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jackiehorne's review against another edition
2.0
All of the elements of a good fantasy novel are here: a post-apocalyptic society; a fantastic traveling circus; a world in peril; a quest; a cruel villain; a love plot. And written by one of the best writers around. Why, then, does the whole thing fall flatter than a pancake?
Perhaps because the book is all plot, and repetitive plot at that. Perhaps because Mahy shows rather than tells everything about what her characters are supposed to be thinking and feeling. Perhaps because the main character, Garland, comes off merely as whiny rather than as interesting, brave, or fascinating. Perhaps because the magic of the circus, the thrill of performing, is rarely featured. Perhaps because the villain is off-stage for most of the book. Perhaps because we never understand why this quest is at all important. Perhaps because adding a time-traveling group of siblings to all of the elements above overloads an already chock-full plot. Or perhaps because Mahy's become so big a name that her editor no longer edits her?
A real disappointment.
Perhaps because the book is all plot, and repetitive plot at that. Perhaps because Mahy shows rather than tells everything about what her characters are supposed to be thinking and feeling. Perhaps because the main character, Garland, comes off merely as whiny rather than as interesting, brave, or fascinating. Perhaps because the magic of the circus, the thrill of performing, is rarely featured. Perhaps because the villain is off-stage for most of the book. Perhaps because we never understand why this quest is at all important. Perhaps because adding a time-traveling group of siblings to all of the elements above overloads an already chock-full plot. Or perhaps because Mahy's become so big a name that her editor no longer edits her?
A real disappointment.
asteinke19's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my most favorite books. I guess it's got a special place in my heart. There was something about the allure and fantasy of Mahy's world. Along with great charactors such as Garland, Timon. I would reccomend this book to anyone, but I guess it might just be me.
sirohub's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
3.5
I read this book as a kid so it was fun to finally re-read it as it was a favourite of mine growing up.
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
3.0
Complex with lots of elements and events. The ending is not explained very well nor are some of the elements tied up but a good adventure overall
evamadera1's review against another edition
2.0
This book never found solid ground. The entire plot felt a bit like the world it was describing, constantly being made, unmade and remade. The protagonist, Garland, felt unfamiliar to me, even at the end of the book. The antagonist felt undefined and nebulous. Nothing in this book took root. A plot without even the semblance of an anchor is not a plot worth salvaging. The only reason I'm giving this book 2 stars instead of one is that occasionally Mahy's prose was quite beautiful. I'm quite disappointed in this book. Mahy created a world rich with potential for someone else to come along and take advantage of. It's a shame that she didn't do that herself.
bengines's review
3.0
oh man. I wanted to love this so much more than I did. 3 stars because the concept is So Good and the execution is... just not.
lordofthemoon's review
2.0
Garland Maddigan is part of the travelling circus known as Maddigan's Fantasia. Travelling through a post-apocalyptic world that is slowly remaking itself after the Destruction and Chaos, this trip they're on a mission to find a Macguffin and bring it back to their home city of Solis. When two young boys appear in front of Garland out of nowhere, claiming sanctuary in the Fantasia, the trip suddenly becomes even more fraught with adventure and danger.
This was quite a frustrating book. There's a good story in there but it's let down by niggling inconsistencies, duex ex machina and inconsistent characters. Protagonist Garland's mood swings with the chapters, as does her apparent intelligence, although this can be somewhat excused as grief for her lost father, Ferdy, the Fantasia's ringmaster (not a spoiler, it happens right at the start of the book and the first chapter is entitled 'Losing Ferdy'), but I felt that Garland and her mother's grief were clumsily handled.
The villains following the runaway boys start off as menacing, but their threat is reduced as they are soundly beaten by the Fantasia in every encounter whereas the 'Big Bad' pulling the strings in the background, the Nennog, always feels somewhat abstract, even when he appears "on screen".
The book could have done with one fewer set piece to provide more time for the conclusion which was rushed and confused. In particular, the actions of the Duke of Solis came completely from nowhere and there were no reasons given for him behaving as he did, leaving me feeling confused and cheated.
There were some fun set pieces, and cool bits, and Garland's final farewell to her father was nicely handled but this is a book that failed to deliver on its possibilities.
This was quite a frustrating book. There's a good story in there but it's let down by niggling inconsistencies, duex ex machina and inconsistent characters. Protagonist Garland's mood swings with the chapters, as does her apparent intelligence, although this can be somewhat excused as grief for her lost father, Ferdy, the Fantasia's ringmaster (not a spoiler, it happens right at the start of the book and the first chapter is entitled 'Losing Ferdy'), but I felt that Garland and her mother's grief were clumsily handled.
The villains following the runaway boys start off as menacing, but their threat is reduced as they are soundly beaten by the Fantasia in every encounter whereas the 'Big Bad' pulling the strings in the background, the Nennog, always feels somewhat abstract, even when he appears "on screen".
The book could have done with one fewer set piece to provide more time for the conclusion which was rushed and confused. In particular, the actions of the Duke of Solis came completely from nowhere and there were no reasons given for him behaving as he did, leaving me feeling confused and cheated.
There were some fun set pieces, and cool bits, and Garland's final farewell to her father was nicely handled but this is a book that failed to deliver on its possibilities.
singinglight's review
4.0
Started and completed today
I really enjoyed this one which was much more in the Magicians of Hoad vein than the Changeover vein. The Fantasia reminded me a bit of Cart and Cwidder, but the story and Garland are all their own. There were a few points where I really noticed that Mahy is a N.Z. author--not that it felt forced or anything. As a bonus, there's a bit of time-travel and some magic woven in.
So far:
4 hours (just about even) spent reading
728 pages read
2 books finished
I really enjoyed this one which was much more in the Magicians of Hoad vein than the Changeover vein. The Fantasia reminded me a bit of Cart and Cwidder, but the story and Garland are all their own. There were a few points where I really noticed that Mahy is a N.Z. author--not that it felt forced or anything. As a bonus, there's a bit of time-travel and some magic woven in.
So far:
4 hours (just about even) spent reading
728 pages read
2 books finished
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