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sinisterhorror's review
4.0
The Circle by Bentley Little is an anthology of three connected stories that occur at the end of a cul-de-sac. One night, horror breaks out and we follow several characters that have to deal with it.
Bentley Little is one of my favorite authors. I almost always love his work. And while, individually the stories are good, the interconnectivity leaves much to be desired. The stories just kind of end with no clear resolution. Maybe the author was reflecting life, in that sometimes things aren't resolved all the time. Sometimes we have issues in our own lives that continue on for months and years without any clear resolution. Sometimes things are never truly resolved or not resolved enough for our comfort. Or maybe he just wants to leave the rest to our imagination. No writing can truly capture the horrors we create with our own minds.
The horrors perpetuated upon this cul-se-sac are seemingly connected to a shrine in one of the backyards. We never learn the purpose of the shrine or what it gives for those who use it or why the horrors happen now. Another echo of real life where sometimes a tragedy occurs for seemingly no reason, causing us to struggle with why we're left to pick up the pieces and how things came to be this way.
One story deals with a woman who encounters a boy who defecates precious gems. Her greed soon turns to horror. The second story is reminiscent of all of our childhoods where the myths and legends of the works around us spur us into uncharted territory. The third focuses on the cause behind the horror and shows us more of how far it has spread.
If you're going to read this, do so with an open mind. Don't expect everything to be wrapped up like a bow around a gift box. This book may not be for everyone, but if you're a fan of Bentley Little you should check it out. This is very different from his usual writing, but has echoes of familiarity.
Bentley Little is one of my favorite authors. I almost always love his work. And while, individually the stories are good, the interconnectivity leaves much to be desired. The stories just kind of end with no clear resolution. Maybe the author was reflecting life, in that sometimes things aren't resolved all the time. Sometimes we have issues in our own lives that continue on for months and years without any clear resolution. Sometimes things are never truly resolved or not resolved enough for our comfort. Or maybe he just wants to leave the rest to our imagination. No writing can truly capture the horrors we create with our own minds.
The horrors perpetuated upon this cul-se-sac are seemingly connected to a shrine in one of the backyards. We never learn the purpose of the shrine or what it gives for those who use it or why the horrors happen now. Another echo of real life where sometimes a tragedy occurs for seemingly no reason, causing us to struggle with why we're left to pick up the pieces and how things came to be this way.
One story deals with a woman who encounters a boy who defecates precious gems. Her greed soon turns to horror. The second story is reminiscent of all of our childhoods where the myths and legends of the works around us spur us into uncharted territory. The third focuses on the cause behind the horror and shows us more of how far it has spread.
If you're going to read this, do so with an open mind. Don't expect everything to be wrapped up like a bow around a gift box. This book may not be for everyone, but if you're a fan of Bentley Little you should check it out. This is very different from his usual writing, but has echoes of familiarity.
timelordshake's review against another edition
4.0
Weird as all get out, creepy as hell, and freaking awesome. 4.5 Stars!
aprylreads's review against another edition
3.0
Well I didn't love The Circle, the only saving grace was that each story related to each other thus coining the title. Mr. Little should stick to full novels.
briannab1019's review against another edition
3.0
Listened via audio!
Three creepy short stories all based in the same town. It was fast and fun and I really enjoyed it.
Three creepy short stories all based in the same town. It was fast and fun and I really enjoyed it.
sargasso_c's review against another edition
The narrator's voices for each character in the second story are quite literally unbearable. It sounds like he's joking.
eserafina42's review
2.0
Too bizarre for my taste. I prefer more psychological horror but I can take the yucky stuff up to a point if there's some logical framework to it, but there wasn't really any to this story, or rather three somewhat linked stories.
kingnixon's review
2.0
What was the point of that?
A series of disjointed, barely-connected horror scenes with no overall narrative whatsoever and a pointless sudden ending that tells us nothing. Some cool images but overall this is not worth reading at all
A series of disjointed, barely-connected horror scenes with no overall narrative whatsoever and a pointless sudden ending that tells us nothing. Some cool images but overall this is not worth reading at all
needfulreads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mjreutman's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0