Rating: 
Summary: Another good story by Katherine Neville
Review: I was surprised to see how poorly The Magic Circle was rated. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the family is "roasted" by one of its members. More important is the belivable imagination used to recreate some history, and the interpretation of "real" history and of religion. Is the "Song of Songs" written in code? If so, who has the code breaker? As many of history's figures are presented from one side, it is refreshing to see how other sides can be imagined. I hope Ms. Neville continues to create her narrow, twisting plots, just like the narrow, twisting road between Swan Valley and Jackson.
Rating: 
Summary: I have a far better book for you:
Review: I'm sorry, but this mishmash of confusion just doesn't make it. If you want a truly thrilling and suspenseful read, let me suggest the most intriguing "millennium" novel of them all, Glenn Kleier's "The Last Day." It is, without question, a story that will keep you on the edge of your chair till the wee hours of the morning. I honestly couldn't put it down. Exciting and outrageous, with more "Magic" in one page than "Circle" has in 550.
Rating: 
Summary: Intricate, Mythological - fun for Intellectuals
Review: In her third book, Katherine Neville keeps the momentum created by the first two. Her integration of Native American myths into the Indo-European stride she tapped in "The Eight" allows a the story to follow a matriarchial line. Not a light story, but one for those people who appreciate a mental workout with their reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A little more work, but true Katherine Neville style
Review: I have to admit I cheated - I read the reviews already posted here before buying this book. However, having faith in Ms. Neville, I bought the book even with mixed reviews. Being forwarned, I made a concious effort during reading the novel to keep up with a family tree - this helped considerably with following the modern-day story line. In fact, doing this, I had no trouble associating the needed links to the plot. I would give this book 4 stars if you do a little work.The historical timeline was harder to keep up with - too many different ages and characters. But, I feel the needed associations to the plot can be gathered even if you're a little lost on this part. Unfortunately, we are unable to get inside Ms. Neville's head with this novel - I cannot be completely sure what she was trying to relate with some of the historical passages. But the modern timeline was definitely enough to keep me interested, and I was still rivited until the last page. If you're a Neville fan, I say read it. I'm going to reread it soon - maybe in my urgency to read to the end I missed something! I enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Tedious
Review: I think the editor fell asleep at the wheel for this one. Kind of promising threads running through the story but I never felt that they were going anywhere. I slaved away trying to finish the book but only because the library was shut for a holiday and I had nothing else on hand to relieve the boredom of a long weekend!
Rating: 
Summary: Be prepared to RE-READ many pages to understand the book...
Review: Never have I read a book that must be read twice before I even finish the book. I tried to keep all the details straight by completely understanding all the side stories, but in the end... it didn't matter since she did not close the "Magic Circle" properly. I logged onto Amazon.com to see if anybody else was as disappointed and frustrated as me. Ms. Neville is very creative and inspirational in some areas, but outlandish in other ways such as Ariel's family lineage - how much incest can a family have and keep the secrets so well kept? The Eight is one of my favorite books, so I look forward to a better book in the future from Ms. Neville. Next time, I think I'll check the reviews first.
Rating:
Summary: A Thought Provoking, Brilliant Challenge, and a GOOD READ
Review: I don't have much time for fiction these days, but I read both the Eight and Magic Circle straight through. Neville is a rarity among modern writers...she obviously has the intelligence and strength of character to get past the formulaic machinery that publishers have been clamping down on popular fiction. The ambition and eruditon in her novels is remarkable enough. More importantly, they represent a real return to the authorial imagination that has been squuezed out of literature-as-mass commodity over the last few decades. To read Neville is to encounter an amazing intellect, a great story teller, and a teacher with the ability to make you rethink basic assumptions about western culture. Incidentally, having read the other readers reviews, it seems as though some witless cabal is inventing a dreary reaction against her book. Please note the preponderance of high reviews before this month, and the variety of the reviews before this month. Lately they seem all characterized by the same barely literate sentence fragments, key words, and one star rating, and a lack of ownership...a pattern that the managers of this board should investigate
Rating:
Summary: I have no idea why I kept reading this book to the end.
Review: Generally I love this kind of book. Maybe that is why I kept going. When I arrived at the LONG awaited end I was sorely disappointed. The book has far to many characters, and they never really gel into a complete theme or plot. When I finished I still did not have a clue what it was all about.
Rating:
Summary: INTRIGUING AND FASCINATING, A GREAT AIRPLANE OR VACATION REA
Review: People have been recommending I read Katherine Neville for years. But this was the first of her books that I tried. WOW, were they right. The plot is wonderfully intriguing. And I was fascinated by the author's ability to link together some of history's most interesting characters. Definitely, a great book to take on an airplane or a vacation.
Rating:
Summary: Overly contrived and relationships bordering on absurd.
Review: This book was a great disappointment. In an efforts to weave history and the occult the author takes such great liberties with established fact and stretches the occult aspects beyond credulity. Attempting to join Solomon, Jesus, Roman Emperors Tiberius through Nero, and Hitler, in the creation and search for mystical objects of power makes for a disjointed and unbelievable "plot". The author's efforts at being complex in the personal family relationships of the main characters went beyond interesting or challenging to a pointless exercise.
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