A nice, capable book. Didn't annoy me, didn't thrill me. It's very straight man (some books just read that way), which is fine, but not 100% in alignment with my taste (I like books that suggest a bit of Noel Coward)--it was hard-boiled, I guess the term is.

There were very few surprises, no real twists-and-turns, the characters were cursory. It was ok, like one of those shows that come on TV after the good show--not bad enough to change the channel on, not good enough to seek out on its own.

All that said, I did like the cumulative effect of the book--it has an air of optimism and goodness, which is rare in something that reads so hard-boiled. ( )

A cute little yarn about a New England traveling carnival which buys up a competing freak show. These freaks turn out to be aliens. Like many of Resnick's tales, the characters here are rowdy, bawdy, and a hell of a lot of fun. And like your average carny, it doesn't overstay its welcome: a quick 150 pages and you're out. ( )