3.5*
The ringmaster of the circus, Mr. Maximilian Bacchus, decides the circus needs to go to Xanadu and attend the court of Kublai Khan. The overall story is made up of the adventures of his troupe along the way.
The first story is about the wedding of Indigo Murphy, a bird handler, to the Duke Lorenzo de Medici. It sets up the different characters in the book and also sees a new troupe member, Angelo, join the ranks. Overall this wasn't the best story and I was worried that every story was going to be this forgettable.
The second story introduces the orang-outang, Bathsheba, who has run away from a rival circus. When the cruel ringmaster, Dr Jozabiah Bentham, comes looking for her, Bacchus concocts a scheme to ensure her safety. This story was much more engaging and it was more evident of Barkers wonderful imagination.
The next is about trolls and the circus clown, Domingo. The troupe stop at what looks like a deserted town and find that all the townspeople are living in fear of trolls who live near 'Where the world ends'. The townspeople are coaxed out to a performance but the trolls attack and Domingo pays the price for trying to intervene.
The last story sees them reach Xanadu to perform for the Kublai Khan. Whilst there the Khans niece is kidnapped by a sinister figure and Angelo, who has fallen in love with the princess, leads the troupe through the underground caves to try and rescue her.
The read improved as it progressed and I was thoroughly enjoying it by the end. The characters are all interesting, my favourite being Malachi, the lazy, cowardly but very funny crocodile. Barker wrote this when he was much younger and whilst it's not the strongest story it's easy to see his future potential as a master of dark fantasy fiction.
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![The Adventures of Mr. Maximillian Bacchus and His Travelling Circus by [Clive Barker, Richard A. Kirk]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51-wsRIpapL._SY346_.jpg)
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Top reviews from other countries
Paula Mc
Another great from Clive Barker
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In through the out door
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