Carter Beats the Devil (original 2001; edition 2002)

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Not at all my usual style, which means I'll probably take it off my list in a month when I can't remember what I was so excited about in the first place. But it does sound cool.

I had to add this review after I read [b:Water for Elephants|43641|Water for Elephants|Sara Gruen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170161179s/43641.jpg|3441236]. This is an incredibly rich story: the places and characters will stick with you for a long time. It's more fun than a roller coaster. ( )

A fictionalized biography which follows stage magician Charles Joseph Carter (AKA Carter the Great) from his humble beginnings when Harry Houdini takes him under his wings to his final performance, where he must genuinely beat the devil, albeit a worldly one, in order to save his own and his friends' lives. Carter is a great character and it is such fun to follow him around the world in all his adventures. It's been a while since I've read such a genuinely nice character that I still found interesting - most of the time I want an edge, but in Carter's case, it's his way of viewing the world that engages, not his shady dealings. The story does go on a walkabout on several occasions, following a few characters whose backstories could easily have been surmised from Carter's story rather than having focus of their own. However, as soon as the spotlight is back on Carter, the flow and interest is back as well. Other than the Phoebe-reveal (which is much too deus ex machina to be satisfactory), the ending has a great (and quite action-filled) resolution. ( )

For a book about dueling magicians, technological espionage and a presidential assassination, the only thing really amazing about "Carter Beats the Devil" is how boring and straightforward it is. First off, there is nothing supernatural to see here; the "devil" is sheerly metaphorical. So after navigating through that misunderstanding of illusory misdirection, one arrives at an overblown and cliched narrative with a threadbare plot buried amongst lengthy passages of dull exposition and tepid banter. Almost all the personalities are drawn in broad, simple strokes with the majority of supporting characters either being a one-dimentional plucky sidekick or sinister bad guy. Everyone sounds the same when they all talk with the ubiquitous early-century spitfire sarcasm. Why does a drive across town need to include a pointless stop into a refilling station which even includes a full page and a half of historical backstory for that establishment? Magical magic is repeatedly employed by the protagonist without any explanation or validation as to the actual logic of the illusion, a gimmick that grows completely tiresome by book's end. The writer's constant desire to share his literary aplomb and gusto for language frequently obscures the prose to the point of making straightforward actions difficult to follow when they are detailed in a relentlessly vague and artsy style of writing. Certainly this book is really only for readers who relish being submerged into a lush, historic backdrop, which is the novel's primary strength. But like the over-eager brown-noser in a history class dying to impress by repeatedly espousing their knowledge to the eye-rolls of their peers, "Carter Beats the Devil" often only wants to tell you about some tiny, diversionary trivia instead of moving its stock story forward, swelling a novella into a 500-page brick. Do not fall for this "Kavalier and Clay" wannabe. ( )