Customer Reviews

The Circus of the Earth and the Air

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book operates on an entirely different plane than most other novels. It is an action novel that's simultaneously psychological, mythological and emotional. The many scenes, which are almost entirely visual and exquisitely beautiful, operate on multiple levels. Proof of this is the way the story and characters seem to infiltrate the reader's dreams. For myself and most of my friends who read it, we found it nearly impossible to put down or to stop thinking about for that matter. It is an experience that you will not forget.

This book was quite a surprise. I read only the back cover when it was presented to me as a rather interesting book. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it and then I started to read it. It was fast paced right from the start. The writer didn't waste 2 chapters explaining in detail the charaters and background... and for me that was a wonderful thing. The story flowed well and I couldn't seem to put the book down, even when I knew I had to.

This is a must read for anyone that likes romantic adventures.

There are thousands of novels published every year, but only a few ever rise to the top of the literary heap. Stevens' novel is among the elite few. It manages to deftly combine the elements of a love story, Americana, surrealism, Gothic art, and European film into one beautiful engulfing tapestry. Stevens does what few writers do successfully: carve out a unique landscape that is completely his own. The classic American journey-novel has been given a much needed shot in the arm by Stevens, and I hope that in 10 to 20 years this becomes a part of the so-called canon in high schools and colleges.

This is one of three books I'd take with me if I were on a desert island. A big-hearted book that embodies the word "escapist".

So buy it now from Amazon!

This book was quite a surprise. I read only the back cover when it was presented to me as a rather interesting book. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it and then I started to read it. It was fast paced right from the start. The writer didn't waste 2 chapters explaining in detail the charaters and background... and for me that was a wonderful thing. The story flowed well and I couldn't seem to put the book down, even when I knew I had to.

I pretty much wept for joy when I read this book. It was like Brooke Stevens had gotten into my head at night and captured my dreams. The book is a dream. I've often thought about figuring out how to most accurately convey the dream world to others. Brooke Stevens has done it! It captures the thick and mysterious atmosphere of the circus and carnival. There are hints of Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. A must read for anyone who has fantasized about running away with a dark carnival or is just fascinated with the hallucinatory world of dreams. This book is a masterpiece! Thank you Brooke!!

There are very few books that I remember for years after I read them, and this is one. It is highly imaginative, and takes the reader on a journey to the most bizzare yet interesting places. Also, there's a surprise ending that you wouldn't expect!

If you like books that go "outside the box," you'll like this one!

The book has a strong start, he uses lots of strange and wonderful imagery, you don't know where the story is going or how it's going to end. I felt the book should have been a little bit longer and had a stronger finish.

This is what i have been looking for, such a great read.What more can u ask for, Adventure,love,hate,action..Im soled..My dad bout it and i read it first he is next in-line to read this perfect book..If u like a dreamy adventure read this for all the fun and deepnes u can desire.. A must read for all ages :)

Woe to the man who tries to neatly summarize the plot to Circus of the Earth and the Air. Where do you start? With what you think happened? With what the narrator thinks happens? Remember the last time you took way too much cold medicine and could have sworn your mom was walking through walls and your dog had turned into a flying monkey? Welcome back to that state of mind. Opening on a deserted beach, Stevens quickly takes us to the circus, where popcorn is purchased and wives are lost. From there, onto a mysterious island-based military fortress, where that wife may or may not be. To his credit, Stevens never creates a dull moment. The pace is furious, and the barely buried psychological implications are immense. On the minus side, Stevens does not rank up there as a writer with one of the prettiest styles I've ever encountered. At more than one point, the language seems functional at best. One is reminded of an old cliffhanger series. Some parts are more than a little implausible, even a bit corny, yet you HAVE TO know how it all turns out. When you're not in the mood to tackle Ulysses, but you're not really psyched for Dean Koonz either, give this one a shot. You've definitely never read anything like it

This book has been described as an "action novel," as "ethereal" and "esoteric" and "suspenseful." I argue that it is none of those things. In fact, I would argue that this book is nothing more than a meandering, clumsy tale that appears to have been made up as the author went along.

The set-up is great, and as far as novel concepts go, a good one: a couple go to a circus, the wife volunteers for a disappearing act, and, uh-oh, she never reappears. The circus performers completely ignore the panicking husband, and the next day, nobody anywhere has any knowledge of the cirucs, its existence, etc.

I once went on a forest walk with a friend, and he claimed to know where he was going. We walked for five hours, and although it was obvious he was lost, he asserted he knew where we were. We missed lunch, we sprained ankles, it rained at some point, and finally we emerged right where we started. "See?" my friend said, "I told you I knew what I was doing." I decided not to argue with him.

This novel is that friend. It takes you through some interesting places, some mind-numbingly dull places, some confusing, painful, and altogether pointless places, and emerges right where it started with a weak, half-hearted "voila!"

I am not one to discount absurdism in art, or to deny the ars gratia artis in the world of novels, but only when it is well-done. This book could be considered "well-paced" if the trip took you anywhere; because the journey, here, is the point of the book, and not the destination, the utilitarian style of writing only stultifies any kind of mood or atmosphere that Stevens is attempting to create. I found myself reading faster and faster and faster, sure that around the next corner I'd discover something of interest, something profound and meaningful. Instead, I just found more corners! By the end, I'd turned so many of them that, whoops, I was back where I started.

Finally, my biggest complaint is that the novel presupposes an air of importance and metaphorical self-righteousness that gives it the grace and subtlety of a pubescent tirade. The metaphors are clunky, heavy, and EVERYWHERE (count the number of fish and sea similes, I dare you). The over-arching themes of the book attempt to make the point of the story weighty and substantial and significant, but only serve to highlight just how uninteresting and dull the main character (Alex) and his actions really (usually) are.

If you want an ethereal, metaphorical, creepy, mystery to read, skip Circus, and check out Danielewski's House of Leaves. His book has almost the same goal, but he achieves it with the elegance and style Stevens only hints at.