Equivoque Principle [Deluxe Edition] [Hardcover]

Darren Craske (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2008

Dr Marvello's Travelling Circus brings a touch of magic and wonder each tine it comes to town. But when master conjuror Cornelius Quaint and his troupe take to the streets of Victorian London, little do they know of the danger that lies ahead. The arrival of Marvello's Travelling Circus to the streets of Victorian London was supposed to herald a carnival of entertainment and wonder but when a series of brutal and savage murders take place the number one suspect is the circus strongman, Prometheus. Enter Cornelius Quaint, circus owner and master conjuror, to clear the name of his gargantuan employee. But what he sees as a simple case of wrongful arrest proves to be more complex when ghosts from his own past start to appear on the scene and events take an unexpected turn. A book of great wit and bravado, a circus of a novel with a central character who will sweep you off your feet and into this dark historical adventure.? The Equivoque Principle is the sparkling debut novel in the Cornelius Quaint series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

/ 'Boisterous comedy and hairpin plot twists' - The Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Darren Craske hails from the south of England and has been telling stories in one form or another all his life. He began his craft writing and illustrating comic books before moving onto writing novels in 2003. His approach is unashamedly a simple one; to carve darn good adventure stories with pits, traps, perils and troubles with a colourful palette of characters and keep readers on the edge of their seats whilst doing it. The Equivoque Principle saw the debut of the enigmatic conjuror and circus owner, Cornelius Quaint, and Craske is all about setting down a new mythology that he hopes will entertain readers for the long term. The eagerly awaited second book in the Cornelius Quaint Chronicles, The Eleventh Plague, continues Quaint's quest to stop the machinations of the villainous Hades Consortium and the tale forges the blade anew for what promises to be one of the wildest literary rides in ages. From Victorian London to Egypt, China, Rome and beyond, it's a safe bet that Cornelius Quaint's adventures are going to be thrilling readers for a long time yet and he is in good hands. Adventure, danger, murder, death!it's all very Quaint.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Friday Project Hardbacks; Special limited ed edition (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906321019
• ISBN-13: 978-1906321017
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,362,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique, February 15, 2010

By 

Jessss "Euchella" (Mountain) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Equivoque Principle (Cornelius Quaint Chronicles) (Kindle Edition)

This book starts out with a good opening of a betrayal and pious rich paying others to do their dirty work. However, after the opening, things get confusing. The storyline is there, but it is rather difficult to follow. It's set back in old London and so the language and setting are obviously more difficult to see. In some cases of description and explanations, the writer takes you through fluidly so that you can see and sense the plot. In others, he is choppy at best. I found myself rubbing my head from the headache of just trying to understand what was happening. However, by the end I was rewarded with a great tale of adventure, mystery, thriller, murder, and a good ending.

The characters are good. You find those you love and those you hate. Others, you understand and some you don't. Quaint, being the main character, is a good kind of guy you love to laugh at. His straightforwardness is what gets him into more trouble than most is worth and you definitely feel the connection to his fortune teller, Destine. With those two characters, you can not only visualize but even see through their eyes. Parm has had some bad luck but it hopefully changes, while Butter is a constant and reliable chracter. Sometimes it was difficult to visualize the chracters, but for the main ones you got.

There is a funny fight scene where Quaint and Butter have to take on a mob of guys, and mystery and enough action to keep you occupied. Overall, the story is good but could be better written. Maybe the next one will be better with a setting in Egypt. I know I liked this one enough to give it a try.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars None Too Magical, February 22, 2010

By 

Cathytg "cathytg" (California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Equivoque Principle (Cornelius Quaint Chronicles) (Kindle Edition)

I had high hopes for The Equivoque Principle: a picaresque, pulpy adventure novel set in Victorian London, centered on a traveling circus? Yes, please! But, sadly, to this one I should have said "No, thanks."

This book is almost comically badly written, festooned with dangling participles and packed with cliches, clumsy exposition, and poorly chosen words. It is also full of "Victorian" characters who say thing like "Yeah" and "Feet, don't fail me now." Granted, when you're going for a pulp feel you don't expect finely wrought prose -- but minimal competence would be nice.

The plotting is equally slipshod -- characters behave in unlikely ways (if a mob is out to kill two people, is it really likely to beat them up a bit and then lock them in a freezer compartment instead of just ... KILLING them?), and the story is a tissue of cliches.

Craske clearly had a good idea for a series here -- the circus elements, the conjuring, the period setting. With experience, he may eventually write an enjoyable novel. His editor on this one, however, should be horsewhipped for letting it see the light of day in such an amateurish condition.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Action, February 20, 2010

By 

K. Volz (Rolla, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Equivoque Principle (Cornelius Quaint Chronicles) (Kindle Edition)

Part of what I enjoyed most was the timing and pace. There are lots of short, fast, action-oriented chapters with clever titles that add to the fun. I'll certainly check out the next book in the series.