"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

One of my former co-workers and generally awesome person hosts a monthly book club.  While my advanced pregnancy rarely lets me stay awake late enough to attend the meetings, I almost always read the book.

I'm not generally a fan of the circus.  Clowns make me uncomfortable and I often feel like the bearded lady and I have a little too much in common.  These two things made me a little nervous to pick up "The Night Circus".  Would I really like a book about a circus?  What kind of story can the author tell that hasn't been told a thousand times already?  But pick it up I did...and here's what I thought:

Summary:  All is not what it seems at Le Cirque des Reves.  Open only at night, the Circus of Dreams rolls into town unannounced and seems to appear magically overnight.  The circus enthralls its guests with its back and white atmosphere, amazing acts and tents that seem to put even the most creative imagination to shame.

But all is not as it seems.  For deep within the circus, two illusionists are playing a game set into motion when they were children.  Neither player knows the what it will take to win nor just how high the stakes are.

What I Liked:

• I thought the premise of the book was quite interesting:  two young people are raised and trained to play in a game in which they do not know their opponent, what it takes to win, and what will happen if they loose.  Played out in the Circus, each opponent seems to be limited only by their creativity and abilities.
• The side characters and side stories were quite interesting  Usually filler, the supporting cast in The Night Circus added to the plot and helped move the story - which covered years - along in a way that was mostly reasonable.
• Magic.  There's something about magic in a story that transports me into another world so completely that I have no trouble accepting things that would normally cause me to side eye the story.  The magic scenes in The Night Circus were rich with detail and described in a way that was completely captivating.

What Drove Me Nuts:

• The story was a little slow in parts.  I felt like the plot took a tad to long too long to be told.
• The ending was a little unsatisfying.  I won't say too much for fear of giving anything away, but I rather expected the book to go out with a bang instead of sort of....fading away.
• The Circus was assumed to be amazing and magical and secondary characters consistently described the Circus in such a way, but upon further reflection I felt the author could have done more to show how the Circus and its players earned the status.

Rating:  Amid a fantastically imaginative setting with interesting characters and a plot that twists and turns unexpectedly, The Night Circus is a great book to read if you're looking for something that is fun and strange and just a little sad.

Also Read By:  Nothing yet, this is a debut novel by the author.

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Homefall" by Chris Bunch

Years ago I read a sci-fi trilogy called the Last Legion. I liked it a lot and even got my best friend to read them. More recently, I was at a used book store that had the fourth book in the series. It never occurred to me that there would be a fourth book, and so was totally shocked when I saw it. This is that book. I read it immediately.

Summary: First, a little bit about the trilogy. It follows two recruits, Garvin Jaansma and Njangu Yoshitaro, of the Confederation Legion who are sent to the outer edge of the known galaxy to a quaint star system known as Cumbre. On their journey the transport is attacked and they barely survive and make it to their destination. On Cumbre it becomes clear that they were the last people to have any news from the capital Centrum. All communication and trade with the Confederation stops leaving Cumbre to fend for itself. Each book is a war, first there is a civil war on Cumbre, then aliens attack, then a neighboring star nation. Throughout the books it is just assumed the Confederation is gone and forgotten, but this fourth book finally addresses the issue. Garvin and Njangu are given command of a special expedition discover what happened to the core worlds. Their commanders had already tried sending drones to Centrum, but all were mysteriously lost. The two soldiers decide to disguise themselves as something everyone loves: a traveling circus! Collecting up performers and a big ship, the Circus Jaansma blasts off on an adventure. They jump world to world investigating the fall of the Confederation and getting tangled up in local politics. These circus/soldiers struggle to keep their identities secret as they piece together clues to answer their biggest questions.

What I Liked: It gave me a chance to revisit a favorite series of mine and see again some loved characters I had missed. It also had a lot of intrigue and spycraft which is exciting. I also found it comical when these ultra-violent soldiers were confronted with subtle politics, like a bull in a china shop.

What I Didn't Like: Bunch glossed over some stuff, making it feel like he was rushing through the book, not really savoring the story. Also, I suspect some of the scenarios would have ended differently in real life, assuming we had the technology.

Rating: I recommend the whole series for some fun military sci-fi action.

Also Read By This Author: The Last Legion, Firemask, Storm Force.

Reviewed By: Nick