There's something inherently comfortable about re-reading Alistair MacLean's novels. The action and dialogue is corny & chauvinistic and incredibly convenient. But it's fun and sometimes you just need a comfy book to read that doesn't challenge and which happily suspends all reality for a day or two. Circus is definitely one of these books. I first read Circus as a teenager and have kept coming back to it year after year, so much so that I finally had to discard my original copy as it simply fell apart. This is not a book that I compare against others. The characters are rather flat, the female character presented as weak and ineffectual, even though she is a CIA agent (Agent Salt she's not). The hero of the piece is talented beyond the ordinary yet with a cloudy background not worthy of close analysis. The 'bad guy' and his henchmen are classically evil. Perhaps it is the long list of foibles with this novel that make it such an ongoing pleasurable read. After all this time I am well aware of what I'm getting when I read it - yet I return, again and again. Despite its apparent weaknesses and flaws there remains a certain magic in the writing, in the action, in the possibility that reinforces the talent of Alistair MacLean at the height of his popularity.I like this book. I always will. :)
Disappointingly tedious. Meet Bruno Wildermann, high wire daredevil on a journey of espionage, tasked with retrieving secret documents from an impenetrable prison.... who spends most of his time sitting in cafes and telling everyone around him how stupid they are.The bulk of the story takes place on a train heading closer and closer to the final destination, but fails to build any dramatic tension as it does.Beyond the distinctly unlikable Bruno, a cast of utterly indiscernible characters come and go, introduced with told-not-shown character traits then lost in a mass of such weak characters that telling and keeping one from another becomes often impossible.The lack of dramatic tension and strong characters leaves the reader with little to invest in, a problem not helped by most of the eventual plot being shrouded in mystery.It is a good premise poorly executed, a book I only really finished out of a reluctance to abandon it. If there is nothing else to hand it isn't too bad a read, but I would not recommend it.
This MacLean novel, two thirds of the way into his writing career, has a fairly straightforward plot: world-famous circus aerialist Bruno Wildermann is recruited by the CIA to break into a Russian prison/research lab to steal the plans for creating an antimatter bomb. I liked the circus setting for this espionage thriller and I thought it had a good ending, though I highly doubt MacLean ever visited a proper circus. He largely sets his scenes in cafes and train cabins, rather than inside the circus tent, probably because he’s more comfortable with those surroundings. He then skips almost all of the circus performances, going straight to the end of the tour and the daring break-in, which is certainly the strongest part of the novel. All in all, this is not one of MacLean’s better novels, but it has some good moments near the end that make it a passable read.
—John Pringle
If you can imagine a government that is willing, even anxious, to kidnap its talented citizens if that's what it takes to get them to represent their country... If you can imagine a young woman in the intelligence field who is more beautiful than brainy (not dumb, mind you)... If you can imagine a man possessed of almost superhuman mental powers, used on the ground, on the high-wire, and on the trapeze... You'll still have to read the book, because you'll never imagine the story being told this way.
—Lea Carter
First read this many, many, years ago. A compact well assembled story combining espionage and associated intrigue with the entertainment world. The Circus to be exact and this one is traveling behind the Iron Curtain to the U.S.S.R.(Russia for you youngsters). There is a member of the Circus who has a special talent. His memory is eidetic. Truly a photographic memory. But how he decided to use it is the core of this story.Unexpectedly good and has held up well. Highly recommended for an entertaining read and for spy/crime/espionage fans!The 'read' date is approximate based on the receipt inside the front cover of the copy I have on the shelf.
—CD
