| Title | : | The Circus of Hungry Clowns (Flesh-Eating Circus, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 80 |
| Publication | : | Published November 19, 2022 |
The year is 1936, and the residents of Brentway are excited - and so they should be…the circus has come to town!
After much anticipation and chatter amidst the packed grandstands, the booming voice of the charismatic ringmaster announces the beginning of the show. In the audience are Joe, and his son, Bobby, who can’t wait to see all of the outrageous clowns from the brochure - Chunky, Bonzo, Itchy, Queasy, Fangs, Crooks and Bruiser.
When Bobby is selected to participate in one of the acts, Joe is thrilled for his son. However, after the performance is over, much to the distress of his father, the boy fails to return. Searching desperately to locate him, Joe needs to first hunt down the truth about those involved, by using any means necessary.
But when the secrets he uncovers are of a far more savage nature than anything he could ever have imagined, Joe is forced to ask himself the most harrowing question of all: does Bobby still draw breath amongst this horrifying cavalcade of clowns, or is it already too late...?
The Circus of Hungry Clowns (Flesh-Eating Circus, #1) Reviews
-
It's been said before you can't really judge a book by its cover, and that's quite true. This is no exception!
Never before had I read a book by Caesar Ruell. I found his horror story rather entertaining as he developed his story very cleverly in a way that kept you going until finding out what the climax and ending of the story would be.
Personally, I believe the story fulfilled its purpose and its ending lets your mind wander and wonder about what might be happening next if ever a second part came into view.
As a child, I used to like clowns, so I believe little children might still be interested in them (I don't have any of my own and my interest in circuses has vanished). How could some scary hungry clowns draw people into their spectacle and make them believe it is all full of joy and fun? Joe and his son Bobby are soon to find out about it.
All in all, a nicely written short horror story which will keep you interested from beginning to end if horror is one of your favorite genres. -
I love when I try a new author and have a wonderful experience like this. As a self-proclaimed killer klown aficionado, I give this novella the rarely seen Topsider approval. Joe and Bobby, and who could forget Marvin, were solid characters who really tugged at your heartstrings. You wanted them to all get out of this ugly situation intact. Well, it’s a horror story, so not totally intact, but mostly. We need some blood loss and physical injury. You get it. The story moves at breakneck speed, but aside from sacrificing some further lore on these demonic clowns, and other background on our lead characters, it didn’t feel like it was badly paced. And I usually don’t love shorter stories, especially ones with open endings, but I was into both here. The only bugaboo I had with the premise was how Joe was supposedly the only, or one of the only, parents to come back looking for their child. That felt a little off, and needed some further clarification. But beyond some very minor critiques, this was a slam dunk.
-
“The Circus of Hungry Clowns” by Caesar Ruell is a super quick horror novella at just about 78 pages as it packs an okay punch. Now, before I jump into my review, I wanted to share with you all a trigger warning. This novel does have violence against kids but not anything too graphic or detailed which is something I appreciate Ruell making sure not to go too deeply into.
With that being said, I did enjoy this novella to a degree. It brought back many fond memories of going to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey as a kid but with a crazy horror twist. Needless to say, creepy clowns are a staple in horror thanks to Pennywise leading the way so I was very interested in reading this novella right off the bat.
It’s a decent horror read, especially when things started going down in a rather cleverly written way. This was the first time I’ve read anything by Ruell as it was short and to the point. It’s a unique clown story but unfortunately, it just needed more horror moments to seal the deal with me.
If this had more sheer terror on top of the original story, this would have scored higher in my book, especially since I also found a few typos. When it comes to the ending, I ultimately wanted to know the real origins of these clowns and what they were. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything for you but I think if that were revealed to paint the bigger picture and explained what these clowns were, that would have made a bigger impact on me.
The ending was okay but not extraordinary. I thought this novella started out great but then kind of fizzled out toward the end. It’s an interesting story even if it felt a bit far-fetched but it just didn’t check all the boxes for me in the grand scheme of things. I wish the ending had a better twist instead of what it ended with to have a bigger impact. It was okay but not anything that blew my mind.
I give “The Circus of Hungry Clowns” by Caesar Ruell a 2/5 as I enjoyed the originality of this novella, the creepiness of the beginning, and the plot twist. I just felt it needed a lot more horror and an ending that left me satisfied to the point of being memorable. I also wish I knew what these clowns were and why they did what they did on top of their origins. It’s missing those key elements to push it over the top but it wasn’t a terrible read or anything. I was just expecting a lot more being an avid horror reader. -
As mentioned by another reviewer, I always looked forward to the annual Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus when I was a young kid. At one show, a performer was holding a very large snake for the public to see. I got to hold (part) of it! So began my fascination with reptiles, but that is another story. What did I think of the clowns? I guess I liked them. They were ok. Now, Caesar Ruelle's Circus of Hungry Clowns would have been exceptionally memorable to me. If I had survived the "pranks."
Mutant clowns born in the wild with a taste for flesh and blood! Hypnotism! Flying limbs! Do you want to join this circus? Depending on your age, you may have to. My advice? Keep your ass in your seat and your flesh on your bones. See ya at the next show.
3.5 chunks of bloody meat -
Ok so I want to start off by saying I love horror stories and short stories are the best — they get to the scary stuff faster than novels.
Now I also want to let you know I personally don’t like circus or clowns I don’t really feel like they make a great spooky monster. So the circus and the clowns weren’t for me in this story. The story gave me more of a goosebumps and monsterstreet feel but with a few adult situations.
On the other hand, I did enjoy the graphic details and creepy parts of the terrors the clowns inflicted on the victims— they were good.
Good writing, intriguing plot, definitely will check out some of his other writings but not if they are about clowns/circuses. -
Coulrophobia.
The fear of clowns.
If you don't have it before you read The Circus of Hungry Clowns by Caesar Ruell, I'm willing to bet you will once you've read it!
The story opens up sweet as can be. A father is taking his son to the circus. But this isn't your typical circus. It's a circus made entirely of clowns - and a rhino. Intriguing. From the flyer, some of the clowns look a little shady, and that's putting it mildly. But it's a family show. What's there to worry about?
Plenty. Otherwise, this wouldn't be much of a horror book, would it?
I really enjoyed this book! The story was evenly paced. I never felt a lull in the suspense. There were some intense action scenes that were very well written and kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters of Joe and Bobby felt real to me. Joe's love and dedication to his son tugged at my mom heartstrings.
Speaking of kids - it should be known that these are hungry clowns. There will be harm to children in this book. Please don't go into it if that's a trigger for you. There's also plenty of gruesome, gory scenes. And of course, if you suffer from coulrophobia you probably should pass this book by as well. Otherwise, I highly recommend it to the gore loving, horror loving, clown loving readers out there! I give The Circus of Hungry Clowns four stars.
Many thanks to the author for sharing a copy of the book for my honest opinion. -
The Circus of Hungry Clowns
By Caesar Ruell
This is a novella of creatures that look like clowns. Now clowns are creepy enough without putting them as the main subject! Seems these clowns have a taste for children! Ugh!
The plot was easy to figure out but that was what made it even creepier.
Overall, a quick read and that's good when it comes to dealing with killer clowns! -
Let’s take a visit to the circus… homicidal, meat hungry clowns are the star attraction… what could possibly go wrong?!?
This novella was well written and packed a punch as Joe teams up with ringmaster Marvin to rescue Joe’s son Bobby from becoming a midnight snack after being kidnapped during his visit to the circus. With violence, gore and the right amount of mystery this was a quirky, quick read that I really enjoyed. -
RTC.
-
3/5
This was a great, fast-paced read. It was suspenseful and morbid and terrifying!
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy. All opinions are my own.
The warping off a thing associated with goodness and fun and childhood (such as clowns) is very well-established in horror and it's so well-established for a reason. It makes it all the more eerie when we're confronted with something that's supposed to be wholeheartedly good and it isn't. Ruell takes this manufactured sense of goodness and pushes it even further, describing brutal situations as if they are light-hearted objects—not an explosion of blood, but confetti—as it confuses the spectators' minds and twists their perception.
I could feel every moment inside the circus, every gasp of breath and murmur of delight, every colourful flap of the tent, and every clown's elaborate performance. Ruell does a good job at placing you inside the tent, on the benches, watching the show as if you're really there.
The circus setting here is perfect. The circus is a place you can escape to, it's known to be adventurous and entertaining and exhilarating. This wilful escape creates the perfect atmosphere for a manufactured high, a deliberate ignorance, an all-encompassing deception.
I also think this proves a good social commentary. People are more than happy to overlook the evil truths that stare them in the face if there are prettier lies dressed up for them. I adored this section of the novella.
There were moments where I wanted to scream at them through the pages and warn them of what was happening. In such a short novella, it's hard to capture the reader's attention like this. Although, because of it's length, I couldn't quite connect with the characters that deeply, I was still always rooting for them, always interested in what was going to happen and how our main characters would go on.
My only criticisms are that there's some dialogue in this story that feels clunky and doesn't flow as well as it could, and that there's often a slight overuse of ellipses (however that is simply a creative choice). Overall, I thought this book was fantastic. It's a very quick, high tension read with a brilliant, nail-biting ending.
Stay away from creepy clowns, but if you like horror novellas definitely check out The Circus of Hungry Clowns! -
Wow that was a nasty but fun little ride, full of crazy cannibalistic clowns. Such a good little read, and hopefully the first book in a series.
The year is 1936, and the residents of Brentway are buzzing with excitement because the circus is coming to town.
While waiting outside the circus tent, Joe and his young son Bobby, can’t contain their excitement, but unknown to them and the other families, this is no ordinary circus...
Beware of the hungry clowns!!! 🤡
Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy, which is available NOW via Amazon.
4 hungry little stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
Okay, I have to admit I have a fear of clowns. I think it goes back to when I was young and read Stephen King’s novel IT for the first time. I loved it, but it scared the heck out of me. But that fear did NOT prevent me from reading THE CIRCUS OF HUNGRY CLOWNS. And that cover, with the demon clown — wow!!!— once I saw that, I was hooked, and there was no turning back.
This story was fantastic from start to finish. Tension built slowly but surely as the novella introduced us to our protagonist, his son, and our circus of creepy clowns. Creepy is a bit of an understatement, which you’ll learn soon enough once you dive into this horror tale. The author’s detailed descriptions of each of the clowns are so incredibly vivid — if you close your eyes, you can easily “see” the grotesque and twisted demon clowns. And as the suspense builds, you won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough. You’ll feel the fear and terror emanating from the characters as if you are there with them. And I loved that ending!! Soooo good!!
So if you love horror stories that elicit fear and terror—even if you hate clowns as much as I do—you must, must read this wonderfully frightening novella from Caesar Ruell. I can’t wait to read more horror from this author!! -
Bloody
This was a blood bath of man and child. Tim a father taking his son to see a circus has his whole world changed after that one evening. From a spectacular evening comes a gruesome reveal where no child is safe. But Tim will do anything to make things rig, no matter what the consequences. A fast paced bloody and brutal story that books you and feels you in til the end. A great storyline and amazing characters. I'd love to know if there was sequel to th I'd definitely read it. Recommended -
Wow! I am so impressed by this new to me author. I put it off a bit because … you know… so many books. But damn! This is such a great story and I absolutely loved it! The storyline was unique and engaging and like nothing I’ve ever read before. I did at one time think you shouldn’t have told me that so soon, but then after awhile I thought … I’m glad you told me that. I was so impressed by this story and author and if you haven’t read it, give it a try, it’s really a great story! I will be looking out for more from this author!
-
Who doesn’t love clowns? Joe, Joe doesn’t! Especially a circus full of hungry clowns! This is a great short story, packed with action, got it’s fair share of gore and of course clowns, everyone’s here for the clowns!
-
I love anything to do with scary clowns, I can't get enough of them!, this was such a great novella, the characters were well fleshed out and believable which is hard to find in shorter stories, this was incredibly fast paced but didn't feel rushed, the authors writing is top notch I really enjoyed this and *need* more, I think this would also work as a longer novel, a series, A MOVIE, ALL OF IT 😂 if you like clowns, demons and a fun gruesome creepy time(who doesn't) you'll love this!
-
'Beware: Rogue clowns are in town and on the bloodbath!'
For a quick idea of how this short, dark tale pans out then think: Disney - Snow White and the lovable 7 Dwarfs, going to the mines to work all day, then think Horror - Sir Ringtone and his murderous, cannibalistic 7 Clowns, mutilating and killing the youngsters in the old traditional Big Top.
A good, solid story with excellent characterisation and description, that managed to give life and believability to the main participants and the circus acts which allowed the reader to visualise and experience the very real 1936 scene for themselves.
This wickedly dark adventure was a novel idea and managed to maintain my interest from start to finish, although aspects of it did seem a bit too far-fetched, rather nice and slightly 'predictably as expected' to me. However, with a re-write, including the gory and abhorrent details of each killing and the introduction of even more evil unforeseen twists and turns providing an ending in the 'unhappy ever after' category, then this intentionally disturbing little horror story has the potential to go on and reach dizzily high heights of unspoken wickedness, whilst giving the average horror fan a purely pleasurable experience of the vile and grotesque clown variety which simply would never be forgotten.
Finally, I would have liked to have learned more about the background and origin of the clowns as, unlike dwarfs in Snow White, they undoubtedly proved to be the real stars of the show for me. Maybe an idea for a sequel? If so, then just count me in!
A big thank you to Caesar who sent me a free online copy to review at my leisure - cheers buddy, enjoyed it, much appreciated!
Rating: 3.5 solid stars down to 3, as unfortunately overall just a bit too conveniently...tidily nice. -
Fuck clowns man.
-
I want to thank author Caesar Ruell for reaching out and offering me a free copy of his work in exchange for an honest review!!
The Circus of Hungry Clowns is a novella horror story, which means you can easily finish it in one night if you're feeling something spooky. I already know a lot of people will be like, "OHHH CLOWNS I'M OUT!" but I would highly recommend you stick through this one. Although, yes, there are clowns in this story, they do not give the phobia creepy clown vibes within the story, it's all normal horror vibes within this one!
For how short this story is, there is a LOT of story line happening. I commend Ruell for jamming all this Lore into such a small package, and the potential for more story line after this novella is RIPE! (There is a second book to this series, which I have not read yet but I have downloaded on Kindle Unlimited already and will follow up in the new year with that review). You really root for the main characters in this book and hope everyone makes it out alive in the end (do they? Guess you'll have to find out hehe)!!
All in all, this one was very enjoyable to read. It's quick, it's gorey, it's full of revenge against clowns for anything and everything they've ever done, it's PERFECT for a quick horror bender! 10/10 !! -
It was super fun and I’m never going to the circus 😂😂I have a new fear of clowns. I work in the medical field so I spotted some medical inaccuracies but they’re easy to set aside and have fun!
I thought there was a really clever aspect to the show I won’t spoil. My one complaint was feeling like my hand was held the whole time & I would’ve enjoyed putting the pieces together myself, but the main character kept doing it for me. That took the fun out of it for me a bit but it was still exciting. It’s a short read that packs a punch. I would really love a part 2 following the clowns! I loved the ending! It made me chuckle.
Pennywise would love this group. -
Many thanks to Caesar for a review copy.
Since watching pennywise I hate clowns, they're so creepy, stranger danger type of thing and I believe clowns+horror go hand in hand. So I dived in expecting the worse and wasn't disappointed.
I like to read short stories or novellas between novels as It's refreshing and helps my Goodreads book count challenge so "The Circus of Hungry Clowns" was perfect. It's only around 70 odd pages but it packs a punch!!. It has everything suspense, gore, missing limbs everything under the sun.
The characters were believable and the pace was at breakneck speed which I love.
Overall a great read and hopefully there will be a sequel as the ending was left with sort of a cliffhanger. -
this was super engaging and i couldn’t stop reading but i was hoping i’d be more scared/horrified considering i’m terrified of clowns lol
there’s were on page descriptions of kids being murdered but for some reason i didn’t feel anything past: well fuck them but i’m just gonna move on because i wanna know how this ends.
idk if i felt so detached from the happenings of this book because it was a novella and i would need more buildup, if i need something with a eerier atmosphere or if horror books just simply don’t work as well for me as horror movies. -
Demon Clowns…what’s not to love!!
Very creepy and so so good!! I was pulled into this tale of a circus full of hungry demon clowns!! Following in the voice of Joe, who was taking his son to the circus. Joe was a well written father who who do ANYTHING to save his son from the hungry, demon clowns!
I love these short, novella sized Horror stories so much! Ruell is new to me and DID NOT disappoint!! As another reviewer said, it would be cool to turn this into a full size novel, or a series of short ones! But if not, it’s still a really fun, creepy horror story!! I definitely would read more from this author, and I highly recommend it to any horror lovers out there!! -
Clowns are scary. And these clowns have a craving for human flesh, especially children!
This awesome fast paced horror novella follows a father and son as they attend a circus in their village. It's an all clown show that has the residents excited because there's not much entertainment in that village.
But when the son gets picked to take part in one of the clown acts, the horrifying results are going to lead the father into a situation that is far more savage and terrifying than what he could ever imagine.
This is a really fun, horror drenched, bloody novella that starts strong and keeps getting better as it goes. I highly recommend it! -
Oh boy!! What a find! I can't wait to discover what else author Caesar Ruell comes up with! This is sheer in-your-face Horror, but so cleverly disguised by illusion [think Faery glamor, which can conceal a multitude of evil] that the actual Horror and Terror initially escapes the reader as much as the novella's characters! All the timea plethora of iniquities are in commission, and nobody knows!!
Caution: May be upsetting to emotionally sensitive readers : -
The year is 1936, Joe and his young son Bobby are excited to check out the circus that just pulled into town. Once seated they can’t believe the mind-bending stunts the clowns are performing on children chosen to volunteer as part of the act. When Bobby is chosen to take part in the final act, Joe is thrilled for his son. But after the performance is over, he doesn’t come back. As he searches for answers he begins to uncover dark secrets behind the clowns that make him suspect his son is in grave danger…
What an awesome novella! If you’re a big fan of scary clowns, you need to read this. It’s only 82 pages long but it packs one hell of a punch. I’m not actually scared of clowns but the ones depicted in this story actually unsettled me for once. And I’ll tell you why- they’re not your typical clowns…They aren’t even human and they like to eat…children! Readers should be aware that young children are the victims but thankfully those scenes aren’t overly descriptive with the violence and don’t need to be. But there is still plenty of action and gore to be found in later scenes that’ll appeal to your dark horror loving hearts.
There’s also a wonderful relationship between a father and son that was well written and believable. While there are a few things that were questionable, I still had a lot of fun with it and thought it was a well rounded novella.
The door is left open for a sequel that the author should really consider doing as I want more scary clowns!! A prequel that explains the origins would also be super interesting.
I highly recommend you check this out! It’s available on Kindle-Unlimited!
Many thanks to the author for an e-copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review. -
Wow, what a book. This book takes you on a ride for sure. I have never been fond of clowns, and this book just confirmed why. Ruell's novella is top notch. He does a great job of scaring the hell out of you. Twisted, gory, and overall a rush.
Joe takes his son, Bobby, to a circus that is in town. The clowns pick volunteers from the audience, young children. Bobby volunteers for the last act and is chosen by the clowns to be a performer. The ringmaster announces that the children have decided to become circus performers and will no longer see their families. This is where it gets intense. Joe confronts the ringmaster and finds out the truth. Will he be able to save Bobby and the other children before it's too late? Find out and read it.
Mr. Ruell brings childhood fears to life in "The Circus of Hungry Clowns". And that is exactly what it is... Hungry Clowns. Happy Noghtmares everyone. -
Clowns and circuses, and finger-licking children
This books description drew me to try this one. My biggest complaint was that if we are listening to Cab Calloway on the gramophone, the time period should have been around pre second World World war but the dialogue, especially from the father, had me questioning this on several occasions. With a story like this, the author needs the reader to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the ride. I struggled to do that, as the motivation and actions of the ringmaster did not ring true. -
4/5 - I didn’t know I’d be into sadistic demon clowns, but here we are…
All I have to say is will there be a full length book??? -
I liked a lot of thing about this story, so was pleased to have picked it up and finished it within a couple of days. I'm on a novella run lately, and this was great in that got to the point quickly. At the very start, for example, the main character and his son are queued up to enter the circus. There's not the sometimes drawn-out preamble that can drag down other horror novellas, especially when the page count is already limited. While an evil circus has been done before, Caesar Ruell managed to add some of his own elements to render it unique.
I found the individual descriptions of the clowns in particular well done, so I could picture them quite easily in my head as they were performing in the story.
I also felt that the sentence structure, grammer, editing etc. was above average for a self-published horror novella. There's quite a few out there that I've bought for my kindle that didn't have enough proof-reading, I've noticed it's fairly common.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend reading this for something different.
