The Fourth Circle [Hardcover]

Zoran Zivkovic is a writer of astonishing talent. After having read his superb "Library" novellas in the VanderMeer/Aguirre-edited "Leviathan 3" anthology, I was eagerly awaiting this release from NightShade. And I was not disappointed.

I won't attempt to give a plot synopsis here, especially as plot, per se, is not the salient feature of The Fourth Circle. What is prominent is Zivkovic's mastery of the multiple character perspective, i.e., the manner in which he develops his characters (there are many) and gives each a distinctive voice. That, and the way he wraps the varied story threads into a finally cohesive, yet mysterious whole.

The narrative, however, kept me at a slight remove from total involvement in the story, which leads me to give it four stars rather than five. Quality fiction, regardless.

It's rare that one finds a disconnect between the talent of a writer and the quality of his story. As a general rule, one expects that a gifted writer will produce great novels and vice versa. Unfortunately, in the case of "The Fourth Circle" the reader is treated to a novel that is supremely well written, but which is somehow empty at its core.

Told through seemingly unrelated narratives that are parsed out over seemingly random intervals, "The Fourth Circle" is an ambitious attempt to offer a cosmogony, a structure and perhaps purpose for the universe. While taken as individual units, each story is beautifully structured and written, but as a whole the book is somehow less than the sum of its parts, which is ironic given its lofty ambition.

The ultimate problem is that there is no comprehensive denouement; the reader is drawn into the story of a pregnant artificial intelligence, Sherlock Holmes' last case, the life of alien six armed beings and more, but ultimately the links between these narratives, which define the whole structure of the novel, are lacking. Whether this is because Zivkovic is being intentionally enigmatic or because he just wrote himself into a corner is uncertain, but I think most readers would agree that the payoff, such as it is, is severely lacking.

Which is a shame, because as I have stated above, Zivkovic is a writer of great talent. His phrasing and word selection is impeccable, and he is a master of capturing the mood. From levity to disgust to a sense of otherworldly wonder, his work is imbued with emotion. Moreover, each individual vignette stands nicely on its own, with a particularly impressive entry detailing the exploits of a medieval painter and his humble assistant. Unfortunately, as I have stated above, such laudable accomplishments are not sufficient to make a book with this multi-linear approach work. In the absence of an overarching cohesion, these are just short stories printed out of order.

Nonetheless, I don't want the potential reader to dismiss "The Fourth Circle" out of hand. As I have stated, the author's writing is superb and makes for an enjoyable diversion, and while the novel may fall short, it's complex structure and grand design is at least worth consideration. I wouldn't buy it in hardcover, but checking it out of the library or buying in paperback may well prove worth the time for the adventurous reader.

Jake Mohlman

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, however after having finished it, I feel as if it is still settling inside of me. The original was written in a different style for each character, with different fonts and such, which I would have highly enjoyed, as that is how I used to play around with characters and conversations on my old dos based computers before modern graphics allowed much more than bold and italic. Sadly, that is not the case with the English version of the book. Still, I found it simple enough to locate the characters within each of their stories and work out the complexity of the universe that was being built around the physical entity in my hands.

This is a book about alternate realities, and being a fan of parallel universes and such, I simply absorbed everything that I could. The writing was unique, as were many of the ideas. The characters are altered versions of people that we know today, Archimedes, Nikola Tesla, Stephen Hawking, and even the universe of Sherlock Holmes makes an appearance. In fact, it is Holmes who brings the final "case" to its conclusion. The multiple story lines about each character mentioned, along with several who are not recognizable (including living spheres and a pregnant computer) converge in the end. Unfortunately it all happened in such a way that, to me, felt as if there was an ending that was not quite missing, but also not altogether there. That is a reflection on the entire story, of course, but in order to truly understand the feel of this book, you simply have to read it and experience everything for yourself.

This book about the Fourth Circle comes together to make said circle, but do not think it will run circles around you as a reader. This was a book that I will most likely enjoy reading several times over in order to get the true complexity and yet simplicity of what is happening around everyone involved.