read, morbid clowns and slap stick cartoonish violence, should have been more entertaining. ( I will note I read this in a dark depression period so don’t base this review as a reason to pass)
There are a lot of story lines in this book, that all come together quite nicely and I have to admit I came to love several of the characters. I’ve read several other Mellick novels and he’s worth the investment… covers alone are wicked.
mandapanda13's review
4.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book more.
Don’t get me wrong it was a good read, morbid clowns and slap stick cartoonish violence, should have been more entertaining. ( I will note I read this in a dark depression period so don’t base this review as a reason to pass)
There are a lot of story lines in this book, that all come together quite nicely and I have to admit I came to love several of the characters. I’ve read several other Mellick novels and he’s worth the investment… covers alone are wicked.
Don’t get me wrong it was a good read, morbid clowns and slap stick cartoonish violence, should have been more entertaining. ( I will note I read this in a dark depression period so don’t base this review as a reason to pass)
There are a lot of story lines in this book, that all come together quite nicely and I have to admit I came to love several of the characters. I’ve read several other Mellick novels and he’s worth the investment… covers alone are wicked.
beckylej's review
4.0
Imagine if clowns were crime bosses. Now imagine they aren't even human. This is the world Carlton Mellick III has created in Clownfellas: Tales of the Bozo Family. It's totally bizarre but oddly genius as well!
The book is set as six connected short stories:
In the first tale, "City of Clowns," we meet Earl Berryman, a zoo veterinarian hired to save Don Bozo's beloved lion. But there are two problems here. First, Earl has a serious clown phobia. Second, he's been drawn into a burgeoning gang war! Next up, Vinnie Blue Nose, the Bozo Top Capo, ends up lost in The Sideshow when his boss's son makes a mistake too big to cover up in "The Juggler Brothers." "A Sad Day for a Happy Clown" finds half clown Pinky Smiles preparing to propose to Uncle Jojo's beloved only daughter while "Funny Business" explores the comedy underground. Next up is the tale of "The Unwhackable Bingo Ballbreaker." And then there's "The Wedding," which begins with the ominous first line "There was no son of a bitch in all of Little Bigtop who deserved to be whacked more than Joey "Uncle Jojo" Bozo." And we soon learn why!
As you've probably already surmised, these are far from your average circus clowns. These guys fight dirty with laughing bullets, balloon weapons, and - in the case of Le Mystère - miming. Disrespecting them often comes in the form of not laughing at their jokes, but they have a code as well: rules they and the vanillas (humans) all must play by. Oh, and again, they're not human! Laughing gas can turn a vanilla into a clown, but beware the 10% who end up relegated to The Sideshow!
I knew I was getting into something weird with Clownfellas. What I didn't realize was that it was going to be brilliant fun! If the idea of a mafia clown family sounds intriguing to you, then you're probably going to enjoy this outing from Mellick as much as I did.
The book is set as six connected short stories:
In the first tale, "City of Clowns," we meet Earl Berryman, a zoo veterinarian hired to save Don Bozo's beloved lion. But there are two problems here. First, Earl has a serious clown phobia. Second, he's been drawn into a burgeoning gang war! Next up, Vinnie Blue Nose, the Bozo Top Capo, ends up lost in The Sideshow when his boss's son makes a mistake too big to cover up in "The Juggler Brothers." "A Sad Day for a Happy Clown" finds half clown Pinky Smiles preparing to propose to Uncle Jojo's beloved only daughter while "Funny Business" explores the comedy underground. Next up is the tale of "The Unwhackable Bingo Ballbreaker." And then there's "The Wedding," which begins with the ominous first line "There was no son of a bitch in all of Little Bigtop who deserved to be whacked more than Joey "Uncle Jojo" Bozo." And we soon learn why!
As you've probably already surmised, these are far from your average circus clowns. These guys fight dirty with laughing bullets, balloon weapons, and - in the case of Le Mystère - miming. Disrespecting them often comes in the form of not laughing at their jokes, but they have a code as well: rules they and the vanillas (humans) all must play by. Oh, and again, they're not human! Laughing gas can turn a vanilla into a clown, but beware the 10% who end up relegated to The Sideshow!
I knew I was getting into something weird with Clownfellas. What I didn't realize was that it was going to be brilliant fun! If the idea of a mafia clown family sounds intriguing to you, then you're probably going to enjoy this outing from Mellick as much as I did.
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