The Pilo Family Circus

By: Will Elliott

Narrated by: Mark Stephens

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

"You have two days to pass your audition. You better pass it, feller. You’re joining the circus. Ain’t that the best news you ever got?" Delivered by a trio of psychotic clowns, this ultimatum plunges Jamie into the horrific alternate universe that is the centuries-old Pilo Family Circus, a borderline world between Hell and Earth from which humankind’s greatest tragedies have been perpetrated. Yet in this place - peopled by the gruesome, grotesque, and monstrous - where violence and savagery are the norm, Jamie finds that his worst enemy is himself. When he applies the white face paint, he is transformed into JJ, the most vicious clown of all. And JJ wants Jamie dead! Echoes of Lovecraft, Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and early Stephen King resound through the pages of this magical, gleefully macabre work nominated as Best Novel by the International Horror Guild.

©2006 Will Elliott (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Hell’s favorite clowns

An unexpected favorite of mine now. I was expecting more hack and slash, and instead was treated to an unnerving show the likes of which I’ve never seen. Add in some surprising thrills and twists, and I’ll be returning to this one in the future for sure.

Wow, you gave me what for free!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Pilo Family Circus to be better than the print version?

I haven't had the chance to read this in print. I will probably add it to my list of books to pick up to give as gifts. This was a free book from Audible. It was AMAZING! I was so shocked! I almost feel like I should give up a credit anyway. Yessssss it's that good.

What other book might you compare The Pilo Family Circus to and why?

I can say with total honesty.........I don't think I've read a book like The Pilo Family Circus. It's irreverant to any stereotype that you want to put on it. It has everything...........kinda a love story albeit in a creepy odd way. It has enemies (everyone), friends (everyone). Yes yes I know. It has violence mostly in the best possible sense...........yes yes I know. This is just a book that you need to read. My paltry words are unable to do it justice.

Which character – as performed by Mark Stephens – was your favorite?

Wow, in a book like this I'm really not sure that you can have a favorite. I think they all kind of become favorites in their own particular way........except George. I never really cared for George.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes but I can't tell you because it will ruin one of the main twists of the books. Just know that you will be suitably impressed.

Any additional comments?

I am sorry and glad that I'm just now finding this book. If I had read it while I was younger I may not appreciated all of the nuances in the book. I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to find this author and artist. I will be looking for more by both. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I was sad to see it end. Now I have to go and try to find more by this author.........really I am. Go read this one!

Weird and creepy and just perfect

This is such a good, underrated book. It’s creepy in the extreme and not remotely what you’re used to but worth it. This is the perfect time of year too!

Just great!

I loved every minute of it. loved the narrator and the story. One great book!

A very Unexpected Surprise

Everything about this book is shocking in a good way, surprises at every corner.

Good story

The story kept me interested the whole time. Would really love to see this turned into a movie. Can’t wait to start the next one!

Entertaining but unremarkable bit of the lmacabre

This is not a genre I would normally have visited, but I was given a choice from several pre-release titles as a bonus for contributing reviews on a regular basis, and the others were even farther out of my ball park. Consequently, since I do not often venture into the horrific or the macabre, I do not feel terribly well qualified to judge this one. As a result I will resort to a simple list of what I noticed.
1. It is essentially a combination of the Jekyll/Hyde theme and the ever popular clown demon with some other pretty standard occult fare such as a hell mouth and reality shift gates thrown in for good measure.
2. It garners a good deal of its shock effect from descriptions of all the usual bodily fluids flowing, pooling, spurting, spattering, and soaking the into whatever surface is handy and repulsive.
3. The action moves along at a satisfying pace and the writing is skilled though unremarkable.
4. Unless you are especially sensitive to the aforementioned clowns, you are not going to find anything terrifying or chilling here. Creepy is about the extent of it, but some of it is creepy in a pretty entertaining way.
5. By the end I did not feel I had wasted my time listening. The story was engaging and entertaining, and the narration was quite good. Definitely worth more than the nothing I paid for it, though I doubt I would spend a full credit for the book since I usually pass on the occult.

Deliciously vulgar, but quite well written.

Coaxes many an emotion, and no shortage of laughter. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but a good read for anyone who's up for a bit of adventure. My only complaint is with the narrator, who is just a tad bland and chooses a guttural elderly voice for a good half of the characters.

Do you like Circuses? AND DESTRUCTION!!!??

Yes? Then you like The Pilo Family Circus! The reading is good too. I liked the voices for the characters and I thought they fit well.

I Wanted This to Be Good

It just wasn't. I kept thinking it would get better, but then it didn't. Eventually, it got to the point where I figured I'd might as well finish it. Two stars for not being so terrible I couldn't make it through.