Rating: 
Summary: Parts were good, but disappointing overall
Review: Like some other reviewers, I am a big fan of Katherine Neville. The Eight, which I read for the first time about 10 years ago, is my favorite book of all time, and I have read it so many times, I've practically memorized it! I enjoyed A Calculated Risk as well, although not as much. I was so excited to discover that she had written another book incorporating historical characters and background with a modern-day story, that I bought it immediately even though there were some negative reviews. Much of the history was very interesting and her take on how it might have been was thought-provoking. She is also extremely talented in descriptive narrative and it is easy to visualize what she is writing about. However, after plodding through the confusing twists and jumps from one subject to the next (and I am normally a big fan of plot twists and turns) I believe she went a little overboard with trying to connect everything with everybody, and ended up with a story that didn't make much sense, and an ending that was totally anticlimactic and didn't seem to really fit with the rest of the book. The jumps in this book between history and modern-day are difficult to connect, she tries to incorporate so many things that it's hard to keep up with what you've read before. I am still a Neville fan, and would like to give this book a second read and try to actually diagram Ariel's family tree (I'm not sure it can be done!). But it will take a while before I'm ready to plunge into it again. But keep writing Katherine! As they say, two out of three (so far) ain't bad!
Rating: 
Summary: Needs a second read....
Review: While The Eight is by far my favorite book I waited to read The Magic Circle until I had the time to devote to it. Good thing I did as the plot is even more tricky than The Eight. While the general plot is set up in a similar way to The Eight the topic is vastly different and somewhat confusing. The dual story is set in and around the time of Jesus and then interwoven with modern day. I would suggest keeping a pad and paper handy when reading this book as the myriad of characters can sometime be difficult to keep up with (as are the family relations of some of the characters). Beyond the fact that it helps if you have a basic education in the birth of Christianity, the plot was interesting and the writing was excellent. It was interesting to see what the world might have been like during the life of Jesus as well as to see what he and his disciples and enemies might have thought about him (just know that this is not an overly religious book nor is Katherine making any judgments on any religion or religious person in The Magic Circle). While some things seemed a little far fetched, I had to remind myself that The Magic Circle is fiction and that the author has artistic license. Katherine tends to write grand, vivid, sweeping descriptions and full bodied, interesting characters and she did not disappoint on that level. All in all, I will read this book again but The Eight still remains her masterpiece - I doubt that The Magic Circle will ever have a following the way The Eight does - I guess that trying to re-use a magical idea rarely works twice. I did like The Magic Circle, I guess I just need to remember that it is not The Eight and that I should not compare the two as much as I did the first time through this book. A definitely good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Profoundly Boring.......zzzzzzz
Review: Don't Bother. The Eight was good, I expected much more from the author. Every lunatic fringe gets woven into this ugly tapestry.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Novel
Review: I recently finished reading "The Magic Circle" for the second time--after the huge number of reviews was posted on Amazon. I'm at a loss to know why this particular book has stirred up so much controversy. It probably isn't a "great" or "important" book. But it is very imaginative and entertaining. I did not find it especially difficult to follow. I was intrigued with how Neville connected different cultures and historical periods. I would like to know more about how she researched this book. Her use of "mainstream" and "alternative" history was interesting. Since "The Magic Circle" is a novel, historical accuracy really doesn't matter. My main criticism is that Neville is a bit "over the tope" with the heroine's family relationships. I also would have liked to learn more about particular characters like "Augustus." "A Calculated Risk" is my favorite Neville book. I would enjoy a sequel to that book and also a look at the surviving "Magic Circle" characters at the turn of the millennium.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down!
Review: I discovered "The Eight" a long time ago, and thought it was one of the best books that I had ever read. I also enjoyed "A Calculated Risk", even though the format was very different. After searching bookshops for years in the vain hope that Katherine Neville had written another book, I was so excited to discover "The Magic Circle", and read it in a weekend! As with all her books, Ms Neville has painstakingly researched her characters and history to create a complex, thrilling and credible yarn, and I can hardly wait for her next novel (I'm already back haunting the bookshops!). I find it necessary to read her books more than once in order to really appreciate the twists and turns and subtle and not-so-subtle nuances, and I will definitely have to draw out on paper Ariel Behn's family tree!
Rating:
Summary: VERY HARD TO FOLLOW
Review: This was a very difficult book to read and understand. The events seemed so bizarre and twisted that it became harder and harder to follow with each chapter. I don't understand why the author wrote such a complicated family set of relationships as it didn't really have that much to do with the plot and the ending. What was magical about the entire book?
Rating:
Summary: On the edge of my seat
Review: I loved this book. Kept me on the edge of my seat (good thing too, I was reading it on a transatlantic flight :-). Best part, once in Europe I looked for it in the local language to give it as a gift to my friends. It turns out, the salesperson at the bookstore was equally passionate about it. She, too, loved it. We spend quite some time talking about the book and pretty soon we had an audience surrounding us. I hardly managed to get a copy, as every person around us rushed to buy it! Moral to the story? Secure your copy before praising this book in front of audience! :-)
Rating:
Summary: A thriller for the imagination and reality
Review: This book, like Ms. Neville's other works, is not for the mindless. The research is complex and intricate, which gives The Magic Circle a beautifully complex and intricate plot. The historical and fictional lines are seamlessly drawn, leaving the reader wondering where one ends and the other begins. The twists and turns are not only excellent, but they jostle us to delve deeper into historical events as predecessors to the future. As we end this millennium, the Circle comes around again. I can't wait to read The Magic Circle again.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK WAS WAY OVER MY HEAD
Review: Maybe others found this book magical, but I just couldn't understand all the nuances in the plot and the twists and turns of it. Instead it became so difficult for me to make sense of anything, I labored more and more with each chapter. Was I missing something? I don't know but it sure bothered me that I couldn't find anything interesting in this long and overdrawn book.
Rating:
Summary: An artful book
Review: Neville can write, boy can she write. She spins and weaves a story that traps you at its center and does not release you until you are done. I can't wait till her new book comes out. Hurry!
| 
