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Robert Jackson Bennett
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Troupe Paperback – February 29, 2012

by RobertJacksonBennett (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 299 ratings
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The Troupe <> Paperback <> RobertJacksonBennett <> Orbit
Previous page
  1. Print length
    485 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Orbit
  4. Publication date
    February 29, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    5.06 x 1.16 x 7.81 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0356500403
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0356500409
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit; 0 edition (February 29, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 485 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0356500403
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0356500409
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.06 x 1.16 x 7.81 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 299 ratings

About the author

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Robert Jackson Bennett

Robert Jackson Bennett

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Robert Jackson Bennett is a two-time award winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, an Edgar Award winner for Best Paperback Original, and is also the 2010 recipient of the Sydney J Bounds Award for Best Newcomer, and a Philip K Dick Award Citation of Excellence. City of Stairs was shortlisted for the Locus Award and the World Fantasy Award. City of Blades was a finalist for the 2015 World Fantasy, Locus, and British Fantasy Awards. City of Miracles is in stores now, and the entire Divine Cities trilogy is currently nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Series.

His eighth novel, Foundryside, the first installment of The Founders Trilogy, will be released August 23rd of 2018.

Robert lives in Austin with his wife and large sons. He can be found on Twitter at @robertjbennett. You can subscribe to his Writing Advice newsletter here: https://www.patreon.com/robertjacksonbennett

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
299 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Anna
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is very well done. It has a ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2015
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This book is very well done. It has a suspenseful, interesting, and compelling plot. It tackles lots of ideas about the world, in a subtle yet powerful way. It really gets you thinking about a lot. There are many twists and turns that are shocking, but make sense because of all the little details you might not have put together yet. The characters are very real and interesting.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2023
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This was one of those smooth pleasant walks, not racing to the end, just enjoying the ride. A little bit of magic, a little mystery and plenty of fun characters. You follow a small vaudeville group entertaining people, searching for something, and trying to save the world. Good stuff, what an amazing author Mr. Bennett is.
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C. Cannone
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad but not great
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2013
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Reading some of the reviews here I really thought I was in for an experience with this book. The writing isn't bad but the story just lacked something intangible. I believe that the author tried to just touch upon the magical elements enough to intrigue the reader and leave him curious and wanting more. But how many times can you really use that trick until it gets old?

He does a good job of describing bizarre magical events, and the characters are fairly well developed...but it isn't enough to push this book into the 'good' or 'great' category. There is also this idea of the "song" which is never really explained fully and leaves the reader unsure of its nature, which the author takes full advantage of by having the story shift this way and that. First, when the song is sung it keeps the evil wolves at bay...then later it has absolutely no effect on the wolves. They sing the song repeatedly for effect, but then we are lead to believe that once it is sung and 'let out' it is gone...so which is it? This is not explained. In other words, they sing it repeatedly then at the end we are told the character is struggling to hold it in lest it get let out and then its gone. If the whole book is centered around something, the nature of that something should be consistent. Otherwise the story is just shiftless and has no meaning.
4 people found this helpful
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Tuna
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, To Say The Least
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2012
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I'll be perfectly honest: fantasy novels have never really been my thing. I preferred mysteries with slight sci-fi elements (such as Relic or Riptide by Preston & Child). And yet, for the third time in a row, Bennett's novel has caught me off guard with how staggeringly good it is.

I followed him somewhat before he became a novelist--he used to occasionally write stories for the forums of the website Something Awful--and while I enjoyed his writing there, it rarely had any fantastical elements. Not being a fan, I was unsure about Mr. Shivers (and was pleasantly surprised--it wasn't my favorite thing he'd ever done, but good nonetheless). Company Man was very good as well, mixing the fantasy elements with the light touch of sci-fi, and having just finished The Troupe, I noticed a trend building since Mr. Shivers: I read them so quickly it's jarring, because they are just so engaging.

Like Company Man, The Troupe was so engrossing that I found myself not reading a chapter before bed as I usually do, but staying up half the night to continue reading. It's rare that I have such a hard time finding somewhere satisfying to take a break in a novel, and with The Troupe I couldn't do so for the entire second half of the book.

I don't really know what else to say, other than the book is excellent, and I can't wait for Bennett's next book.
6 people found this helpful
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LaToya
4.0 out of 5 stars Bennett Is The Best!
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2015
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lI don’t usually write reviews, mainly because I’m not very good at doing so, but I just had to explain to those oblivious to Robert Jackson Bennett as to why they should read his work.
After finishing Bennett's most recent book, The City of Stairs, and being astounded by his haunting prose and captivating world, I told myself that I would read some of his earlier works to see if I could receive the same experience I did with City of Stairs. COS was by far, the best book of 2014 and I went into the Troupe with high expectations. And I must say that I was deeply satisfied with this book. However, I cannot compare it to COS, because I had a completely different experience with The Troupe. While Bennett's writing is still beautiful and atmospheric, he explores entirely different themes in this book. Here, he addresses the hardships that come with family and what we will do to attain love. I’m astounded at how Bennett could have written this enchanting novel at such a young age. Prior to this novel, I had no idea what Vaudeville was. But after finishing this I've found myself yearning for more information on the nature of Vaudeville. In short, The Troupe is an enchanting read with complex characters, gripping adventure, and a perfect ending. This book has made mean even bigger fan of Robert Jackson Bennett.
7 people found this helpful
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Craig Daniels
5.0 out of 5 stars A Gritty and Realistic Fairytale
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2015
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Another reviewer said the same thing I would have written - if you like Neal Gaimen then get in here! Perhaps with a bit less sarcasm, Bennett weaves a wonderfully complete story with good surprises, concepts and pacing. The characters were perfectly drawn, as was the world, there was a gritty realism to all of the descriptions of people, places and events that envelope the reader and ensure you stay glued to the next chapter. This is one of those books that while reading at night, I would convince myself: "Only one more page, and then I will put it down", and for a few nights in a row I was unsuccessful at this for a long while. I highly recommend reading this book; I wouldn't put it squarely into the Fantasy realm, but something more like the fairytale/celtic/old world magic category, something like Enchantment by Card or Neverwhere by Gaimen. Enjoy!
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Idlewilder
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2013
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The Troupe is epic fantasy at its finest.

I know what you're thinking. It doesn't sound like epic fantasy. I've seen it in the bookshop - it's, like, 500 pages? That's not epic fantasy! It's a cerebral thriller; a gothic horror; a celebration in Americana; an urban fantasy; circuspunk. Whatever one of those labels makes you feel better, I can assure you - it's epic fantasy aswell.

I first heard about The Troupe last year from a number of prominent bloggers, like Justin at Staffer's Book Review, Jared at Pornokitsch and The Mad Hatter's Booktionary, who all raved about this novel. It's taken me the best part of a year to get round to reading The Troupe and I can honestly say my biggest regret is not reading it sooner and missing out on the potential to nominate it for every genre award going. It's that good.

At its simplest, The Troupe can be boiled down to two major themes. Like the best epic fantasy it deals with the age old battle of Good vs Evil. And trust me when I say the scale of this battle is on a par with the chunkiest epic fantasies - and all in around 500 pages. The second theme, like all good literature, is something more personal and more particular to the story Bennett is telling: the relationship between father and son.

In George, Bennett has created a main character that feels real. The story revolves around him because he thinks the world revolves around him. George is the archetypal 16 year old boy: pig-headed, temperamental, a know-it-all little shit and pretty clever to boot. But not as clever as he thinks he is. George is socially introverted, but a streak of pure determination runs through him. In George's Father, Heironomo Silenus, there is in many ways a polar opposite. Silenus is an extrovert and a showman. He functions in different ways to George, but it's that sense of drive (in Silenus' case, the drive to keep the secrets of the troupe) that connects them. Every time there's friction between the two characters, Bennett manages to remind us that they share commonalities, and the ultimate denouement of the novel gives an entirely new perspective on events, making a reread almost a requirement.

The style (of writing, of setting, of tone and more) here is reminiscent of Gaiman, but ultimately it's Bennett's own. A style and flow which should make him a name to remember down the line. Hopefully, a name where in a future review I can compare the style to Bennett and everyone knows immediately who I'm talking about. The Vaudevillian setting is something entirely new (for me, at least) and the sheer sense of wonder and explorations of the bizarre, horrific and ethereal that Bennett explores are tantalising and perhaps the one element of the novel I'd love to have seen more of.

It's epic fantasy, but with a genuinely original twist. Robert Jackson Bennett's take on the time-spanning war of good and evil is framed by a quieter story about relationships which brings the fantastic into the 21st century with a genuinely new spin. There really is something here for everyone: a bridge between the new and the familiar, the mundane and the fantastic, father and son. The Troupe gets the highest recommendation I can give - read it now.
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Slowjocrow
4.0 out of 5 stars I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of 'oddness' that follow the story and ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2014
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This is the first book by Robert Jackson Bennett that I have read and I will certainly be reading more. This is a story that is difficult to categorize but is 'fantastic' in the true meaning of the word. The prose is enchanting and ideas contained within sometimes initially seem simple only to be turned on their heads as you read on. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of 'oddness' that follow the story and indeed the troupe of the title. The only reason I have given this 4 rather than 5 stars is that I like to leave myself something to play with in future reviews!
One person found this helpful
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Jennifer O'G
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Enthralling
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2012
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Having already enjoyed Robert Jackson Bennett's previous books (Mr Shivers and The Company Man), I had high expectations when it came to reading his third novel, The Troupe. I wasn't disappointed.
The Troupe, quite simply, is a marvel. Bennett's storytelling takes the reader on a thoroughly engrossing journey across the surreal landscape of vaudeville. But this, as you may have anticipated, is not a straightforward tale of one troupe's travels along the vaudeville circuit.

Our troupe - or, rather, Silenus's Troupe - have rather more to them than meets the eye. Professor Kingsley Tyburn is a master puppeteer, but the audience can never see the strings and something about his puppets doesn't quite seem right; Franny Beatty is a strongwoman, but capable of far more than the usual displays of the act; Collette de Verdicere is a beautifully talented dancer with deeper connections to the Troupe than we first suspect; Stanley is a mute cellist who I defy any reader not to love; and Silenus himself is carrying more secrets than a conspiracy theorist would know what to do with.
No wonder, then, that when he joins the Troupe, 16-year-old George Carole finds himself getting a lot more than he bargained for.

From the age-old good vs. evil fight to fascinating battles of wits with faeries, adrenalin-fuelled chases to poignant struggles to overcome grief, The Troupe really does reach far beyond the boundaries of genre.

I could recommend this book highly for any number of reasons, but what I liked most was Bennett's ability to layer so much story within the pages. Not one word of this book is filler; everything has meaning. And it's the moments when the little clues start to add up and you get a sudden rush of realisation that pushes this book to the five star mark. Each character has a moment like this, when the reader suddenly understands what (often dreadful) secrets lie behind all the oddities. It is a mark of Bennett's talent that even the characters with the least amount of page-space stay with you long after you turn the last page.

So whether you live for fantasy or horror, romance or inspirational novels - The Troupe is for you.
2 people found this helpful
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Lotte Chitty
3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed views - good characters and storyline but slow to start and dull in places
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2013
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This is my first experience of reading one of Robert Jackson Bennett's books and I have to say I'm not sure if I'll read another one. For a start I almost gave up on reading this book just before Christmas (which would have been a first for me), but I returned to it in January determined to finish it.

George Carole is an accomplished Pianist playing within the Vaudeville scene. The book starts with George, out of the blue, quitting his current job where he his highly respected and established. He does this in order to chase the famous Silenus Troupe, a mystical, strange, and difficult to pin down group that travels the circuit. George does this because he believes the one and only Heironomo Silenus, the leader of the troupe, may be his long, lost father. George has never seen the Silenus Troupe perform so when he catches up with them he buys a ticket, in order to see for himself just what it is they do.

Even before George sees them perform he notices things just aren't quite `normal'. This only continues as the shows starts. The acts aren't quite what they seem and neither are the props. That's when George notices the effects the performance is having on the audience too - everyone seems to be in a trance. Everyone that is, except George, he remains unaffected. Whilst the audience leave under the spell weaved by the Troupe's performance, George goes to confront his Father.

This sends George tumbling head first into a world of magic, confusion and origins he didn't know existed. A world where nothing is quite what it seems: doors can move and reappear across towns; props, for all intents and purposes are alive and real; even inanimate objects such as light and dark have their own personalities and agendas. George learns of the fight to maintain the existence of humanity through delivering the First Song and maintaining the light, whilst the wolves of the darkness fight back in an attempt to plunge existence into nothingness.

Bennett explores a world filled with abstract ideas and workings, mythological and fantasy creatures, as well as personal attachments and emotions. All with the end goal of saving the world from the dark.

Or is it? Bennett adds a great twist towards the end of the book where we find out that motives may have been skewed for alternative gains.

The twists and additions within the plot definitely enhanced and enriched the story. However, I didn't feel these were explored enough or utilised to their full potential. For example, the introduction of the Four Shepherds. I found this to be a nice addition and particularly enjoyed their opposing elements and opinions. Bennett takes great time to include this and to fully map out their contrasts in being and personality. It's clear that this will be needed later on in the story. However, when the time comes, Bennett only uses a fragment of that which he built up earlier. For me I was hoping/expecting much more from it, and would have thought it would have been an exciting extra. Instead it just seemed to be a pointless addition. But that's just me!

The way in which Bennett has constructed his world leaves it open to the possibility of other creatures: fantasy, mythological and made up. With the exception of the fairies (another nice twist!), he didn't really explore these suggested avenues. The same could be said about the storyline itself. There was so much potential that I felt Bennett just didn't explore or incorporate into his narrative. Given that it was a fight for survival, a necessity for the Light to conquer the Dark, the depth and pace Bennett used didn't replicate that.

As mentioned above, I struggled with this book. The first third seems to drag, the pace was slow and the content was sparse. The prose Bennett used was also very matter-of-fact. It failed to enchant or draw me into the story. As a result I was bored and disinterested and almost decided not to continue reading, which is a shame because it does pick up. Although the style of Bennett's writing doesn't change much, slowly the pace seemed to pick up filling the book with more action, more content and more twists! However, for me it just wasn't enough, it felt as though Bennett wasn't enthused by the story he was telling. There needed to be more action, more urgency and greater enchantment. Given the topic, there was certainly scope for it!

On a positive note, Bennett's characters were well defined and interesting. I really enjoyed the contrasting and vastly differing elements to all the characters and how they added to the storyline, maintaining the unknown and mystery. They had clear, established roles, personalities and abilities that complimented the story well. The Characters were also the basis of the major twists within the story. As they were well written, these twists worked. For me the characters salvaged this story, and had the prose been better, it could have been phenomenal.

As you can see, I have mixed views of this book. My only advice being, if you decide to read this book, stick with because it does get better. Who knows, it could be just your thing!
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Bob
4.0 out of 5 stars Keeps you going
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2015
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I really quite like The Troupe although in a couple of places I found it could have been shortened. The high concept of the universe being threatened from outside has been used many times. From traginc as with Phillip Pullman to humourous as written by Terry Pratchett. But Bennett writes decent characters and the reader is interested enough in them not to be hanging on for the next big event. The workaday world of a small travelling group of actors and performers feels real. There is developement of all the characters through the book and couple of surprises. This is worth a read.
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