Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I tried to like it, but if just... didn't. Maybe I'll try again some time.
I almost hate to recommend this book because ... what does that say about me?
The Pilo Family Circus is both completely creepy and absolutely fascinating. If you like clowns, you might change your mind after this. If you already don't like them, you'll probably think I knew it!
Jamie almost runs down an odd-looking clown and quickly finds his life changing forever. He has 48 hours to pass his "audition" and failing is not an option.
With some creativity, he finds himself in a circus that's strange even for circus standards ... and deadly. Monsters lurk in dark corners and out in the open too and you don't even want to mess with the proprietor of the whole thing.
Then there are the factions, some of whom absolutely despise each other, such as the Clowns and the Acrobats and what happens in the circus, even a death or two, is overlooked for the most part.
Couple the imaginative world-building with a knack for storytelling and a dark sense of humor (you know, where you laugh and cringe at the same time) and you've got a book I couldn't put down.
I know I go into sales-pitch mode when I talk about a book I really enjoyed, but this one's highly recommended. The audio on this was astounding too. Mark Stephens does a wonderfully creepy job with his Australian accent. Fishboy alone killed me. This character has a high voice, such as when someone inhales helium, and Stephens stuck it perfectly.
This is an unusual book for me to love, but it's a true love. It's different and gruesome and somehow I couldn't put it down. I stayed longer in the car on my drives, I brought headphones to bed when I usual save bedtime reading for my eyes. This is one of those unique books that really stunned me.
4.5 out of 5 Stars (very highly recommended)
The Pilo Family Circus is both completely creepy and absolutely fascinating. If you like clowns, you might change your mind after this. If you already don't like them, you'll probably think I knew it!
Jamie almost runs down an odd-looking clown and quickly finds his life changing forever. He has 48 hours to pass his "audition" and failing is not an option.
With some creativity, he finds himself in a circus that's strange even for circus standards ... and deadly. Monsters lurk in dark corners and out in the open too and you don't even want to mess with the proprietor of the whole thing.
Then there are the factions, some of whom absolutely despise each other, such as the Clowns and the Acrobats and what happens in the circus, even a death or two, is overlooked for the most part.
Couple the imaginative world-building with a knack for storytelling and a dark sense of humor (you know, where you laugh and cringe at the same time) and you've got a book I couldn't put down.
I know I go into sales-pitch mode when I talk about a book I really enjoyed, but this one's highly recommended. The audio on this was astounding too. Mark Stephens does a wonderfully creepy job with his Australian accent. Fishboy alone killed me. This character has a high voice, such as when someone inhales helium, and Stephens stuck it perfectly.
This is an unusual book for me to love, but it's a true love. It's different and gruesome and somehow I couldn't put it down. I stayed longer in the car on my drives, I brought headphones to bed when I usual save bedtime reading for my eyes. This is one of those unique books that really stunned me.
4.5 out of 5 Stars (very highly recommended)
Ummmm.... I don't think this was a bad book. I just never really got into it. I was fine while reading m, but the minute I put it down I was in no big hurry to pick it back up. I was hoping for more of a Geek Love novel.
I found this by pure chance, and I'm delighted that I did. Elliot renders a dark, horrifying world, a world that is defined by the grotesque, and a world that is absolutely impossible to tear yourself away from. This is plain good world-building, and the strength of it carried me through extremely quickly, so fast I was a little surprised when it was over.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I finished reading this book only because i always finish a book.... but it was not worth it. There is nothing that would point to the genre of horror, fantasy okay but not horror. I was so disappointed. The Story was unfinished for me and i got little to no background information on the circus and a lot of characters.
en alguna parte leí que la razón por la que a los niños les gustan los dinosaurios y los agujeros negros es porque ven al acto de consunción como la mayor expresión de poder y lo admiran por eso, y en ese aspecto supongo que no eh madurado mucho ya que cualquier ser que pueda arrancarle la cabeza a otro de un mordisco se gana mi instantáneo respeto, kurt tan afable, enigmático y centrado junto con gonko con su furia y violencia a sueldo eran la mejor parte del libro, y pesar de todo era técnicamente los mas estables en este carnaval de locura en que se insertaban, y quizás ese es el mejor aspecto de libro, pudo plasmar la locura de la forma aunque muy conservadora también muy real, de ahi no muestran muchas diferencias con otras historias que llegan siempre a lo mismo y el protagonista que no aporta mucho, pero siendo esto una trilogía espero que esto tenga alguna razón de ser.
Katherine Dunn's Geek Love is one of those rare books that truly disturbed me. Since I'm frequently looking for the next Good Horror novel, and since I know that Geek Love was one of those, seeing The Pilo Family Circus mentioned in the same breath as Geek Love was enough to convince me to read it. I'm pleased to say that I wasn't disappointed.
That's not to say that I wondered if I would be, starting out. It wasn't quite what I expected it to be -- where Geek Love was a twisted look at the nuclear family viewed against the backdrop of a freak show in the real world, The Pilo Family Circus was more rooted in the supernatural and populated with characters who were hard to like -- but once I convinced myself that this book wouldn't be another Geek Love, I found myself engaged and intrigued with the story.
In the book, Jamie is our main character, and he more or less gets kidnapped by clowns who are part of the eponymous circus. Brutality abounds in this world, not just once Jamie is kidnapped, but also in the events leading up to his kidnapping. The problem was that Jamie started out as a jerk, a man with a chip on his shoulder, looking for the worst in everything that happened around him. Sure, the events that led to his kidnapping were out of his control, but why waste the effort in caring about it when he wasn't much to care about to begin with? His roommate, Steve, who also gets sucked into the madness of the circus, was far more sympathetic if not completely likable, but once the story shifts to the circus itself, he becomes an afterthought to the events of the story.
The circus, though, is populated by a number of different characters, each of which are drawn distinctively. Most of them are psychotic, while some are traditional protagonists, but I have to give Elliott credit for making them each unique. Jamie's clown alter-ego, JJ, even becomes more than just a mirror image of Jamie, even if he did lack the depth that an antagonist normally has. In the end, the circus itself serves as the antagonist of the story, with the psychotic members of the circus merely being the tools through which the circus wreaks havoc.
The Pilo Family Circus reminded me a little of Peter Clines' 14, in that it's better to know as little about it as possible before starting the book, and in that as the story nears its conclusion, you will likely be unable to stop reading it. I'm amazed that a story that began with some pathetic characters turned out to be something exciting and enjoyable. I don't know if it's necessarily comparable with Geek Love (the story lacks the resonance and importance of its predecessor), but I do see why fans of one would enjoy the other. Given the brutal nature of the story, though, it's definitely not a book for everyone.
That's not to say that I wondered if I would be, starting out. It wasn't quite what I expected it to be -- where Geek Love was a twisted look at the nuclear family viewed against the backdrop of a freak show in the real world, The Pilo Family Circus was more rooted in the supernatural and populated with characters who were hard to like -- but once I convinced myself that this book wouldn't be another Geek Love, I found myself engaged and intrigued with the story.
In the book, Jamie is our main character, and he more or less gets kidnapped by clowns who are part of the eponymous circus. Brutality abounds in this world, not just once Jamie is kidnapped, but also in the events leading up to his kidnapping. The problem was that Jamie started out as a jerk, a man with a chip on his shoulder, looking for the worst in everything that happened around him. Sure, the events that led to his kidnapping were out of his control, but why waste the effort in caring about it when he wasn't much to care about to begin with? His roommate, Steve, who also gets sucked into the madness of the circus, was far more sympathetic if not completely likable, but once the story shifts to the circus itself, he becomes an afterthought to the events of the story.
The circus, though, is populated by a number of different characters, each of which are drawn distinctively. Most of them are psychotic, while some are traditional protagonists, but I have to give Elliott credit for making them each unique. Jamie's clown alter-ego, JJ, even becomes more than just a mirror image of Jamie, even if he did lack the depth that an antagonist normally has. In the end, the circus itself serves as the antagonist of the story, with the psychotic members of the circus merely being the tools through which the circus wreaks havoc.
The Pilo Family Circus reminded me a little of Peter Clines' 14, in that it's better to know as little about it as possible before starting the book, and in that as the story nears its conclusion, you will likely be unable to stop reading it. I'm amazed that a story that began with some pathetic characters turned out to be something exciting and enjoyable. I don't know if it's necessarily comparable with Geek Love (the story lacks the resonance and importance of its predecessor), but I do see why fans of one would enjoy the other. Given the brutal nature of the story, though, it's definitely not a book for everyone.
I really liked the premise since I find clowns immensely scary. This would have worked better as a short story, or at best with 100 pages less. The story meanders and in the end there's not much more to it than presented in the first 50-75 pages. Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend the book as it is.
Molto bella la figura del Clown malvagio come alter ego di noi stessi e particolare l'idea del circo che vive in una dimensione diversa e che attira gli umani.
Indimenticabile il protagonista, tanto pusillanime e pacifico nella vita normale, quanto infido, crudele e profondamente vigliacco nella sua versione clown.
Un bellissimo regalo di Natale.
Grazie a chi me lo ha regalato, era un po' che ero curiosa di leggerlo.
7 apr 2010, 14:23:41
Indimenticabile il protagonista, tanto pusillanime e pacifico nella vita normale, quanto infido, crudele e profondamente vigliacco nella sua versione clown.
Un bellissimo regalo di Natale.
Grazie a chi me lo ha regalato, era un po' che ero curiosa di leggerlo.
7 apr 2010, 14:23:41