Tomes of Other Realms: Carnival of Fear

Tomes of Other Realms

Welcome to the lands of swords and sorcery, where people live and die by the sword and only the bravest of souls stand between the common folk and the forces of darkness. Join me as I wander different planes and hear the stories of their greatest defenders and the sagas of their worthiest warriors.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: Carnival of Fear
Author: J. Robert King
Publisher: TSR, Inc.
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1993

For the freaks of the Carnival l'Morai, the show is all they've known and their fellow performers the only family they have. So when someone starts killing them, they retaliate. At first they simply fear the killer, but Blind Marie the Juggler--in whose caravan the first dead body was found--rallies her people to track down the killer and wrest some long-denied justice from the council that rules the strict city of l'Morai. But while they convict a killer, the real murdeder is still at large, and now he's marked Marie for death. Her only chance is to find the real killer and put a stop to the deaths, which have actually been going on for years and years. But she isn't prepared for what she learns: that she and the rest of the freaks hadn't always been freaks but had once been citizens of l'Morai themselves! And now they are caught in a battle with those who were once their friends and neighbors? What can they do now?

Carnival of Fear is a considerably darker and more somber book than any other in the Ravenloft series thus far. Of course, none of the books are all that "bright" but this one has even less of light and beauty than the rest. I mean, Jander Sunstar tried to cultivate something of beauty in Castle Ravenloft, and there was music and dancing in Dance of the Dead, Heart of Midnight, and Tapestry of Dark Souls, and not even Lord Soth's black tale wasn't without some appreciation of beauty. But this book, though it had some small instances of beauty--Marie, for example, and her gentle man-giant friend Hermos--the rest of the story is bleak.

The conundrum the author sets up is rather interesting, though. Here we have a city like l'Morai which prides itself on its strict standards of morality and justice, yet its inhabitants inflict inhuman tortures on the criminals it condemns. The freaks are treated as outsiders, even though some of them originally came from l'Morai themselves (the exceptions being those of other races, like the murdered sword-swallower, Borgo, once the dwarven stone-carver Ferin). In the eyes of the citizens of l'Morai, they have no rights to speak of, and could be killed on sight if the ever left the carnival grounds. Now I ask you, is that fair? But truly, it is this conundrum--the inequality and blind prejudices of l'Morai--that make this book a compelling read.

Carnival of Fear isn't for the timid of heart. There are scenes in it that are too bleak, too stark, and just too, too bloody for some. If you don't have a strong stomach, well, don't read this book! But if you can handle it, you won't want to miss this story, not in the least!

Rating: Thumbs up! Is a carnival a place for entertainment and amusement, or a slaying ground for the dregs of society?

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