Juggler in the Wind

Wand Bearer Trilogy #1

by Wim Coleman, Pat Perrin

When a ragtag circus shows up in the town of Buchanan, Kansas, fourteen-year-old Randy Carmichael faces a deep mystery. Why is his alcoholic mother so troubled by the troupe s arrival? What does Circus Olympus mean to her past and to Randy s future? Voices summon him, a godlike figure appears in his dreams, and supernatural adversaries lay in wait for him as he embarks on a dangerous quest that will take him beyond mortal reality.

Juggler in the Wind has already been recognized for strong writing and a haunting story. It's the fascinating first novel in The Wand Bearer Trilogy by award-winning authors Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin. The Wand Bearer Trilogy is at once an intimate coming-of-age story and a sweeping epic that is guaranteed to keep readers enthralled from beginning to end.

Genres: Young Adult

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Wim Coleman is a playwright, poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer. His play "The Mad Scene" won First Place in the Script category of the 91st Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. Another play, "The Shackles of Liberty," was the winner of the 2016 Southern Playwrights Competition. Two collections of his one-act plays, "Nine Muses" and "Stages of History," are currently in print, and his plays have appeared in anthologies along with works by authors ranging from Molière to David Mamet. His book of poetry, "I.O.U.," was published in 2020 by Adelaide Books. Novels that he has co-authored with his wife, Pat Perrin, include "Anna’s World," the Silver Medalist in the 2008 Moonbeam Awards, and "The Jamais Vu Papers," a 2011 finalist for the Eric Hoffer/Montaigne Medal. Wim and Pat lived for fourteen years in Mexico, where they adopted their daughter, Monserrat, and created and administered a scholarship program for at-risk students. Wim and Pat now live in Carrboro, North Carolina. They are active members of PEN International; Wim is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Academy of American Poets.

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, wow, that cover is bad! That's the first thing I noticed when I saw this up on First Reads as an available book to win. I managed to put that aside and not judge it by that alone, since the premise sounded somewhat intriguing. But man, it was hard. And honestly I wasn't expecting much from this book because of it.

This actually turned out to be somewhat enjoyable, though it definitely has some problems. In tone and subjuct matter it reminded me a little of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, although much less humorous and with much less character development and in a world that's much less concretely defined. It's also less an adventure story than it is a sort of coming of age tale.

I feel like Coleman and Perrin have some interesting ideas going here, but as yet they're still so ambiguous that it's hard to figure out where exactly they're going with this series. I have a feeling that this first book in the trilogy will only really make sense within the story as a whole, which is a little disappointing; I think it may be another case of spreading out into three stories something that could have been told much better in one. As it is, there's not quite enough depth in Juggler in the Wind to make me really interested in reading the second.

I did like the way the relationship between Randy and his mother develops in this, and I am interested in knowing more about what's going on with all these thousands-of-years-old, forgetful circus performers. I just think this first book could really have used some more time and editing.

2.5 stars, but I'm rounding up to three for this one, since the main problem for me is the lack of depth rather than poor writing. I just would have liked to see at least a few more questions answered by the end of the book; there's a fine line between leaving your readers in suspense and leaving your readers unsatisfied.

Received this book through First Reads.

[Mardi Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Olympus Circus comes to town, 14 year old Randy feels its magical pull:

“It was early in September ... And there were all those bigger-than-life colors of the circus, the enormous, faded patches that held the tent together, the battered and tarnished gold decor all over the ticket booth, and banners of every color waving in the breeze.”

Randy’s mother has a mysterious past which she battles with alcohol and we know from her eerie reaction to the circus’s arrival that these issues may be related to this very extravaganza. Although she forbids her son to go, Randy is stalked by the circus music and hears voices calling him to join and soon he is a circus runaway.

Soon magic is afoot and the wonderful characters – all fallen Gods from Greek mythology – of this mystical circus declare their extraordinary gifts and encourage Randy to find his.

The hypnotizing, hot wind haunts the pages of this story, sapping strength and numbing memory. But Randy is immune to its power and he will be the one they will rely on when things take a turn for the worse.

I was fascinated from the first page and I loved Randy – a believable character who develops really well during the story. The mother also turns out to be what we all hoped of her. The mystery and intrigue build throughout the pages like the hot swirling winds that pervade the journey and tie up nicely at the end still leaving us with a keen need to find out what happens in the next instalment.

My favourite parts of this story reminded me that: Magic is churning all around us – we “just have to accept it when it is offered”; And “all movement is relative”.

Very cool.

This is a great adventure story full of magic and mystery and I can’t wait for the sequel, Star Road. When’s the circus coming to town?

[Cherise · Rating 1 out of 5]

My son and I have been struggling to read through this book for over a month now. We try to read at least one chapter a night together, sometimes more. With this story we never read more than one chapter and after about the 5th chapter or so, I really had to beg him to continue to read with me. Halfway through the book after reading chapter 14, my son declared "no more!" This morning I read one more chapter by myself and decided that I too was done.

I received this book as an ARC or review copy and really felt duty bound to finish it before reviewing it. But I can't finish it, I just don't like it at all. I read the ending thinking having things FINALLY wrap up might make me feel a little warmly towards the story - it didn't. The fact is after reading the ending, I am glad I didn't waste anymore time. I feel like this story was such a long drawn out jumbled mess and for absolutely no reason.

The whole mystery between Randy, his mother, the circus, everything... just took way too long to develop and wrap up. There are too many characters and endless descriptions about every little thing. I really had a hard time absorbing information and remembering who was who and what was what. Midway through the book I realized instead of getting more interested in the story with every chapter, I was getting less interested.

I love this writing duo, so I am surprised by how much I dislike this book. I almost feel bad for writing such a negative review as I do like their other books so well, but this book was just too bad to not say anything.

If you are looking for excellent young adult fiction, I can easily recommend Anna's World and The Taker and the Keeper. But I cannot recommend this one at all.

[Gmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Randy Carmichael is a young man with a lot going for him. Star student, deemed trustworthy by parents and teachers alike...and a home life that is a bit less than desirable. You see his mother works hard to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table but things get the best of her and she often turns to the bottle for support. No worries, Randy is safe but only just as some new arrivals in town have stressed her even more. Who are they? Good question. Performers in the Circus Olympus would be the short answer, but that is only skimming the surface of the truth....which Randy fully intends on uncovering for better or worse.

Thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the WANDBEARER TRILOGY...more so than I even anticipated that I might. The only thing I had a small issue with was one part in which Randy, our main character, does a sudden 180 in regards to his confidence. It seemed too sudden and without proper explanation....but the rest of the story flowed quite well and I will certainly be interested in finding out just what is in store for our unlikely "family" as the series continues.

Recommended reading for fans of the YA genre of all ages. There's nothing questionable in the text that I recall...unless you object to a little mystery, a little magic, and the draw that fate/destiny have on the soul....happy reading!

[Jessica at Book Sake · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story moves along quickly as strange things begin to happen. It’s a young adult book that boys will love since it’s one of the few that center around a male lead character. I love the mysterious and magical aspects of the story, but I did find fault in the fact that the book description talks about gods and this book doesn’t actually go into any mythological gods or goddesses. Though the synopsis is different from what occurs in the book, if one can ignore that, they will find an entertaining read. Questions are left unanswered, the adventure will continue and the reader will need to go along for the ride to find out what is really going on. There are a number of characters that at times draw the attention away from our main character, but as he is portrayed as the underdog, we know he will go through big changes throughout the story. I’m interested in seeing where this tale goes from here.

[Mareena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Randy Carmichael is 14 years old when the mysterious Olympus Circus comes through Buchanan, Kansas. He lives with his alcoholic mother and generally is shy and bookish. Randy notices the effect the circus has on his mother, she becomes more withdrawn and less accepting of him going to see the circus in his free time. She distrusts the performers and his growing interest in Circus Olympus. Randy believes that his mother's strange, distant attitude towards him is directly related to the coming of the circus and resolves to solve the mystery.

To do that, he runs away with the circus, which is now on the run from the law, itself. He finds that the circus performers are searching for a purpose in life; just as he is. He begins to wonder whether the circus is linked to the god-like being who appears in his dreams to be searching for a mysterious wand. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it an A!

[Vincy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't decide exactly how I feel about this book. Very little happened, I think it probably would have been better for the book if it had combined the volumes into one large book. Harry Potter and Twilight have made it clear that longer books are not going to deter a young person from reading them.[return][return]I spent most of the book trying to figure out which god each character was supposed to represent. I think I was so occupied with this because the book itself rather bored me. I still wanted to know what would happen, but the writing style was...without interest.[return][return]Inevitable comparisons will be made between this series and the Percy Jackson series and they will not be completely without their merit, but this series is very different where it counts. It's less adventure and more... coming-of-age. Which is perhaps why I found this book rather sleepy.

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this from LibraryThing's drawing last month. It's my first YA from them and I hope it won't be my last. I like to read a well written book that intrigues me with premise, characters and story. This one is a little rough around the edges, but it hit all the requisite cylinders for me to enjoy the ride.
I like the direction the start of this trilogy is going. There is mythology and possible deities in the mix. The mystery of who Randy is remembering himself to be, who the Circus Olympus might be and where the journey is going.
I do look forward to the rest of this trilogy and I will be looking for more of the authors' books.

Four mythical journey beans......

[Nadine May · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book easy to read, but knowing it was written for a young adult audience, I,m not so sure if this book will be a popular read. Not much happens. The mystery of who Randy is remembering himself to be, who the Circus Olympus might be and where the journey is going, that kept me reading on, but the ending left me somewhat dissatisfied. I'm aware that the story carries on, so I might follow it up, but for now I'm onto other books that call me to read them.