Have you ever read a novel that is considered by a sizable majority of reviewers to be a wonderful read but in actuallity turns out be a turgid affair? I most certainly have and it is with a hint of sorrow I must explain why I found James P. Blaylock's tale of three kids (Jack, Skeezix and Helen - all orphans), a spectral carnival, the Solstice, and the strange discoveries of giant sized bric-a-brac littering the beach of a northern Californian seaside town such a disappointment.

First of all the writing is both clunky and workmanlike. Sometimes when reading certain passages I kept discovering that the author's prose just describes enough to give the reader sketchy outlines of the characters' thoughts and actions. His delivery is not succinct, it is barren and too matter of fact.

Secondly, the developing storyline reads as a young adults primer for a safe fantasy and adventure. One never gets the impression that nothing bad will ever happen to those who are clearly marked as the wholesome kids and caring adults. The characters who litter this novel fall into two camps - men and women who are clearly good and those who are obviously different. Their is a subtlety lacking in this fantasy that enervates all illusions of any created tension.

Thirdly, the actual carnival which arrives is never given enough pages. This was such a missed opportunity as the idea and mystery behind its last appearance twelve years previous in an integral part to the history of one the youngsters. Behind all of this are the going-ons of a ghost who lives in the attic of an orphanage where two of the kids reside with the bitter Mrs. Flees, and the appearance of a three inch man dressed in a mouse costume who leaves an elixir for Jack.

Finally I must admit I found this to be an interminably boring tale. Nothing heightened my sense of wonder at was to be brought to pass. The all too anemic and old fashioned adventures that are sparsely recollected are just hokey and brought no sense of urgency or believability to the proceedings. Avoid this novel.

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