Somehow I missed the fact that this was a sequel when I picked up this book. I only gradually picked up on that as I read, when the text kept referring to characters as if I should already be familiar with their histories and with past events. That, the large cast of characters and the disjointed nature of the writing left me confused and frustrated as I delved deeper into the book.

I must confess that I as hooked by a strong, interesting beginning, but I was quickly lost in a muddy sea of characters and events, feeling I was on the outside without some secret knowledge that would allow me to fully enjoy the book. Barker should probably have done a better job of making this a standalone novel, and the book’s cover should have done a better job of making clear that this was a sequel (in which case, I probably would never have started reading it in the first place). As it was, I was left feeling dissatisfied and like I had wasted a huge chunk of my reading time, once again convinced to remove Barker’s works from my reading list.

This is not a bad book, but Clive has done so much with his past works that it’s seemed worse than it was. This book has no beginning and no end. It’s beginning is The Great and Secret Show and its ending really wasn’t there. Is there a 3rd book of the Art?