Mechanique

A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti

De: Genevieve Valentine

Narrado por: Scott Aiello

Come inside and take a seat; the show is about to begin....

Outside any city still standing, the Mechanical Circus Tresaulti sets up its tents. Crowds pack the benches to gawk at the brass-and-copper troupe and their impossible feats: Ayar the Strong Man, the acrobatic Grimaldi Brothers, fearless Elena and her aerialists who perform on living trapezes. War is everywhere, but while the Circus is performing, the world is magic. That magic is no accident: Boss builds her circus from the bones out, molding a mechanical company that will survive the unforgiving landscape. But even a careful ringmaster can make mistakes.

Two of Tresaulti's performers are entangled in a secret standoff that threatens to tear the circus apart just as the war lands on their doorstep. Now the Circus must fight a war on two fronts: one from the outside, and a more dangerous one from within.

©2011 Genevieve Valentine (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

If you're into Steampunk...

This is a different sort of book. The characters are complex and loveable. The storyline is nonlinear. The setting is unusual and surreal. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook very much. I don't want to give anything away because it's such an unusual book. I've read LOTS of books and LOTS of genres, and if you love a good bedtime story you'll enjoy Mechanique. My only complaint is that it could have been longer - there is so much more I wanted to know!

An okay listen than can be hard to follow

I've listened to this book once, and it could be something that is better upon a second listend as you have all the information. But I personally found this book hard to follow at times. characters are dead then they are alive without an explanation (until later). There are several flashback scenes without clear break points using only the presence of 1 side character to know whether its in the past or present. Actual advancements in the plot seem to be few and far between with the plot itself being somewhat ill-defined until everything comes together in that 2 hours of the book. Which results in (for me at least) alot of treading water.

All told there is something missing from the story that I can't really define.

Bleak & a Bit Too Depressing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The writing style of this book reminded me a little bit of the Dreamhunter Duet, in that the actual story is not apparent until the end. Each scene, in the story, is told and then retold from the view of the different characters. So, it took me a little while to catch the rhythm of the story to be able to follow along. Overall, I found the writing to be good. However, the story itself was too bleak and depressing for my taste.

Beautiful, tragic and grotesque

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The story becomes compelling the longer you listen.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

Any additional comments?

This is one of those fantastic story lines where you simply suspend disbelief (really how could she possibly replace bone with copper tubes???) because you are simply drawn into the charaters' plight. The fact that the story manages to be compelling and horrific at the same time certainly helps keep you listening.

An absolute favorite

This is my third time reading this book, and it just gets better. One of my all time favorite stories 💖