The Magic Circle

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Summary: Breaking through the cliches about evil
Review: This book is a good mystery novel. It also makes you reexamine your ideas about evil. Particularly in the context of the first- and twentieth- century experiences of genocide. Evil, like the incest in this book, is not what it seems. You can't excape dealing with it on a personal level of conscience. And there is no comfort in the appearance of success, either. I look forward to the sequel.

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Summary: What more could you ask?
Review: I don't know what YOUR looking for in a novel, but you will find unique characters, exciting plot, and a sense of history that puts you in the same room with Joseph of Arimithea....all in one package here. This book, Magic Circle, is one of my three favorite books. I like it better than Clan of the Cave Bear and Ragtime, now and they are hard to beat.

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Summary: Escape your limited horizons with this book
Review: I found this book to expand my sense of human horizons. Katherine Neville obviously makes storytelling her top priority, but when the story is told, it is a different world you see.

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Summary: I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL TO THIS BOOK
Review: I can only say WOW. I had hardly started reading this book and I was checking out other books from the library. By the time I was finished I had gone back and read some Bible, medieval theology, roman history, and modern history of WWII. That sounds kind of geeky but it was the opposite. It was the sheer pleasure of learning combined with the excitement of a unique plot. I wish I had teachers like this in school, and I wish other mystery authors wrote like this. Don't let the opportunity to read this smart escapade get away from you. Katherine Neville knows something other popular authors don't. I can't wait for the sequel to this book, and while I wait for it I am going to read more about the power grid on the planet. What an interesting image.

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Summary: I was totally surprised and pleased with this book.
Review: This is a sleeper. If you like to discover real "magic" in writing, you owe it to yourself to experience Katherine Neville's craft. She has done her homework on major themes of western philosophy, but the joy of reading her book is effortless. I don't know why some reviewers go on and on about incest...it is only a figure of speech in this book, with the exception of an historical incident. You could pick this up for summer escapist reading but you would find it to be far more.

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Summary: Loved The Eight, did not like this...
Review: I do enjoy an intellectual read, but what bothered me most about this book was its lack of unity. Unlike The Eight, The Magic Circle is by no means tightly woven or coherent. I was greatly disappointed by this book in the wake of The Eight.

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Summary: An intelligent, thought provoking and compulsive read.
Review: This book is one of the few I will read over and over again, because of the many layers it has. And also because it made my heart beat faster, as if I were on the verge of a great discovery. Each layer tells its own story and gives you something to think about.(It certainly made me think)And so it makes the total more than the sum of its layers. Absolutely great reading! This book is not about incestuous relationships, it is certainly not silly, it is not confusing and it is certainly believable because the characters are well rounded and consistent in their actions. By being able to write such a complex story, the writer will (alas) attract the jealousy and the spite of less gifted writers or readers who are simply not intelligent enough to comprehend the scope of this work.

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Summary: Waiting for the next one!
Review: I stayed up for three nights straight to finish this book and I wish it had never ended. I can't wait to read her next one!

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Summary: REAL CLASSICS
Review: I am a bookseller, and over the years I have found that our staff always selects Katherine Neville's novels as the staff pick to recommend to our customers. I've talked with other booksellers who say the same holds true for their stores. She's a perennial favorite among those who love great books of the kind that you can return to again and again. Thank you, Katherine, for not selling out. I never get tired of recommending The Eight and The Magic Circle--these books are real classics.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT!
Review: I absolutely love reading Neville's books. I learn a lot and think she is an inspiring writer.