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The Circle
“The shrine. How does it operate? Do you just pray to it or do you have to bring it something or what?”
In this unsettling novella by Bentley Little, many strange occurrences unsettle the inhabitants of William Tell
For Helen, a knock on the door brings an unexpected visitor along with lavish gifts, and it seems all her wishes have been granted…but at what cost?
For young Frank and his friends, a fabled neighborhood shrine may answer their prayers for a girlfriend, just as their older brothers hope the same source will grant them money. But the older boys' improvised ritual turns into something horrible…
For Gil Marotta, a rescue mission to the shrine leads him into a chilling confrontation with the local witch…
The Circle tells the story of a normally quiet community, plunged into the kind of surreal nightmare only Bentley Little can deliver.
In this unsettling novella by Bentley Little, many strange occurrences unsettle the inhabitants of William Tell
For Helen, a knock on the door brings an unexpected visitor along with lavish gifts, and it seems all her wishes have been granted…but at what cost?
For young Frank and his friends, a fabled neighborhood shrine may answer their prayers for a girlfriend, just as their older brothers hope the same source will grant them money. But the older boys' improvised ritual turns into something horrible…
For Gil Marotta, a rescue mission to the shrine leads him into a chilling confrontation with the local witch…
The Circle tells the story of a normally quiet community, plunged into the kind of surreal nightmare only Bentley Little can deliver.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2012
About the author
Bentley Little
134 books2,656 followersBentley Little is an American author of horror fiction. Publishing an average of a novel a year since 1990, Little avoids publicity and rarely does promotional work or interviews for his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
February 11, 2026
The Circle was just weird. Fun, but weird. The whole thing has that Bentley Little small town going off the rails energy where people are acting like insane stuff is just part of life, and you kind of just have to accept it. At some point a kid literally starts shitting diamonds and instead of that being the wildest thing, it somehow blends into everything else going on. That’s pretty much the vibe of the whole book. It doesn’t try to be subtle, it doesn’t really try to make sense, it just leans into the bizarre and keeps going. I wouldn’t call it deep or meaningful, but it kept me entertained, and sometimes that’s enough. It’s one of those reads where you finish and just go, “well… that was something.”
October 19, 2024
Circles are for squares, everyone knows that triangles are the coolest of the shapes.
March 22, 2026
WTF! Weird, very weird. But fun
July 9, 2019
3.5-4
This slim volume contains three separate yet connected stories about the residents of William Tell Circle. The first one is just bizarre fun and my favorite of the three. The second story is like a brief coming of age tale, these boys head out to check out a local legend with wishes they want to come true. The end of this one almost triggered my gag reflex 😳. The last two stories are the most connected because the third is a continuation of sorts, but told from a different POV.
Overall, this was a decent and VERY fast read. I hadn’t read any little before and I enjoyed his writing style. I’ll definitely be picking another of his books soon.
This slim volume contains three separate yet connected stories about the residents of William Tell Circle. The first one is just bizarre fun and my favorite of the three. The second story is like a brief coming of age tale, these boys head out to check out a local legend with wishes they want to come true. The end of this one almost triggered my gag reflex 😳. The last two stories are the most connected because the third is a continuation of sorts, but told from a different POV.
Overall, this was a decent and VERY fast read. I hadn’t read any little before and I enjoyed his writing style. I’ll definitely be picking another of his books soon.
November 7, 2022
Pretty creative collection of three interconnected stories. A bit on the surreal side, even for Little, but fast-paced with striking visuals.
December 12, 2021
2.5 stars
January 11, 2024
Wtf did I read here? 😆
July 26, 2022
Would it have killed the author to add an epilogue or even five minutes of explanation at the end as to what the hell just happened?
August 26, 2019
H.P. Lovecraft. Stephen King. Bentley Little. Bentley Little. Edgar Allan Poe. Those are not just the names of some of the most renowned authors in horror; those are the guys with whom I spent most of my early teens. I never got into videogames because reading was it for me. I enjoyed each author's prose for different reasons. In the case of Bentley Little, I loved the way he always started out with very normal places and characters and then twisted everything into a new, infinitely macabre and extremely messed up thing. The Circle, a novella coming later this year from Cemetery Dance, is classic Little: a story about an ordinary community that's thrown into a very warped nightmare.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
July 18, 2018
This was a weird one! Fast read though.
February 16, 2022
I wanted more and less from this story. More tie-in for the first and latter third (I didn't see the connection other than location). I want less graphic descriptions of sex that are either for shock value or a metaphor because I'm not getting it. It's fine if the characters are adults but when they're kids (like in this one; 7th and 8th graders, as the primary characters) it's just skeevy. This is the 3rd of his books that I've equal parts loved and eye-roll/cringed while reading. Jury is out on whether I'll go for a 4th of his.
April 23, 2023
I really enjoyed this but it was hard to give it a 4 (equally hard to just give it a 3 though) there is a lack of ending and the first part of the book had very little to do with the rest of the book. Overall though it was very entertaining throughout the whole book so that is why I gave it a 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2023
Listen, if you’ve ever read Bentley Little, well, you kind of know his deal. He likes suburban settings with classic nuclear families. He takes familiar horror tropes and slowly amps them up to 11. He doesn’t shy away from the truly disgusting, gory, and wildly uncomfortable. He has a method and it’s one that I quite dig.
For THE CIRCLE, he upends it a little with interconnected short stories adding up to this slim novella. We still have the suburban neighborhood, but now we have multiple viewpoints on the horrid statue that lives in a backyard. I don’t want to say anymore for fear of spoilers, but basically know this: if you like Bentley, you’d dig THE CIRCLE. The book is now out of print, but I was lucky to find it sitting on a shelf in a used bookstore. So keep those eyes peeled!
For THE CIRCLE, he upends it a little with interconnected short stories adding up to this slim novella. We still have the suburban neighborhood, but now we have multiple viewpoints on the horrid statue that lives in a backyard. I don’t want to say anymore for fear of spoilers, but basically know this: if you like Bentley, you’d dig THE CIRCLE. The book is now out of print, but I was lucky to find it sitting on a shelf in a used bookstore. So keep those eyes peeled!
November 3, 2024
3.0 ⭐️
This compact collection features three short stories that are interconnected. The first story literally made me LOL. It’s completely surreal and absurd but also kinda funny. The second story was pretty nasty.
I read Bentley Little’s The Haunted and loved it. It contains its fair share of sexually explicit moments but they enhanced the depraved creepiness of the story. However in this collection it feels redundant and makes me question Little’s proclivities. Just, why? Perhaps it’s a fluke, I hope, as otherwise I like his writing and will give it another go.
This compact collection features three short stories that are interconnected. The first story literally made me LOL. It’s completely surreal and absurd but also kinda funny. The second story was pretty nasty.
I read Bentley Little’s The Haunted and loved it. It contains its fair share of sexually explicit moments but they enhanced the depraved creepiness of the story. However in this collection it feels redundant and makes me question Little’s proclivities. Just, why? Perhaps it’s a fluke, I hope, as otherwise I like his writing and will give it another go.
January 1, 2021
Three mini-stories that are different but all connected. Each story just got darker and darker. Definitely gave me a good scare. They may be short stories but they leave a huge impact. A must-read!
April 11, 2023
Listened via audio!
Three creepy short stories all based in the same town. It was fast and fun and I really enjoyed it.
Three creepy short stories all based in the same town. It was fast and fun and I really enjoyed it.
July 16, 2026
Typical Bentley little , weird but a quick fun horror read.
January 21, 2013
4 AND 1/2 STARS.
Originally written over ten years ago, The Circle is the kind of book that originally drew me to Bentley Little. It's a dark, fast-paced, adult tale that takes no prisoners. The fact that anything can happen at any time and allowing your main characters to experience a gruesome, untimely death is what separates Little with more mainstream, conservative writers. It is true, however, that in recent years, Little has gone a bit more "Hollywood" with his endings and overall predictability. But The Circle feels a lot more original, spontaneous, and not so planned out.
Three long short stories with different families interconnect this novella, giving the reader different perspectives throughout a single night in a close-knit neighborhood. The Circle is a genuinely entertaining read from cover to cover. It is always refreshing to read when author Little bravely goes to places most writers consider taboo. With many memorable scenes and disturbing descriptions, The Circle is a big recommendation, especially to new readers curious to read Bentley Little as some of his very best.
Originally written over ten years ago, The Circle is the kind of book that originally drew me to Bentley Little. It's a dark, fast-paced, adult tale that takes no prisoners. The fact that anything can happen at any time and allowing your main characters to experience a gruesome, untimely death is what separates Little with more mainstream, conservative writers. It is true, however, that in recent years, Little has gone a bit more "Hollywood" with his endings and overall predictability. But The Circle feels a lot more original, spontaneous, and not so planned out.
Three long short stories with different families interconnect this novella, giving the reader different perspectives throughout a single night in a close-knit neighborhood. The Circle is a genuinely entertaining read from cover to cover. It is always refreshing to read when author Little bravely goes to places most writers consider taboo. With many memorable scenes and disturbing descriptions, The Circle is a big recommendation, especially to new readers curious to read Bentley Little as some of his very best.
October 1, 2013
This book reads like a very early work, like from junior high school, that's how lacking in style the writing is. Bentley Little ignores the paramount rule pounded into the heads of every aspiring writer, "Show. Don't tell."
Most of the book is told in simple declarative sentences: He did this; He did that; Then this happened; Then that happened. The author never made me see, hear, or, most importantly, feel anything that was happening in the story.
Also, this is supposed to be a novella comprising 3 related short stories. But the 1st story, about the gem-defecating kid could (and should) have been omitted, with no effect on the rest of the book. It's nothing more than a senseless hashing out of a silly idea that would have been better left unpublished.
The story has little terror, little suspense, and, ultimately, little merit to recommend reading, Mr. King's absurd blurb notwithstanding.
Most of the book is told in simple declarative sentences: He did this; He did that; Then this happened; Then that happened. The author never made me see, hear, or, most importantly, feel anything that was happening in the story.
Also, this is supposed to be a novella comprising 3 related short stories. But the 1st story, about the gem-defecating kid could (and should) have been omitted, with no effect on the rest of the book. It's nothing more than a senseless hashing out of a silly idea that would have been better left unpublished.
The story has little terror, little suspense, and, ultimately, little merit to recommend reading, Mr. King's absurd blurb notwithstanding.
January 20, 2013
These are three stories intertwined like only Bentley Little can do. Helen hears a knock on her door. She opens the door and there in front of her was a boy in a loin cloth. The boy rush into her house towards the bathroom. Helen discover that the boy had cramp real diamonds into the toilet bowl.
Frank and his friends agree to take a trip over to the professor house to see if they can find this shrine that they heard about. They want to find this shrine so they can make a wish and have it come true. Gil Marotta is told by one of the local kids about the shrine and what just took place there. Gil is determined to confront the witch and to destroy the shrine.
Frank and his friends agree to take a trip over to the professor house to see if they can find this shrine that they heard about. They want to find this shrine so they can make a wish and have it come true. Gil Marotta is told by one of the local kids about the shrine and what just took place there. Gil is determined to confront the witch and to destroy the shrine.
June 7, 2013
Quick Read. Three mini stories in a tiny book. The first was a fun, sick little tale, very reminiscent of a Twilight Zone style story. The last two stories I didn't enjoy and though they were all supposed to a be tied together, as the events that happened to the familys that lived in the circle, it just didn't work for me.
December 14, 2013
Interesting stories, although quite a short read, but I've read better from Bentley Little and was a little disappointed in this.
June 24, 2022
It was okay, nice to pass the time, but nothing fancy. If you like books that make you say “what the hell?” Then I recommend it. It was certainly a strange book.
February 24, 2024
Some short stories that are weird, a little erry, and alot of them are similar to one another.
August 21, 2014
Deliciously disgusting! I love all of his work!
October 27, 2017
All three of the short stories in this novel are related. I liked two of the three stories as I thought the third story just was too weird for me. I like weird, I really do, but that story was way out there for me. I wanted to read a novel by Bentley Little for Halloween Bingo this year and time is closing in on me so this novel is what I have choosen. Three short stories, one gross but richly, one greedy and dark and one driven and brutal.
The first short story is about a boy in a loin cloth. Helen is at home alone when this boy runs into her house, runs purposely into her bathroom and shuts the door. She waits and finally he opens the door and runs out. She runs after him. He runs into their garage. Strange? Yes. But, what is even stranger is, what Helen finds in her bathroom when she checks. She cannot let this boy leave now. Helen believes that her future lies within this boy. This tale gets even more twisted as it progresses and I was dying to know what other secrets this boy held. It’s a gross one but rich.
The second short story is about a group of boys who want to visit a shrine which is in the backyard of a woman who is thought to be a witch. It’s the opportunity to have a wish granted but what would that wish be? This could be a fun adventure or it could be a trip they wished they never attempted.
The last story is exciting! There is screaming out on the street and a neighbor goes out to investigate. This neighbor has been watching his horror films as what transpires, tells me that this man is not taking any chances. I enjoyed the depth and breadth of his undertaking as he tries to come to grips with what a young boy tells him he has seen just a few minutes ago. Oh, this neighbor is driven and this story is brutal.
This was a very short novel and one that I enjoyed immensely. Bentley Little, I will be reading you in the future.
The first short story is about a boy in a loin cloth. Helen is at home alone when this boy runs into her house, runs purposely into her bathroom and shuts the door. She waits and finally he opens the door and runs out. She runs after him. He runs into their garage. Strange? Yes. But, what is even stranger is, what Helen finds in her bathroom when she checks. She cannot let this boy leave now. Helen believes that her future lies within this boy. This tale gets even more twisted as it progresses and I was dying to know what other secrets this boy held. It’s a gross one but rich.
The second short story is about a group of boys who want to visit a shrine which is in the backyard of a woman who is thought to be a witch. It’s the opportunity to have a wish granted but what would that wish be? This could be a fun adventure or it could be a trip they wished they never attempted.
The last story is exciting! There is screaming out on the street and a neighbor goes out to investigate. This neighbor has been watching his horror films as what transpires, tells me that this man is not taking any chances. I enjoyed the depth and breadth of his undertaking as he tries to come to grips with what a young boy tells him he has seen just a few minutes ago. Oh, this neighbor is driven and this story is brutal.
This was a very short novel and one that I enjoyed immensely. Bentley Little, I will be reading you in the future.
October 31, 2025
Finally, a Bentley Little story that doesn’t drag on with pages and pages of filler. This book is tight, weird, and fun. Published by Cemetery Dance Pubns; 0 edition (October 1, 2012) and coming in at only 150 pages.
This book has it’s problems and one of those problems is that nothing is explained. Why is the boy shitting diamonds? Why did he target that family? Get past that and this first story is good.
First?
Yes.
This book has three stories that are intertwined. These stories just end as the next one starts.
There’s a shine at the back of a witches house that is meant to grant wishes but it doesn’t instead a creature rips pervert kids to shreds. And a clueless dad looking for his son. he breaks into the witches house (in reality a school teacher), she sees him and watches him and he runs away.
It is a weird book.
The publisher lists the book at 150 pages but reviews are 65 pages. Hmm.
I liked it.
There was no reasons or answers to the why of the stories. They just ended.
This book has it’s problems and one of those problems is that nothing is explained. Why is the boy shitting diamonds? Why did he target that family? Get past that and this first story is good.
First?
Yes.
This book has three stories that are intertwined. These stories just end as the next one starts.
There’s a shine at the back of a witches house that is meant to grant wishes but it doesn’t instead a creature rips pervert kids to shreds. And a clueless dad looking for his son. he breaks into the witches house (in reality a school teacher), she sees him and watches him and he runs away.
It is a weird book.
The publisher lists the book at 150 pages but reviews are 65 pages. Hmm.
I liked it.
There was no reasons or answers to the why of the stories. They just ended.
May 22, 2018
I enjoyed this collection, which is basically four stories that have a theme of taking place in the town of William Tell's Circle - there are also other thematic, even character links between the pieces but I won't spoil it for you. The pacing of these stories is exceptional and right from the first page we are hooked - I can't think of many other books that got so weird so quickly. This is the first time I've read the author but immediately after reading this one I bought another of his titles, The Mailman so The Circle did its job - entertained, amused and even shocked in places. Shit the author's won the Bram Stoker Award (they don't give them out to anyone you know) and been talked up by Stephen King. Great stuff.
August 31, 2017
Heard about this book via a webinar from Book List. After another author speaking on the webinar mentioned the beginning of the first story in this tiny but action-packed book...I knew I had to read it! Immediately!! Short but horrifically sweet, The Circle takes the reader on a roller coaster ride into a delightfully frightening world that seems normal until BAM, it smacks its characters right in the face with a sledgehammer! I couldn't get enough and the plot just keeps you hungry for more! A must read for horror fans, but also folks that love thrillers of any sort. Sure a bit of it is pretty gross but I loved it!
February 3, 2024
Bentley Little's books are famous for being filled with bizarre and outlandish happenings, usually starting off small and escalating to bigger and crazier things as the story goes along. The Circle, however, is a collection of three short tales, the last two of which are directly related, and each one pretty much is a one-trick pony with one gonzo plot element apiece. Unfortunately, that being the case, Little appears to have gone for the craziest, weirdest things he could think of, most of which wasn't entertaining but was just off-putting. Short fiction doesn't appear to be in his wheelhouse at all. By far the worst book of his I've read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews