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The Grand Tour
Step right up! Come one, come all, to Jackson's Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade. The steam train may look older than your great-grandmother's china, but within her metal corridors are destinations you have only ever dreamed. They're real, friends, each and every one—and yours for the taking.
Witness Rabi, Vanquisher and Vanisher Extraordinaire, who can make coins and the past vanish before your very eyes. Dare to visit the Beauty and the Beast, our conjoined twins who are terrible and tortured by turns. Sample Beth's marmalade, the sticky sweetness containing the very memory of the day you turned sixteen, and your beloved's lips touched yours once and never again.It's worth the price, traveler. Jackson's Unreal Circus is where you can be whoever or whatever you want. Whether it be a ride on the Ferris wheel, slipping inside a skin that is not your own, or the opportunity to live as you never have before—it is all possible on this, the grandest of tours. The train beckons you—come, come!
For the first time, E. Catherine Tobler has compiled a collection of her popular circus stories. With nine stories ranging from the first publishing within this universe to a previously unpublished piece, this is your ticket to her magical world. Welcome to The Grand Tour.
Contains the following destinations:
"Vanishing Act"
"Artificial Nocturne"
"We, As One, Trailing Embers"
"Liminal"
"Blow the Moon Out"
"Ebb Stung by the Flow"
"Lady Marmalade"
"Every Season" (original to this collection)
"Inland Territory; Stray Italian Greyhound"
Featuring an introduction by A.C. Wise!
Witness Rabi, Vanquisher and Vanisher Extraordinaire, who can make coins and the past vanish before your very eyes. Dare to visit the Beauty and the Beast, our conjoined twins who are terrible and tortured by turns. Sample Beth's marmalade, the sticky sweetness containing the very memory of the day you turned sixteen, and your beloved's lips touched yours once and never again.It's worth the price, traveler. Jackson's Unreal Circus is where you can be whoever or whatever you want. Whether it be a ride on the Ferris wheel, slipping inside a skin that is not your own, or the opportunity to live as you never have before—it is all possible on this, the grandest of tours. The train beckons you—come, come!
For the first time, E. Catherine Tobler has compiled a collection of her popular circus stories. With nine stories ranging from the first publishing within this universe to a previously unpublished piece, this is your ticket to her magical world. Welcome to The Grand Tour.
Contains the following destinations:
"Vanishing Act"
"Artificial Nocturne"
"We, As One, Trailing Embers"
"Liminal"
"Blow the Moon Out"
"Ebb Stung by the Flow"
"Lady Marmalade"
"Every Season" (original to this collection)
"Inland Territory; Stray Italian Greyhound"
Featuring an introduction by A.C. Wise!
200 pages, Paperback
Published June 16, 2020
3 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
E. Catherine Tobler
215 books125 followersE. Catherine Tobler has written an awful lot of things. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Sturgeon Memorial Award, the Nebula Award, the Utopia Award. Her work on Shimmer Magazine was nominated for the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 9, 2020
Yes, I am the first to review this book, it is a distinct privilege. But here’s the thing…if you just told me to read a dreamily poetic set of stories of strange beings with feminist/queer angle and no reviews anywhere, it wouldn’t be an instant sell. But throw in a circus theme and I’m so here. So yes, this one had me at circus. I love all things to do with circuses. So I downloaded and read this one almost immediately upon discovering it on Netgalley. And ended up liking it very much. In fact, the language in all its dreamy poetry actually worked really well here, the stories didn’t just draw you in, they enveloped you like strange but irresistible dreams. A steam train is coming through…decades, states, cities. It brings a show unlike any other. Jackson’s Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade features miracles, oddities and magic. It also sells a dessert confection that brings back your loveliest memories. Who wouldn’t want to take that tour? This collection features stories of individuals who end up inextricably connected to the circus, either as performers or guests or sometimes even both. Written over a span of time and united by one theme (or under one giant tent) these stories can be somewhat uneven, but mostly uniformly a delight to read. My favorite might have been the third one. It’s difficult to say, the entire thing was a collective experience, more like a novel of varied chapters. The genre ranges from magic realism to something more akin to adult fairy tales, but there’s so much inbetween the two. Tragedy, drama, coming of age stories, love, darkness, loneliness, adventure and always, as a constant backbone throughout, a theme of finding oneself, because that’s what a circus offers, after all. A place to be different. There’s some sort of life metaphor there, I’m sure, but it isn’t needed. Suffice it to say the book succeeds in its mission, it takes you on a grand tour indeed. It’s lovely and magical and makes for a very enjoyable read, especially so for circus fans. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
March 7, 2021
4/5 stars
Trigger warnings: Death, grief, abortion (?), self harm (?), incest (?), sexual content, mutilation
Circus mysteries, horrors in the dark, back and forth travels in different eras and the end of the world are only a few things you can find in this weird, weird collection of tales. As a huge fan of circus stories, I was surprised when I found this existed and decided to give it a read. Although there were some stories and scenes that made me knit my eyebrows together or wonder what the heck am I reading , it was a very enjoyable train ride along the rails of spectacle, magic, marmelade and memories.
Individual ratings
Vanishing Act: 4/5
Artificial Nocturne: 3.8/5
We As One, Trailing Embers: 3.8/5
Liminal: 4/5
Blow the Moon Out: 5/5
Ebb Stung by the Flow: 3.4/5
Lady Marmelade: 4/5
Every Season: 4/5
Inland Territory, Stray Italian Greyhound: No rating, that is the end of the world
Overall, it was a read I tend to think a lot about and try to piece together what happened in some stories, but also a piece of literature that filled my circus story cravings while I was reading it and offered me a lot of inspiration. I recommend for fans of circus stories or for people who have read the author's other books, because they have written more about some of the characters in this one (like Jackson, for example). Until the next review, stay safe and keep reading and dreaming ♥
~Mary ♥
Trigger warnings: Death, grief, abortion (?), self harm (?), incest (?), sexual content, mutilation
Circus mysteries, horrors in the dark, back and forth travels in different eras and the end of the world are only a few things you can find in this weird, weird collection of tales. As a huge fan of circus stories, I was surprised when I found this existed and decided to give it a read. Although there were some stories and scenes that made me knit my eyebrows together or wonder what the heck am I reading , it was a very enjoyable train ride along the rails of spectacle, magic, marmelade and memories.
Individual ratings
Vanishing Act: 4/5
Artificial Nocturne: 3.8/5
We As One, Trailing Embers: 3.8/5
Liminal: 4/5
Blow the Moon Out: 5/5
Ebb Stung by the Flow: 3.4/5
Lady Marmelade: 4/5
Every Season: 4/5
Inland Territory, Stray Italian Greyhound: No rating, that is the end of the world
Overall, it was a read I tend to think a lot about and try to piece together what happened in some stories, but also a piece of literature that filled my circus story cravings while I was reading it and offered me a lot of inspiration. I recommend for fans of circus stories or for people who have read the author's other books, because they have written more about some of the characters in this one (like Jackson, for example). Until the next review, stay safe and keep reading and dreaming ♥
~Mary ♥
May 13, 2020
From the moment that I heard Apex Book Company would be putting out this collection, I was as impatient as a child waiting for the Circus to open with a ticket gripped tightly in a snotty fist. The Kraken Sea had blown me away with its voice, so my expectations were high. And The Grand Tour did not disappoint.
Normally I devour any book I open cover to cover, often in one sitting. But I knew from the first story that I had to savor these. I didn’t want the experience of reading the collection to end. So I tried to limit myself to one or two stories at a time with a day or two between. This worked well until the time I woke up in the wee hours of the morning with only about a third of the book remaining. I was desperate for distraction and lacked the willpower to make myself stop. When I got to the last page, I felt like crying because there wasn’t any more to devour.
If you haven’t read The Kraken Sea yet (you should, you know–it’s worth it [and they have a preorder bundle]), don’t let that hold you back from picking this one up. I have read hundreds of books in between these and had no issues getting into the collection. While Jackson was the focus in Kraken, he is a side character here. You won’t feel left out if you don’t know the story of his youth. I am still missing one piece (*hint hint*)–something explaining how and why Jackson came to create the circus.
I did sometimes feel a bit like I struggled to make Jackson-as-shown-in-the-stories fit what I remember (disconnected by time, of course) of young Jackson from Kraken. But as the POV in each piece is a different character, we are seeing them with their eyes, often eyes that have only just met him. I also think that some of it relates to how Jackson developed as a character (there once being a lack of Jackson when he was called something else) in the many years Tobler spent creating these stories. These variations and layers of Jackson did not keep me from enjoying the stories at all–they just intrigued my brain, especially as a writer.
Now I know most people highlight a few favorite stories when they edit collections and anthologies, but I have never been very good at favorites. Each story appeals to me in its own way or challenges me in some way. It had some interesting recurring themes and elements that I enjoyed (and which also made me wonder what other people will think of my work as a body if ever I have enough and am good enough for a collection). I think also with the different perspectives, the stories have plenty of variety to help make sure that most readers will find at least a few that resonate with them.
The collection has the dark overtones I have come to expect from most Apex selections, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly dark for reading in these emotional pandemic times. I felt like it dealt with dark things but left a sense of acceptance and hope that I needed.
Overall, the book earns the full 5 stars from me. I am not one who usually plans to reread things–I often only reread things when I run out of stuff to read or don’t have other things handy–but this one I plan to reread. I think with the way the characters appear and reappear, and especially with adding The Kraken Sea into it as well, that I will find more and more layers and understand more of the bits and pieces with reading it again.
So once again Apex is putting a dent in my star hoard. And I want more like this, please!
Normally I devour any book I open cover to cover, often in one sitting. But I knew from the first story that I had to savor these. I didn’t want the experience of reading the collection to end. So I tried to limit myself to one or two stories at a time with a day or two between. This worked well until the time I woke up in the wee hours of the morning with only about a third of the book remaining. I was desperate for distraction and lacked the willpower to make myself stop. When I got to the last page, I felt like crying because there wasn’t any more to devour.
If you haven’t read The Kraken Sea yet (you should, you know–it’s worth it [and they have a preorder bundle]), don’t let that hold you back from picking this one up. I have read hundreds of books in between these and had no issues getting into the collection. While Jackson was the focus in Kraken, he is a side character here. You won’t feel left out if you don’t know the story of his youth. I am still missing one piece (*hint hint*)–something explaining how and why Jackson came to create the circus.
I did sometimes feel a bit like I struggled to make Jackson-as-shown-in-the-stories fit what I remember (disconnected by time, of course) of young Jackson from Kraken. But as the POV in each piece is a different character, we are seeing them with their eyes, often eyes that have only just met him. I also think that some of it relates to how Jackson developed as a character (there once being a lack of Jackson when he was called something else) in the many years Tobler spent creating these stories. These variations and layers of Jackson did not keep me from enjoying the stories at all–they just intrigued my brain, especially as a writer.
Now I know most people highlight a few favorite stories when they edit collections and anthologies, but I have never been very good at favorites. Each story appeals to me in its own way or challenges me in some way. It had some interesting recurring themes and elements that I enjoyed (and which also made me wonder what other people will think of my work as a body if ever I have enough and am good enough for a collection). I think also with the different perspectives, the stories have plenty of variety to help make sure that most readers will find at least a few that resonate with them.
The collection has the dark overtones I have come to expect from most Apex selections, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly dark for reading in these emotional pandemic times. I felt like it dealt with dark things but left a sense of acceptance and hope that I needed.
Overall, the book earns the full 5 stars from me. I am not one who usually plans to reread things–I often only reread things when I run out of stuff to read or don’t have other things handy–but this one I plan to reread. I think with the way the characters appear and reappear, and especially with adding The Kraken Sea into it as well, that I will find more and more layers and understand more of the bits and pieces with reading it again.
So once again Apex is putting a dent in my star hoard. And I want more like this, please!
October 14, 2020
DNF @67%.
Thought about pushing through to finish it, but that means I'd have to spend time reading 50 more pages (3 more stories) of something I don't like, so no.
I'm not sure what went wrong here, I think the book just wasn't for me. While the story subjects were awesome and very interesting, the writing was subpar. It was too flowery and vague and too specific, bogged down with detail, at the same time, and not nearly as "magical" as stories like these should be. I couldn't connect with the characters, either, and I was confused about what was happening and had to re-read pages frequently. The story IS told, but it's not told well, at least in my opinion.
Thought about pushing through to finish it, but that means I'd have to spend time reading 50 more pages (3 more stories) of something I don't like, so no.
I'm not sure what went wrong here, I think the book just wasn't for me. While the story subjects were awesome and very interesting, the writing was subpar. It was too flowery and vague and too specific, bogged down with detail, at the same time, and not nearly as "magical" as stories like these should be. I couldn't connect with the characters, either, and I was confused about what was happening and had to re-read pages frequently. The story IS told, but it's not told well, at least in my opinion.
February 19, 2021
I got this eARC from Netgalley in exhange for a honest review
DNF 70%
The book wasn`t for me. I couldn`t connect with the stories and was more or less confused 80% of the time. The stories was just meh? I didn`t feel the magic that i was promised.
DNF 70%
The book wasn`t for me. I couldn`t connect with the stories and was more or less confused 80% of the time. The stories was just meh? I didn`t feel the magic that i was promised.
May 21, 2020
One of my New Years Reading Resolutions was to read more small press fiction. The vast majority of the small press stuff I’ve read has been from Apex, a small press publisher of weird science fiction, fantasy and horror. This collection of short stories falls pretty firmly into the horror category, though there’s smatterings of science fiction thrown in there for good measure. THE GRAND TOUR tells the stories of the performers and hangers-on of a travelling circus seemingly not bound by the laws of time and space. Each story takes place in a different time and location, from silver rush Colorado, 1880 and the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, 2001, all the way to ‘your hometown’, 1946. While some of the participants come and go with the times, others don’t seem to age or change much at all, ever-present fixtures of Jackson’s Unreal Circus & Mobile Marmalade.
This is a pretty great book. I can’t say I’ve read a lot of short story collections, but my experience so far has been that some stories definitely shine more than others, and while that was definitely the case with THE GRAND TOUR, every story was, at a bare minimum, a good, enjoyable read and some were actually pretty incredible. I will say it took me a couple of stories to feel like I’d really settled in, possibly because the first story (Vanishing Act) set some expectations that weren’t consistent with the rest of the book. Vanishing Act is the story of Rabi, Vanisher and Vanquisher Extraordinaire, who can make coins and the past vanish before your very eyes. This story was good, though not one of the better stories and I think the collection should perhaps have opened with one of the stronger entries, especially as this is more of a supernatural science fiction story and the rest of the book is very much horror, or horror-adjacent.
The next few stories follow two conjoined twins, who are part of the carnival, tracing their story from life into something not quite life and beyond. These stories are really quite fascinating, as we get to follow them on this journey, feeling very differently about them at different points along the way. I ran the whole gamut from compassion, to pity, all the way to downright abhorrence and back again. These are the stories where I started to really settle in, and by the time I got to Blow The Moon Out I was fully invested, but still not quite ready for this incredible story, following the journey of four young friends braving the horrors of the forest at night in order to visit Jackson’s Unreal Circus.
This story was matched by Lady Marmalade. Beth’s famous marmalade is referenced in many of the stories preceding this one, and while hints are dropped about its strange, memory-inducing qualities, this is the part where the titular Mobile Marmalade element begins to make sense. And while there’s still an element of horror to this story, I honestly just found it very wistfully emotional and teared up a couple of times during this one. A beautiful story that highlights the literary range Tobler is clearly capable of. There was a large element of this to the story Every Season as well, which tells the tale of a man long drawn to the idea of the circus as somewhere he feels he can truly express who he is without judgement or reproach.
All in all, this collection definitely has that dark overtone that I’ve come to expect from a lot of the stuff Apex publishes but there really is a lot of heart to this collection as well. As my first foray into E. Catherine Tobler’s fiction, I was very impressed and will definitely read more from her. This is a strong recommend from me.
This is a pretty great book. I can’t say I’ve read a lot of short story collections, but my experience so far has been that some stories definitely shine more than others, and while that was definitely the case with THE GRAND TOUR, every story was, at a bare minimum, a good, enjoyable read and some were actually pretty incredible. I will say it took me a couple of stories to feel like I’d really settled in, possibly because the first story (Vanishing Act) set some expectations that weren’t consistent with the rest of the book. Vanishing Act is the story of Rabi, Vanisher and Vanquisher Extraordinaire, who can make coins and the past vanish before your very eyes. This story was good, though not one of the better stories and I think the collection should perhaps have opened with one of the stronger entries, especially as this is more of a supernatural science fiction story and the rest of the book is very much horror, or horror-adjacent.
The next few stories follow two conjoined twins, who are part of the carnival, tracing their story from life into something not quite life and beyond. These stories are really quite fascinating, as we get to follow them on this journey, feeling very differently about them at different points along the way. I ran the whole gamut from compassion, to pity, all the way to downright abhorrence and back again. These are the stories where I started to really settle in, and by the time I got to Blow The Moon Out I was fully invested, but still not quite ready for this incredible story, following the journey of four young friends braving the horrors of the forest at night in order to visit Jackson’s Unreal Circus.
This story was matched by Lady Marmalade. Beth’s famous marmalade is referenced in many of the stories preceding this one, and while hints are dropped about its strange, memory-inducing qualities, this is the part where the titular Mobile Marmalade element begins to make sense. And while there’s still an element of horror to this story, I honestly just found it very wistfully emotional and teared up a couple of times during this one. A beautiful story that highlights the literary range Tobler is clearly capable of. There was a large element of this to the story Every Season as well, which tells the tale of a man long drawn to the idea of the circus as somewhere he feels he can truly express who he is without judgement or reproach.
All in all, this collection definitely has that dark overtone that I’ve come to expect from a lot of the stuff Apex publishes but there really is a lot of heart to this collection as well. As my first foray into E. Catherine Tobler’s fiction, I was very impressed and will definitely read more from her. This is a strong recommend from me.
May 22, 2020
The Grand Tour is a beautiful, dreadful book full of poetic prose. At times, this style is lovely but at other times it makes the stories too impenetrable for my tastes as a reader.
The stories vary in quality. My personal favorite is "Blow the Moon Out", but I also really enjoyed "Artificial Nocturne" and "Every Season". These stories are all poetically beautiful and examine things like coming of age as a woman, or self acceptance. The stories I had the most difficulty with featured characters that originally debuted in The Kraken Sea, another novel by this author. They may be easier to parse if you are familiar with that novel, but I'm not certain.
With that being said, this collection certainly does capture the mystery, wonder, and occasional cruelty of the circus. It's a central theme that is used dynamically throughout the stories and their different perspectives. Some stories focus on the lives of circus members, while others cover This collection isn't particularly horror as much as it is atmospheric, but the dark atmosphere is certainly interesting.
Overall, I'd recommend this for readers who are naturally inclined toward poetic storytelling styles who are looking for a dark atmosphere.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book, all opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.
The stories vary in quality. My personal favorite is "Blow the Moon Out", but I also really enjoyed "Artificial Nocturne" and "Every Season". These stories are all poetically beautiful and examine things like coming of age as a woman, or self acceptance. The stories I had the most difficulty with featured characters that originally debuted in The Kraken Sea, another novel by this author. They may be easier to parse if you are familiar with that novel, but I'm not certain.
With that being said, this collection certainly does capture the mystery, wonder, and occasional cruelty of the circus. It's a central theme that is used dynamically throughout the stories and their different perspectives. Some stories focus on the lives of circus members, while others cover This collection isn't particularly horror as much as it is atmospheric, but the dark atmosphere is certainly interesting.
Overall, I'd recommend this for readers who are naturally inclined toward poetic storytelling styles who are looking for a dark atmosphere.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book, all opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.
February 18, 2023
Review to come
June 1, 2020
Oh, my! This was yummy. A traveling carnival of the supernatural, I could not ask for more. The magician that can make things disappear, for real. The beautiful enchantress who makes the delicious marmalade. One jar is never enough. The young girl snatched from the streets finding freedom from her captors on the train, where macabre is the normal. She is home. They all are. Until the end of time.
They are expecting you. They already know you. They have been waiting for you. To find yourself again amongst those of your kind. Dont keep them waiting. It will be the ride of your life.
They are expecting you. They already know you. They have been waiting for you. To find yourself again amongst those of your kind. Dont keep them waiting. It will be the ride of your life.
July 12, 2020
If you (like me) love Ray Bradbury and the stranger, somewhat surreal side of fantasy, horror, and science fiction, then this short story collection by E. Catherine Tobler is most definitely for you. For years, Tobler has been writing an amazing assortment of short stories (and a novella!) set in her weird, wonderful, unsettling, and sometimes rather terrifying, Circus world. In this collection, you will enter that Circus world, and meet characters who, while they seem strange on the surface, are probably far, far stranger beneath the skin.
Full review: https://mariahaskins.com/2020/06/23/b...
Full review: https://mariahaskins.com/2020/06/23/b...
July 23, 2020
This is a collection I've been waiting for since I first encountered E. Catherine Tobler's circus stories many moons ago. The Grand Tour brings together some, but not all, of the tales of Jackson's Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade, along with a new tale, which is worth the price of admission alone. These are stories of lost people and lost things, found families, love, lust, and regret. They are about finding your true self, embracing that which is unique, which makes other people call you strange and broken, but which gives you power. They are tales wound with darkness, reminiscent of Bradbury, but wholly their own thing. It is a truly gorgeous collection, perfect for fans of Tobler, the circus, wonder, horror, and all things fantastical.
November 12, 2020
"The Grand Tour" is a gorgeous, disturbing collection of stories centered around a traveling circus. Tobler's writing is somehow sharp and hypnotic at the same time, and the characters are fascinating. While the stories would be compelling individually, together they weave into a larger whole that drew me in and made me think. There was one story in here that was too much for me, but overall, this is a wonderful collection.
June 13, 2020
Oh my. The poetic prose here is a wonder and I would read this collection just for that. I had read some of the Jackson's Unreal Circus stories previously, but I didn't know how many there were or how to find them all. They were dark, and crooked and magical and hopeful. The only comparison might be the tone and strangeness of China Mieville's early work.
I was excited about having all the stories in one place, and the collection is masterfully put together, to the point that it can read like a novel. The voice may change a bit from story to story, but that's because the first person perspective changes. It starts with Vanishing Act, a sci-fi-slash-magical concoction of a tale that could've been written in the genre's golden age. It's the first story written in this universe, and a very solid and grounded diving-in point. Enjoy it - it's the last time you'll feel stable reading this collection.
From there on out it goes from strange to nostalgic to downright William Blake-ish. Some of my favorite moments are told from the point of view of ethereal characters. Your brain gets pulled like cotton candy being sweetly wound for children. You don't know what the hell is going on and then suddenly the story has shape, vibrant glowing shape that you just didn't see coming.
Tobler's prose is pitch perfect. She paints scenes. Sometimes when an author is descriptive you can feel the strain on the story. Not here. Tobler slides descriptions through like slight of hand. You're watching something else and suddenly you know exactly how the marmalade tastes. You feel the cold of the mountains. You can feel the rumble of the train.
The characters are amazingly well crafted as well, and I've often seen this as the real strength of Tobler's work. They are all going to surprise you somewhere in their story. I stopped thinking of them as a cast and started seeing them as more of a stitched-together, loving pantheon of misfits. You will care deeply about one, and in the next story your heart is ripped away by others. But there is a strong thread of continuity as characters become important in each other's stories. And there is always Jackson, the train, and Beth in the blue caboose kitchen churning out marmalade. They will forever change the way you feel about the word 'freaks'. They're not strange, they are misplaced, and you too have wandered into a story where you may not belong.
Beneath it all are glimpses of the magic inside every misfit. And a little bit of the true enduring beauty in the beast that is our world. Right here, right now, mystery still floats through the night on a distant train whistle. A taste of marmalade *can* take you back to that one summer (you know which one). And the family you've lost, the loves you've left behind, and the treasures you had no hope of ever finding again may be waiting for you under the canvas of a big, colorful tent.
If I ever come across a jar of marmalade I hope that one of the gifts it gives me is the memory of these stories. And now you sit with the book in your hand, you hear the squeal of the brakes, the release of the steam. A hand reaches from the first car to help you up. You're one of the lucky ones, the train has stopped for you. Get on.
I was excited about having all the stories in one place, and the collection is masterfully put together, to the point that it can read like a novel. The voice may change a bit from story to story, but that's because the first person perspective changes. It starts with Vanishing Act, a sci-fi-slash-magical concoction of a tale that could've been written in the genre's golden age. It's the first story written in this universe, and a very solid and grounded diving-in point. Enjoy it - it's the last time you'll feel stable reading this collection.
From there on out it goes from strange to nostalgic to downright William Blake-ish. Some of my favorite moments are told from the point of view of ethereal characters. Your brain gets pulled like cotton candy being sweetly wound for children. You don't know what the hell is going on and then suddenly the story has shape, vibrant glowing shape that you just didn't see coming.
Tobler's prose is pitch perfect. She paints scenes. Sometimes when an author is descriptive you can feel the strain on the story. Not here. Tobler slides descriptions through like slight of hand. You're watching something else and suddenly you know exactly how the marmalade tastes. You feel the cold of the mountains. You can feel the rumble of the train.
The characters are amazingly well crafted as well, and I've often seen this as the real strength of Tobler's work. They are all going to surprise you somewhere in their story. I stopped thinking of them as a cast and started seeing them as more of a stitched-together, loving pantheon of misfits. You will care deeply about one, and in the next story your heart is ripped away by others. But there is a strong thread of continuity as characters become important in each other's stories. And there is always Jackson, the train, and Beth in the blue caboose kitchen churning out marmalade. They will forever change the way you feel about the word 'freaks'. They're not strange, they are misplaced, and you too have wandered into a story where you may not belong.
Beneath it all are glimpses of the magic inside every misfit. And a little bit of the true enduring beauty in the beast that is our world. Right here, right now, mystery still floats through the night on a distant train whistle. A taste of marmalade *can* take you back to that one summer (you know which one). And the family you've lost, the loves you've left behind, and the treasures you had no hope of ever finding again may be waiting for you under the canvas of a big, colorful tent.
If I ever come across a jar of marmalade I hope that one of the gifts it gives me is the memory of these stories. And now you sit with the book in your hand, you hear the squeal of the brakes, the release of the steam. A hand reaches from the first car to help you up. You're one of the lucky ones, the train has stopped for you. Get on.
September 3, 2022
A literary circus tour of the strange and the unusual, with destinations as frightening as they are fascinating, The Grand Tour offers a ticket to . . . elsewhere.
E. Catherine Tobler has a mythical, surreal sort of style here that reminds me of equal parts Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and Richard Matheson. The stories are deceptively folksy, dreamlike in the telling. Some dip into the realm of nightmares while others immerse themselves in it. There are those that wear their weirdness proudly on their sleeve, putting it front and center, and others that hold it in reserve, waiting for the right moment to pull back the curtain.
For instance, Vanishing Act takes place in 1940s’ Roswell, New Mexico, which should give you a clue as to what it entails . . . but it’s not the way in which you expect. There is a girl from beyond, riding the rails yet never getting any closer to home, but it’s the journey that holds the magic here.
Artificial Nocturne was a story of ‘freaks’ both born and made. It’s a story that wanders from strange to beautiful, to horrifying, and back to strange. The next story, We, As One, Trailing Embers, is the first true horror story in the collection, a story of conjoined twins with a dark hunger that has echoes of Clive Barker beneath it.
Ebb Stung by the Flow was the most visually and imaginatively stunning story in the collection, one that seized me from the opening paragraph. It’s a story I had to read twice, just to appreciate the language and the imagery, and I swear it was a different story each time. Every Season then switches things up again, telling a more contemporary tale with erotic flavors and a wonderful scene exploring excess and the haunting, wonderful question of “Who decides normal?”
Some stories are about the characters, others about themes or plots, but what lingered with me following The Grand Tour was the telling. These are stories to be savored, read slowly, with care, and with a sense of wonder.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/...
E. Catherine Tobler has a mythical, surreal sort of style here that reminds me of equal parts Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and Richard Matheson. The stories are deceptively folksy, dreamlike in the telling. Some dip into the realm of nightmares while others immerse themselves in it. There are those that wear their weirdness proudly on their sleeve, putting it front and center, and others that hold it in reserve, waiting for the right moment to pull back the curtain.
For instance, Vanishing Act takes place in 1940s’ Roswell, New Mexico, which should give you a clue as to what it entails . . . but it’s not the way in which you expect. There is a girl from beyond, riding the rails yet never getting any closer to home, but it’s the journey that holds the magic here.
Artificial Nocturne was a story of ‘freaks’ both born and made. It’s a story that wanders from strange to beautiful, to horrifying, and back to strange. The next story, We, As One, Trailing Embers, is the first true horror story in the collection, a story of conjoined twins with a dark hunger that has echoes of Clive Barker beneath it.
Ebb Stung by the Flow was the most visually and imaginatively stunning story in the collection, one that seized me from the opening paragraph. It’s a story I had to read twice, just to appreciate the language and the imagery, and I swear it was a different story each time. Every Season then switches things up again, telling a more contemporary tale with erotic flavors and a wonderful scene exploring excess and the haunting, wonderful question of “Who decides normal?”
Some stories are about the characters, others about themes or plots, but what lingered with me following The Grand Tour was the telling. These are stories to be savored, read slowly, with care, and with a sense of wonder.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/...
June 16, 2020
The Grand Tour: A Jackson’s Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade Collection by E. Catherine Tobler is a short story collection that will punch you right in the feels.
The nine stories contained within this book like memories trapped in marmalade jars include ringmasters, bearded ladies, dog-men, bird-women, beauties, beasts, demons, nuns, Fates, and loners. Step right up to a world of unreal fascination and delicious pastries smothered in sugary citrus that tastes like the summer you were fifteen. Meet the man who can make anything – or anyone – vanish entirely. Roam through the memories of a woman who cannot die. Run through the woods with a quartet of girls on the cusp of adulthood, on their way to the circus and the truth that is life.
The world of this carnival is colorful, flashy, exciting. There are delicious things to eat and tricks of all kinds. But underneath the thrill, in the quiet after the audience goes home, the truth of the circus people is often dark and mysterious. These stories are haunting and sad, shot through with a loneliness and a yearning that leave a hollow ache inside you, but they are also stories of sacrifice, acceptance, kindness, and love. These stories tell of “the heart of the circus, dark and wet and cold and pounding.”
With stories reminiscent of Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury), The Body (Stephen King), and The Life She Was Given (Ellen Marie Wiseman), this is one circus performance you won’t want to miss.
I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The nine stories contained within this book like memories trapped in marmalade jars include ringmasters, bearded ladies, dog-men, bird-women, beauties, beasts, demons, nuns, Fates, and loners. Step right up to a world of unreal fascination and delicious pastries smothered in sugary citrus that tastes like the summer you were fifteen. Meet the man who can make anything – or anyone – vanish entirely. Roam through the memories of a woman who cannot die. Run through the woods with a quartet of girls on the cusp of adulthood, on their way to the circus and the truth that is life.
The world of this carnival is colorful, flashy, exciting. There are delicious things to eat and tricks of all kinds. But underneath the thrill, in the quiet after the audience goes home, the truth of the circus people is often dark and mysterious. These stories are haunting and sad, shot through with a loneliness and a yearning that leave a hollow ache inside you, but they are also stories of sacrifice, acceptance, kindness, and love. These stories tell of “the heart of the circus, dark and wet and cold and pounding.”
With stories reminiscent of Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury), The Body (Stephen King), and The Life She Was Given (Ellen Marie Wiseman), this is one circus performance you won’t want to miss.
I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 25, 2022
Many thanks to Netgally for the eARC. Apologies for the delay.
The circus has come into town! Jackson's Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade has pulled right up, courtesy of its ancient steam engine. Here, you'll find a very diverse array of characters, complete with their own stories that may give you a rush in your veins or chill you to your very core!
This one was a bit rough for me and I'm not sure why, besides a chronic illness that popped up for me during the time that I was trying to read it. Honestly, I am a big anthology reader, as I love reading an eclectic collection of stories that introduce me to some of my favorite writers. I was sold on the premise of this being a collection of stories about a traveling circus, and to that end, it definitely is! However, some of the stories didn't quite stick the landing for me and I felt that was detrimental to the anthology. The first story and the last story should be representative of the author's vision of the anthology and well, I felt a little "ehhh" about the first story. I felt that the pacing was off and I finished the story with a lot of questions that I felt the author should have answered, or at least the editor should have picked out and asked the author to answer for the reader.
That being said, I think it's still one that you should pick up because there are a few authors included that I've grown to love and the theme is cool.
3 stars out of 5.
The circus has come into town! Jackson's Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade has pulled right up, courtesy of its ancient steam engine. Here, you'll find a very diverse array of characters, complete with their own stories that may give you a rush in your veins or chill you to your very core!
This one was a bit rough for me and I'm not sure why, besides a chronic illness that popped up for me during the time that I was trying to read it. Honestly, I am a big anthology reader, as I love reading an eclectic collection of stories that introduce me to some of my favorite writers. I was sold on the premise of this being a collection of stories about a traveling circus, and to that end, it definitely is! However, some of the stories didn't quite stick the landing for me and I felt that was detrimental to the anthology. The first story and the last story should be representative of the author's vision of the anthology and well, I felt a little "ehhh" about the first story. I felt that the pacing was off and I finished the story with a lot of questions that I felt the author should have answered, or at least the editor should have picked out and asked the author to answer for the reader.
That being said, I think it's still one that you should pick up because there are a few authors included that I've grown to love and the theme is cool.
3 stars out of 5.
June 24, 2020
From the very first page, I was hooked. I’m always a sucker for circus stories. This book contained nine short stories filled with mystery and intrigue. A few times I thought of American Horror Story: Freak Show. It had the same kind of vibes in places with ringmasters, bearded ladies, and a whole host of strangeness.
Each story had it’s own strengths, but a common theme in all of them was the importance of relationships—both family and otherwise. The characters all grew on me, and I was sad to come to the end of this book. The author writes in almost a dreamy style, kind of poetic. The dark tinges to each story made them all the more enthralling.
As the train of Jackson’s Unreal Circus moves along the tracks, we come across just about everything you could hope to find in a story: love, loss, friendship, comfort, drama, and sorrow.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Each story had it’s own strengths, but a common theme in all of them was the importance of relationships—both family and otherwise. The characters all grew on me, and I was sad to come to the end of this book. The author writes in almost a dreamy style, kind of poetic. The dark tinges to each story made them all the more enthralling.
As the train of Jackson’s Unreal Circus moves along the tracks, we come across just about everything you could hope to find in a story: love, loss, friendship, comfort, drama, and sorrow.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
June 21, 2020
I love all things circus, so I was drawn to this collection like... well like a dreamer to the circus. I did dream of running away with circus when I was younger, and older, though my role changed and I won't get into that. Much like you might imagine a circus, this collection had an eclectic mix of stories spanning a long history, but all connected by one theme, one particular circus, Jackson's Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade.
Characters wind through the tales, growing on you as they do each other, some like flowers others like weeds, all in the same moving garden, rolling across the landscape. The style is poetic and dreamy, surreal and yet also real. There is a dark side to the dream, alluring and cruel, raw and beautiful.
Every Season gets my biggest step right up, with this mix I'm sure everyone with a taste for the magic of the circus will find their own main attraction.
Characters wind through the tales, growing on you as they do each other, some like flowers others like weeds, all in the same moving garden, rolling across the landscape. The style is poetic and dreamy, surreal and yet also real. There is a dark side to the dream, alluring and cruel, raw and beautiful.
Every Season gets my biggest step right up, with this mix I'm sure everyone with a taste for the magic of the circus will find their own main attraction.
June 24, 2020
Do you want to run away to the circus?
Are you sure?
This was a train ride of magic, mystery, and pure imagination. Do not ride this ride unless you are tall enough to manage the twists of the story. Keep all limbs and sanities away from the edge for the duration of the ride. Enjoy the show and don’t forget to keep your mind open to fully experience a spooky, interesting, and unique ride through these story destinations.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Are you sure?
This was a train ride of magic, mystery, and pure imagination. Do not ride this ride unless you are tall enough to manage the twists of the story. Keep all limbs and sanities away from the edge for the duration of the ride. Enjoy the show and don’t forget to keep your mind open to fully experience a spooky, interesting, and unique ride through these story destinations.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 19, 2021
The Grand Tour is a collection of stories that weave in and out of the life of the mystical train who is a she. From different times and different places come a variety of stories and experiences that ask the reader questions about reality, fantasy, love, remembrance, human life, eternity, and the finite. There is magic here and human comfort, travel through time and space, and a hike in the woods. Shapeshifting, shape-making, and putting on the accoutrements of personality worn on the outside.
February 25, 2021
I loved this book. It was once again a perfect present. This book has everything I want in a book, characters at their most raw, dark implications and boundary pushing worlds. The Grand Tour will be a book I read over and over again finding something new and old that resonates every time. Much like the circus and marmalade themselves.
June 7, 2020
#netgalley #thegrandtour
I had a hard time reading this book, and couldn't finish it. I will give it some time and then come back to it.
I had a hard time reading this book, and couldn't finish it. I will give it some time and then come back to it.
February 7, 2023
Hauntingly beautiful and poignant. More than a year after reading this novella, I find myself thinking about these characters on a regular basis.
June 19, 2020
Longer review to come.
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