Rating: 
Summary: Confusing and Disappointing
Review: I found this book confusing and disappointing. Characters are either too defined or ill defined. I thought the author went beyond licence and into arrogance in describing Joseph and Hitler. I found it creepy that she kept refering to Hitler as "Lucky". The ending was too pat and did not provide an ending worthy of the very extensive research she put into it. The ending is very weak. Loved her first book but did not find this book anywhere near as satisfying. I would hesitate to buy another.
Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling, entertaining, I couldn't put it down....
Review: This has to be one of the best books I have read, it stayed with me for weeks afterwards. The research that was obviously part of this book was amazing. I honestly read it in two days and then went back to reading it again. The story line was intriguing, as were the many fictional and non fictional characters, the fact that Neville based it on real places and during times of great historical change added extra meaning to this book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a good read. I have read the three books she has written while "Eight" was great "The Magic Circle" was even better.
Rating:
Summary: Too Much Work to Read -- Too Little Payoff in the End
Review: This book takes the reader on trips through time, history, mythology, you name it. Before long the reader is thoroughly mixed up on who is whom, what happened when, and why it all matters. The Eight was a terrific read. This book is a total disappointment. Any book that makes the reader work this hard to figure out what is going on should pay the reader for the effort not the reader pay the author for the annoyance.
Rating:
Summary: Most people will not enjoy this book
Review: The premise and overall theme of the book is facinating and should attract you, but the execution--the way this is brought about in the book--is so poor, I can't think of many redeeming qualities in the book. The plot convolutions are unnecessarily complicated and at the end, the reader is left with a frustrated feeling. Carrying about 2 different timelines isn't the problem--I've read other books, and even the author's previous books manage to do this quite well, but I get the feeling Neville really didn't work this one through enough and the publisher was very negligent in not pointing this out to her.
Rating:
Summary: An utter waste
Review: This books wants to be a top-notch historical thriller on the same level as "The Eight," but it ends up being just a bad soap opera. The story is convoluted, some of the history is garbled and wrong, and not even Neville's way with words can disguise how awful the book is. If you must read one of her books, and everyone should, stick to The Eight or *maybe* A Calculated Risk..
Rating:
Summary: First Neville Book I read...Last Neville Book I will read
Review: The only two redeeming qualities of this book I could find were: 1) She did her homework (you have to admire that) and the historical parts are interesting and motivate the reader to investigate some of these events more thoroughly. 2) I enjoyed the central theme of Ms. Behn's search for her family and the involvement with an outwardly wonderful man who is rotten at the core.But.... I was really bothered the way she seemed to refer to myths as history. I kept feeling like Neville was watching over my shoulder expecting an "Aha!" when she would tell the story from an ancient myth as though it were actual history and wasn't just a story told by another author thousands of years ago. Explaining how one Goddess was popped out of Zeus' forehead and her brother was incubated in his thigh is interesting, but can you really use it as proof of something the way you can Hitler's thirst for genocide? One event actually impacted the world population in a tangible way. The other is entertainment. I also felt that her recounting of the historical events were too verbose, almost as though her creative writing teacher had told her to write a paper and it had to be 552 pages long, so she filled in the historical parts (which don't always have anything to do with the final punchline of the story!) just to make a long book. I paid 7.99 and felt I got a 2.99 book. The other thing I didn't like was that she embellished some of the history of the biblical figures to make a point that supported her story. It made me feel like the author I was dealing with was a sleezy TV evangelist, which, unfortunately, also colors my overall impression of the book. Last, but not least, she goes through 551 pages of major work developing this story and then the ending is "Oh, by the way, take care of mother earth, that the magic of the new millenium". Well, excuse me, but wasn't that what the 70s were about? And why just drop the story all of a sudden, couldn't she have spent 25 pages or so on "beautifying the end of the story" or at least pulling it together. I missed the point of why I had just finished reading hundreds of pages about the holy grail and 12 other "power pieces" and the 13 hot spots on the planet, only to be told "Don't mess with mother nature" in the end. One doesn't really seem to have too much to do with the other as far as I can see, especially, because as far as I know, those 13 pieces are still myth. I am glad there is someone out there who likes her writing, as she should be able to work with her "art" and have it received well. I know it is a lot of work so she should have some success. But, I won't be one of those people in the future.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing but sadly disappointing book
Review: In reading the back cover of this book I really thought I was in for a thriller. Even after having read the first few chapters, I wanted to read on....but about two thirds of the way through the book I began to ask myself, "Is this mystery ever going to begin to unravel?" And all of this to tell me...."Don't mess with Mother Nature?" PLEASE!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Third best book I ever read!(The Bible, The Eight beat it)_
Review: Neville has done it again! No other author keeps me interested the way she does. For those readers who can't keep up with her, go back to "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!!" I have learned so much from her, both in The Eight and in The Magic Circle. Agreeing with another reviewer, Neville inspires me to read more about history, religion, and mysticism. Don't expect an easy read. Katherine Neville exercises your mind!
Rating:
Summary: an intriguing concept..
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The concept is intriguing....and the way she wove in history, myth, and religion clearly shows that she did her homework and left me in awe. I do agree that the ending was a bit of a letdown....after the pace and mind-boggling twists of the book I expected more fireworks....but overall I enjoyed the mystical undertones of the book and the way it made me stop and recall the actual historical facts as I tried to figure out how she came up with this concept! I recommend this book to anyone and have done so already with my friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining read, weak ending.
Review: I had read Neville's _The Eight_ and found it interesting. _The Magic Circle_ is interesting, too, but I was quite disappointed in the ending. Neville does a good job of springing surprise after surprise on the main character; really makes you stay on your toes keeping up with the twists and turns. But after all that hard work, there's no real conclusive ending. My reaction was, "Is that all we're gonna get? Harumph."
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