The Pilo Traveling Show

by Will Elliott

Overview

Jamie has escaped from the Pilo Family Circus, but he doesn't remember any of the gruesome details of what he had seen--or done--while under the terrible influence of the clown face paint. His life is normal again. Yet his family and friends don't trust him. The police are still wondering about the night they found him, dressed in a clown outfit with blood on his shoes. And the mother of his missing friend keeps calling and whispering: "Murderer."

But there are those who do remember what happened. The circus has a new boss, and he's seeking out past performers and enslaving new cast members. Jamie finds himself drawn back into the dark world of the diabolic big top. But this time, the clown paint has no effect on him. His evil twin--JJ--is dead and buried. Jamie believes there is no way to bring back that twisted side of himself. That is, until the body is found and reanimated...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630230920
Publisher:	Resurrection House
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

Will Elliott came to international attention when his debut novel, The Pilo Family Circus, won five Australian literary awards. In America it was short-listed for the International Horror Guild Award for best novel. His development as a writer began at nineteen, when Elliott dropped out of law school and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. With influences as diverse as Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, H. P. Lovecraft, and early Stephen King, his writing is at turns creepy, violent, spare, and wickedly imaginative. He recently completed an fantasy trilogy before returning to the clowns of the Pilo Circus.

Editorial Reviews

07/27/2015
Greasepaint and grotesquerie abound in this zany sequel to Elliott’s debut, The Pilo Family Circus (2006). Jamie McMahon is still recovering from the midway massacre that ended the first novel, with no memory of having been abducted and enslaved as a clown in the Pilo Brothers’ otherworldly circus, when sadistic alpha clown Gonko once again presses him into circus service in the underworld. While Jamie and his roommate, Dean, struggle to escape from Gonko and his clown cohorts, subplots emerge involving George Pilo’s efforts to wrestle the circus away from his brother, Kurt; Gonko’s plans to siphon business away from the Pilos with his own above-world carnival; and the resurrection of JJ, Jamie’s murderous clown alter ego. This novel’s plot is very similar to that of its predecessor, but Elliott once again displays his skill at balancing the humorous and the horrific. Readers who enjoyed the first Pilo outing will find similar pleasures in this follow-up. Agent: Lyn Tranter, Australian Literary Management (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly