The Great and Secret Show takes place in a small town called Palomo Grove where there are armies forming and forces shaded from the very soul of America. It is the age-old tale of good versus evil which carries the reader the the end of the world.
“A fireworks shit show!”
We pride ourselves in enjoying secret treasures that show us a different world apart from our own mundane lives, however this book lacked the greatness we love. Many resorted to reading the Wikipedia page to see what the book was even about with disinterest before opening the first page. Two of us had other, more enjoyable books to read in our spare time to not even both looking further than the first page.
The captivating interest in this work revolved around the time loop and the mostly three dimensional Kissoon. For an author who has written many exemplary novels, the plot convoluted and confusing. With the attempt to write horror if anything he wrote a confusion of dark fantasy with the attempts to keep it close to It or Kujo which never occurred leaving a bad taste of literature to the reader.
The writing attempt lacked that of other works by the same author. The pretentious tones from the author was not pulled off for the interests. The attempt at weird fantasy and horror petered out into undeveloped mush, which nearly forty percent through the novel and the mundane turned to superheroes. He wrote about an alternate reality from this one which according to one the world building and meta-verse were interesting, but the plot was so convoluted and confusing he could not center his mind around the goings on. Many claimed not to like the ending and would not be reading the consequential second or third books. There were some cool elements to the story however not enough to keep from the overall tone of a lame novel.
Our consensuses of this novel The Great and Secret Show was distasteful and unpleasant. Many would agree without a doubt they would have prefered a different more gratifying book to have read this month.
Rating:
Due to the unsatisfying nature of this book we could not justify giving it any stars
Enjoying some craft beer called the California Radler!
Long Beach Geeks enjoys finding local gems.
During an event called Festival Obscura to save the old Sunnyside Cemetery, Susan and myself discovered Dutch’s BrewHouse. Since we’ve been struggling to locate a good place central enough for book club, we decided to try them out. Were we in for a treat?!
The Dutch’s BrewHouse on Atlantic Ave in Long Beach is a fine establishment. They were very welcoming allowing our group take over a large table for several hours. We not only were able to host our planning meeting for our escape room, but also for book club.
I had the California Radler which was a nice crisp summery ale which paired well with their pretzel bites. They came with two different sauces which were delightful. The beer cheese was creamy and thick, but the mustard was heaven. Coming from someone who does not like mustard to begin with, this is a high compliment. The Dirty Bastard is a lovely dark beer that everyone enjoyed immensely.
Featured book The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
Will we go again?
Of course! We make rotations to all the great places again based on the availability of food and drinks, but also on the service. They were great at making suggestions from their wide selection of beers and accommodating our large party. It is highly recommend you come an try their selections today!
Enjoying the hot afternoon
Drinks of the Dirty Bastard
Enjoying the company of many returning friends and geeks.
Discussing the current book, The Great and Secret Show
