I only bought this because John Barth blurbed on the cover. He lied! ( )

I probably should have abandoned this novel when I first began thinking that much of the writing was pretty klunky, but I have an odd fascination for the circus, and I was hoping that Stevens would make the book pay off in the end -- he doesn't.

The book has an interesting fantasy premise -- Alex Barton's wife volunteers for a disappearing act at an itinerant circus performance, but the magician fails to make her reappear. Understandably distraught, Alex embarks on a quest to find his wife, but all traces of the circus have disappeared when he awakes in the morning. Eventually he gets wind of a secret circus organization on a remote island and embarks on a nightmarish journey. There are some interesting insights into the circus and performers, but Stevens obviously couldn't decide what kind of a novel he was writing, and the book goes off into multiple directions, leaving lots of loose ends. Maybe a good editor could have helped him make something of this first novel -- but I doubt it. Nothing I would recommend. ( )

Circus of the Earth and the Air- Brooke Stevens Absolutely riveting story of a man's search for his missing wife who disappears after volunteering to be part of a magic act in a mysterious circus. Brooke Stevens captures the feel of a nightmare you can't wake up from. A book that deserves to be widely read ( )