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Dr. Potter's Medicine Show
The year is 1878. Dr Alexander Potter, disgraced Civil War surgeon, now snake-oil salesman, travels the Pacific Northwest with a disheartened company of strongmen, fortune-tellers, and musical whores. Under their mysterious and murderous leader they entertain the masses while hawking the Chock-a-saw Sagwa Tonic, a vital elixir touted to cure all ills both physical and spiritual. For a few unfortunate customers, however, the Sagwa offers something much, much worse.
For drunken dentist Josiah McDaniel, the Sagwa has taken everything from him; in the hired company of two accidental outlaws, the bickering brothers Solomon Parker and Agamemnon Rideout, he looks to revenge himself on the Elixir’s creator: Dr. Morrison Hedwith, businessman, body-thief, and secret alchemist, a man who is running out of time.
For drunken dentist Josiah McDaniel, the Sagwa has taken everything from him; in the hired company of two accidental outlaws, the bickering brothers Solomon Parker and Agamemnon Rideout, he looks to revenge himself on the Elixir’s creator: Dr. Morrison Hedwith, businessman, body-thief, and secret alchemist, a man who is running out of time.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2017
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1,119 people want to read
About the author
Eric Scott Fischl
3Ìýbooks52ÌýfollowersEric Scott Fischl writes novels of speculative historical fiction and the supernatural. He lives in Montana's Bitterroot mountains and writes his author bios in the third person.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
February 6, 2017
This book starts out feeling like a standard Western, but it’s from Angry Robot so of course you know it isn’t going to be exactly that.
There’s a sense of something not quite right almost from the very first page, where Doctor Potter is hawking his Sagwa Tonic to the rubes of whatever small town the medicine show has rolled into this time. The creeping dread builds in a way reminiscent of Ray Bradbury at his best, and while it’s still not clear exactly what is wrong, the book will have you itching with a sick sense of foreboding long before the full extent of the horror is revealed.
This is a beautifully disturbing book, rooted in the violent realities of the Old West yet layered with alchemy and subtle, evil magic and I highly recommend it.
It’s also worth noting that, as a fairly well-read occultist myself, it’s clear that Fischl has done his homework on the alchemy. Obviously there are exaggerations for the sake of story, but nothing feels implausible here. Good work!
Fair disclaimer: I received an advance review copy from the publisher.
There’s a sense of something not quite right almost from the very first page, where Doctor Potter is hawking his Sagwa Tonic to the rubes of whatever small town the medicine show has rolled into this time. The creeping dread builds in a way reminiscent of Ray Bradbury at his best, and while it’s still not clear exactly what is wrong, the book will have you itching with a sick sense of foreboding long before the full extent of the horror is revealed.
This is a beautifully disturbing book, rooted in the violent realities of the Old West yet layered with alchemy and subtle, evil magic and I highly recommend it.
It’s also worth noting that, as a fairly well-read occultist myself, it’s clear that Fischl has done his homework on the alchemy. Obviously there are exaggerations for the sake of story, but nothing feels implausible here. Good work!
Fair disclaimer: I received an advance review copy from the publisher.
May 21, 2017
Dark and violent, this is a story of an alcoholic, former army surgeon fronting a travelling medicine show post Civil war and an alchemist/body jumper. The members of the medicine show live in terror of the actual leader of the travelling show, who has some sort of relationship with the alchemist. The various members of the show also have some sort of dependence on an alchemical product. There are various mysteries at work (not particularly complicated) and no one is likeable in this story.
Some interesting ideas, and plenty of details about the filth (vomit, excrement, blood, etc.) the characters are frequently covered in.
Some interesting ideas, and plenty of details about the filth (vomit, excrement, blood, etc.) the characters are frequently covered in.
June 8, 2017
A story of alchemy in the late 19th century set in a travelling freak show.
The main characters were all very morally ambiguous, and most of them were not very likeable. Dr Potter is the main narrator and he is an alcoholic that has done, and is still doing, some very bad things.
Lyman is the man who is really running the travelling show and he is a nasty piece of work. Reading about him and the way he controls people makes my skin crawl - he's a villain but written in a way that is realistic enough to be very, very scary.
The two brothers, Ag and Sol, were brilliant though. They argued and drank their way through the book, stumbling from one crisis to the next with no real idea what they were trying to do.
I also liked Elizabeth, she started out as a forceful, motivated and likeable character and I wish she has more to do than end up as a standard damsel in distress type.
Overall I enjoyed reading this. It's well written and the characters are all well rounded and you know they've lived full lives before we met them. There's a very oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere which builds tension to a satisfying finale. I would read more by this author.
I received a free copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.
The main characters were all very morally ambiguous, and most of them were not very likeable. Dr Potter is the main narrator and he is an alcoholic that has done, and is still doing, some very bad things.
Lyman is the man who is really running the travelling show and he is a nasty piece of work. Reading about him and the way he controls people makes my skin crawl - he's a villain but written in a way that is realistic enough to be very, very scary.
The two brothers, Ag and Sol, were brilliant though. They argued and drank their way through the book, stumbling from one crisis to the next with no real idea what they were trying to do.
I also liked Elizabeth, she started out as a forceful, motivated and likeable character and I wish she has more to do than end up as a standard damsel in distress type.
Overall I enjoyed reading this. It's well written and the characters are all well rounded and you know they've lived full lives before we met them. There's a very oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere which builds tension to a satisfying finale. I would read more by this author.
I received a free copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.
February 17, 2017
OK, I tried to write this review without spoilers, but I can’t. I have to talk about the fates of certain characters, because the more I think about it the angrier I get. Trigger warning for violence against women used as a plot device. Buckle up.
Do you want to live forever? I’m not talking to you, Starship Trooper. I’m talking to you, disposable poor person from 1878. Would you like to be a test subject?
Eric Scott Fishl combines the moral and philosophical quandaries of alchemy’s quest for immortality with the setting of the post–Civil War era Old West United States. It’s a cool idea, and I suspect there is a lot in here for some readers. I don’t, as a general rule, read westerns. Their setting tends not to click with me. There are some exceptions� The Dead of Winter , another Angry Robot book, is one. Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show comes close to being another; ultimately, in this case, it isn’t the setting so much as the characters and the writing that leave me unsatisfied.
The eponymous Dr. Potter is a sham. He’s a snake-oil salesman in a frankly underwhelming travelling circus/freak-show; and he isn’t even in charge. He’s the face of the show, but sinister ringmaster Lyman Rhoades is pulling the strings—and he’s just a minion for the big man back home, the brains of the operation. Dr. Potter is beholden to this benefactor, reliant upon him for the drug that will keep him alive. And so he plays a dark and dirty role in a Faustian bargain, even as Rhoades exercises his power over the people of the show with brutal and violent intensity.
I like a lot of the ideas that Fischl throws into this book. However, the end product doesn’t feel as smooth as it could be. There is a lot of telling rather than showing here. The first few chapters introduce the various groups of characters who will matter in the story, and the narrator spends most of their time describing these characters� pasts and their current feelings to us. I much prefer it when authors let us piece these things together, let it come out through dialogue and the occasional tidbits of exposition. Big paragraphs might be satisfying to write, but they tank the pace of the story. And while this is a stylistic quibble at its heart, it’s one that stays with me throughout the whole book. Fischl never settles for a one-liner or an implication when a carefully-constructed paragraph, or even page, is possible. As a result, we get a lovely and holistic view of the world of Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show—but for me, this starts to eclipse the action and the actual characters behind these ideas.
And then we get into the problematic bits.
This book has a serious lack of women with agency. It irked me for the first part of the book, with the introduction of Mercy (heavy-handed symbolic name anyone?) as Rhoades� wife and chew-toy. Literally her only purpose in this plot is to suffer and cry and be a symbol for the men to pity while they hand-wring over how weak they are for not taking Rhoades on. There is a particularly unsettling scene (middle of chapter 4, not going to quote from it here because it’s super disturbing) where Rhoades sexually assaults Mercy. Fischl describes Rhoades� actions in grotesque detail. I can’t imagine how someone who might be triggered by these depictions would react to reading it; I have no such triggers and I felt viscerally disturbed by what happened. But it’s not even the level of detail—I get that the scene is meant to be unsettling in a book that is meant to disturb. It’s not the way the scene was written so much as its purpose for the plot. It’s the fact that the scene is entirely a gratuitous way of using violence against women to demonstrate that Rhoades is a Very Bad Guy, as if we hadn’t already had that confirmed in half a dozen other ways.
I soldiered on, hoping that Fischl would give us a more positive depiction of women, or maybe even give Mercy an arc that could redeem her beginning. Elizabeth McDaniel looked, briefly, like she might be that character—but nope! Both Mercy and Elizabeth are (TVTropes), again, purely it seems for the effect this has on the audience and to demonstrate just how bad Rhoades is.
Look, I know that violence against women has a tried and true history in horror stories. That doesn’t make it right, or good, or acceptable. And it is possible for women to meet grisly ends in manners that are not sexualized. Finally, there are basically four named women in this book (the third is Annabelle, Dr. Hedwith’s wife, who thankfully is not raped or killed as far as I know—she just kind of disappears halfway through the book; the fourth, Mary McDaniel, is fridged and used as the motivation for a short-lived revenge plot before the the book even starts). None of them have any kind of existence, arc, or purpose independent of the male characters; this is fantastically sucky. I am not opposed to bad things happening to characters, of any gender, for the purposes of horrifying the audience (though, to be honest, it isn’t really my bag). But this is not the way to do it at all. So I’m calling it out, and you can like Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show but you also better be ready to acknowledge how problematic this representation of women is.
I also have some reservations about Oliver as a depiction of a Black man in post–Civil War America. Fischl makes some choices of diction, description, and behaviour and then lampshades them with explanations that feel faintly stereotypical to me. Moreover, while Oliver has a more active role in the plot, owing to his gender, it’s a role largely subservient to or in support of white men. This is an area I’m not as well-versed in, though, so I’ll leave my critiques there, and hopefully other (preferably Black) readers could weigh in either way.
It’s a shame, because the ending of this book is very exciting. I like it when good plans go to tatters and we end up in a Battlestar Galactica finale, everything-is-going-to-shit situation. For all my complaints about exposition and pacing earlier in the book, I really like the pacing and intensity of the ending. I just wish I didn’t have to wade through such poor representation to get there.
Honestly cannot recommend this book.
Do you want to live forever? I’m not talking to you, Starship Trooper. I’m talking to you, disposable poor person from 1878. Would you like to be a test subject?
Eric Scott Fishl combines the moral and philosophical quandaries of alchemy’s quest for immortality with the setting of the post–Civil War era Old West United States. It’s a cool idea, and I suspect there is a lot in here for some readers. I don’t, as a general rule, read westerns. Their setting tends not to click with me. There are some exceptions� The Dead of Winter , another Angry Robot book, is one. Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show comes close to being another; ultimately, in this case, it isn’t the setting so much as the characters and the writing that leave me unsatisfied.
The eponymous Dr. Potter is a sham. He’s a snake-oil salesman in a frankly underwhelming travelling circus/freak-show; and he isn’t even in charge. He’s the face of the show, but sinister ringmaster Lyman Rhoades is pulling the strings—and he’s just a minion for the big man back home, the brains of the operation. Dr. Potter is beholden to this benefactor, reliant upon him for the drug that will keep him alive. And so he plays a dark and dirty role in a Faustian bargain, even as Rhoades exercises his power over the people of the show with brutal and violent intensity.
I like a lot of the ideas that Fischl throws into this book. However, the end product doesn’t feel as smooth as it could be. There is a lot of telling rather than showing here. The first few chapters introduce the various groups of characters who will matter in the story, and the narrator spends most of their time describing these characters� pasts and their current feelings to us. I much prefer it when authors let us piece these things together, let it come out through dialogue and the occasional tidbits of exposition. Big paragraphs might be satisfying to write, but they tank the pace of the story. And while this is a stylistic quibble at its heart, it’s one that stays with me throughout the whole book. Fischl never settles for a one-liner or an implication when a carefully-constructed paragraph, or even page, is possible. As a result, we get a lovely and holistic view of the world of Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show—but for me, this starts to eclipse the action and the actual characters behind these ideas.
And then we get into the problematic bits.
This book has a serious lack of women with agency. It irked me for the first part of the book, with the introduction of Mercy (heavy-handed symbolic name anyone?) as Rhoades� wife and chew-toy. Literally her only purpose in this plot is to suffer and cry and be a symbol for the men to pity while they hand-wring over how weak they are for not taking Rhoades on. There is a particularly unsettling scene (middle of chapter 4, not going to quote from it here because it’s super disturbing) where Rhoades sexually assaults Mercy. Fischl describes Rhoades� actions in grotesque detail. I can’t imagine how someone who might be triggered by these depictions would react to reading it; I have no such triggers and I felt viscerally disturbed by what happened. But it’s not even the level of detail—I get that the scene is meant to be unsettling in a book that is meant to disturb. It’s not the way the scene was written so much as its purpose for the plot. It’s the fact that the scene is entirely a gratuitous way of using violence against women to demonstrate that Rhoades is a Very Bad Guy, as if we hadn’t already had that confirmed in half a dozen other ways.
I soldiered on, hoping that Fischl would give us a more positive depiction of women, or maybe even give Mercy an arc that could redeem her beginning. Elizabeth McDaniel looked, briefly, like she might be that character—but nope! Both Mercy and Elizabeth are (TVTropes), again, purely it seems for the effect this has on the audience and to demonstrate just how bad Rhoades is.
Look, I know that violence against women has a tried and true history in horror stories. That doesn’t make it right, or good, or acceptable. And it is possible for women to meet grisly ends in manners that are not sexualized. Finally, there are basically four named women in this book (the third is Annabelle, Dr. Hedwith’s wife, who thankfully is not raped or killed as far as I know—she just kind of disappears halfway through the book; the fourth, Mary McDaniel, is fridged and used as the motivation for a short-lived revenge plot before the the book even starts). None of them have any kind of existence, arc, or purpose independent of the male characters; this is fantastically sucky. I am not opposed to bad things happening to characters, of any gender, for the purposes of horrifying the audience (though, to be honest, it isn’t really my bag). But this is not the way to do it at all. So I’m calling it out, and you can like Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show but you also better be ready to acknowledge how problematic this representation of women is.
I also have some reservations about Oliver as a depiction of a Black man in post–Civil War America. Fischl makes some choices of diction, description, and behaviour and then lampshades them with explanations that feel faintly stereotypical to me. Moreover, while Oliver has a more active role in the plot, owing to his gender, it’s a role largely subservient to or in support of white men. This is an area I’m not as well-versed in, though, so I’ll leave my critiques there, and hopefully other (preferably Black) readers could weigh in either way.
It’s a shame, because the ending of this book is very exciting. I like it when good plans go to tatters and we end up in a Battlestar Galactica finale, everything-is-going-to-shit situation. For all my complaints about exposition and pacing earlier in the book, I really like the pacing and intensity of the ending. I just wish I didn’t have to wade through such poor representation to get there.
Honestly cannot recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2016
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Publication Date: 7 February 2017.
This is a story about alchemy in the late 19th century. The story follows a group of entertainers and misfits in a freak show led by the violent and coldhearted,ÌýLyman. Together withÌýDr. Potter, anÌýopium addict and regular drunk, they areÌýusing the show as a platform to sellÌýChock-a-Saw Sagwa Tonic, a tonic that will cure all ailments of both body and mind. But for some, the tonic is anything but a help and leads to a fate worse than death.Ìý
This novel came at just the right time for me. After a spate of nail biting thrillers, I needed to read something different, and this novelÌýwas that and more.ÌýI'd probablyÌýclassify this novel as part historical fiction, part western andÌýpart fantasy.ÌýI can say with some confidence that this book won't be to everyone's taste, but I loved it. It's a strange read, filled with weird and fantastical happenings. The characters are largelyÌýunlikable, except for SolÌýand Ag, who I found truly hilarious. The brothers really lightened the mood in the scenes in which they appeared. One of the strengths of this novel is the quality of the writing. It'sÌýimpressive. I was transported right into every scene and I lived the often goryÌýevents with each of the characters. ÌýI could smell the damp grass, feel the pain in my hand as a finger was severedÌýand see the disgust in Mercy's eyes whenever Lyman touched her. This novel did it for me on many levels. If one of the joysÌýof reading is to be entertained, to go on an adventure, then this book filled me with joy.ÌýIt was escapist andÌýmagical. But it's not all circus acts, smiling clownsÌýand fairies. This novel is dark, and at times violent. So be warned. But with each turn of theÌýpage I was transportedÌýto a different era, to events that were both strange and bizarre, and I loved it.Ìý
My rating: * * * *
Thanks toÌýauthor Eric Scott Fischl, the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC copy. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.
Publication Date: 7 February 2017.
This is a story about alchemy in the late 19th century. The story follows a group of entertainers and misfits in a freak show led by the violent and coldhearted,ÌýLyman. Together withÌýDr. Potter, anÌýopium addict and regular drunk, they areÌýusing the show as a platform to sellÌýChock-a-Saw Sagwa Tonic, a tonic that will cure all ailments of both body and mind. But for some, the tonic is anything but a help and leads to a fate worse than death.Ìý
This novel came at just the right time for me. After a spate of nail biting thrillers, I needed to read something different, and this novelÌýwas that and more.ÌýI'd probablyÌýclassify this novel as part historical fiction, part western andÌýpart fantasy.ÌýI can say with some confidence that this book won't be to everyone's taste, but I loved it. It's a strange read, filled with weird and fantastical happenings. The characters are largelyÌýunlikable, except for SolÌýand Ag, who I found truly hilarious. The brothers really lightened the mood in the scenes in which they appeared. One of the strengths of this novel is the quality of the writing. It'sÌýimpressive. I was transported right into every scene and I lived the often goryÌýevents with each of the characters. ÌýI could smell the damp grass, feel the pain in my hand as a finger was severedÌýand see the disgust in Mercy's eyes whenever Lyman touched her. This novel did it for me on many levels. If one of the joysÌýof reading is to be entertained, to go on an adventure, then this book filled me with joy.ÌýIt was escapist andÌýmagical. But it's not all circus acts, smiling clownsÌýand fairies. This novel is dark, and at times violent. So be warned. But with each turn of theÌýpage I was transportedÌýto a different era, to events that were both strange and bizarre, and I loved it.Ìý
My rating: * * * *
Thanks toÌýauthor Eric Scott Fischl, the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC copy. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.
December 4, 2016
"Dr. Potter's Medicine Show" starts with a snake oil salesman, a charlatan, and a drunk, Alexander Potter, selling Chock-a-saw Sagwa Tonic in a travelling show. He is plotting his vengeance on Lyman, the boss of the show and a really cruel human being, one that the reader sees as a villain from almost the first page. Fischl's writing is so good that you can feel the dampness and cold, smell the sickness and filth, and visualize the muddy, sleepy towns that are the targets of Dr. Potter's traveling caravan. The first third, I was engrossed in the events that were taking place, the plot against Lyman, and the whole atmosphere of the travelling show that I did not think of this much of a fantasy, but something of a western, like "The Sister Brothers" by Patrick DeWitt. I was really happy with this, settling in to the story, and then Part One ends with madness. I can't say anything more than that. Just madness.
I loved this book from the beginning to the end. It is hard for a book to take me on an adventure that I did not know how it was going to end, but I was so invested in all of the characters and the story that I could not read fast enough. Fischl does a fantastic job in writing this magical story, plotting and pacing it exactly right, and making a near perfect novel. "Dr. Potter's Medicine Show" is one of those rare books that you want to crawl into and live in the world, even though it is filled with danger, violence, backstabbing, drinking, swearing, and death. It is an amazing feat, and I'm sure that it will not be as read as much as it should be read. I am excited to see what is in store Eric Scott Fischl in the future. I will be keeping my eyes open.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book from the beginning to the end. It is hard for a book to take me on an adventure that I did not know how it was going to end, but I was so invested in all of the characters and the story that I could not read fast enough. Fischl does a fantastic job in writing this magical story, plotting and pacing it exactly right, and making a near perfect novel. "Dr. Potter's Medicine Show" is one of those rare books that you want to crawl into and live in the world, even though it is filled with danger, violence, backstabbing, drinking, swearing, and death. It is an amazing feat, and I'm sure that it will not be as read as much as it should be read. I am excited to see what is in store Eric Scott Fischl in the future. I will be keeping my eyes open.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
Familiarity in a story can be a double edged sword. It may be comforting to the reader like in romance novels purchased at the grocery store, to others it may be annoying and trite; to always know what is coming next, to not be surprised and maybe even at length be talked down to or taken for a simpleton. Naturally this might be dictated by what you read. An experienced fantasy reader with books by Stephen Donaldson, Ursula K. Leguin or Peter Beagle on their shelf might find Rowling’s Harry Potter books repetitive and borderline plagiarism. That isn’t to say that the end goal for most writers is to not turn out something new, it may be more about if the end result matches that very goal.
Eric Scott Fishcl’s Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show begins in a familiar setting, that of a traveling carnival at the end of the 19th century. To most readers a setting we know well, or at least have an idea of. It comes complete with a barker selling snake oil, a strong man, a singer and freaks. That is where the normalcy, if that can be an accurate description for a carnival, ends. The barker is Dr. Potter himself and the medicine he is trying to push is the Chock-a-saw Sagwa, a tonic that supposedly cures most ailments. He has not concocted it himself, instead there is another doctor, a Dr. Morrison Hedwith of Portland, behind the miracle drink. The Sagwa is the centerpiece of this tale of personal misery and broken figures trying to fight their obvious obstacles. As with most tonics of the age the Sagwa that Dr. Potter sells is useless, but there is a formulae that has other, more sinister effects, ones that he, the strongman Oliver, the Chinaman Fan and the proprietor of the show Lyman Rhoades desperately need. All of them are beholden to Dr. Hedwith due to dark events in their pasts and are therefore forced to help him in his twisted experiments rooted in alchemy. The very fragile balance in the medicine show is constantly threatened as the members regret their decisions, but Lyman exacts vengeance upon them regardless of their usefulness to the mission.
Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show is an excellent example of how to use tropes that have worked well in the past, and by disregarding those that have not successfully creating something fresh. The setting is reminiscent of TV shows like Deadwood or Ripper Street, a general melancholy with a sense of not being able to get out of ones current situation. The descriptions and language are used in a masterful way. The reader becomes instantly immersed in the sadness and sorrow of the characters and the world they inhabit, but there is a beauty and serenity in it, very much like the poems by Baudelaire who is oft quoted by singer turned prostitute in the book. The tempo is fast paced without ever feeling rushed, composed like a thriller the story moves along with ease without ever simplifying words or uncomplicating the plot. It speaks to Fischl’s ability to trust the reader and speaking to the reader’s intelligence. He makes no excuses and the characters suffer and go through hell without mercy and it is refreshing.
Fischl is great at using a variety of tropes belonging to just as varied a genre of literature; The western, the Gothic romance, the urban fantasy, the thriller and classic horror and he uses their various strengths like a master craftsman carrying a toolbox filled with the best tools for a job. The characters are easily recognizable as being plucked from Gothic Horror of Victorian style. The crazed and unethical aristocrat, the young innocent damsel, the idealistic young hero, a horrible assistant and a slew of other figures that make up a rich gallery.
There is a lot that Fischl does right with this book. It is a story about broken people, seemingly feeling like they have no hope and a man preying on them for his own sick and twisted reasons. One could easily see the story being picked up by FX or HBO, it’s that kind of story. That is one of the truly interesting aspects, it has a contemporary feel, the way the tale is told. Fischl has his finger on the pulse of what is going culturally be it TV or genre fiction, but in a late 19th century setting. It melds the credibility of human interest with a fantastical element written well enough to suspend ones disbelief. In the end it makes for a great and wonderful read that won’t disappoint those used to fantasy, horror or suspense.
Familiarity is a double edged sword, a trap that an author might fall into if they are not careful. The waters are tricky to navigate when using tropes from genre fiction, but the ship that Fischl commandeers keeps the reader dry and he does not wreck on the reefs of repetitiveness and triteness. Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show takes what is familiar and makes it original and engaging.
Eric Scott Fishcl’s Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show begins in a familiar setting, that of a traveling carnival at the end of the 19th century. To most readers a setting we know well, or at least have an idea of. It comes complete with a barker selling snake oil, a strong man, a singer and freaks. That is where the normalcy, if that can be an accurate description for a carnival, ends. The barker is Dr. Potter himself and the medicine he is trying to push is the Chock-a-saw Sagwa, a tonic that supposedly cures most ailments. He has not concocted it himself, instead there is another doctor, a Dr. Morrison Hedwith of Portland, behind the miracle drink. The Sagwa is the centerpiece of this tale of personal misery and broken figures trying to fight their obvious obstacles. As with most tonics of the age the Sagwa that Dr. Potter sells is useless, but there is a formulae that has other, more sinister effects, ones that he, the strongman Oliver, the Chinaman Fan and the proprietor of the show Lyman Rhoades desperately need. All of them are beholden to Dr. Hedwith due to dark events in their pasts and are therefore forced to help him in his twisted experiments rooted in alchemy. The very fragile balance in the medicine show is constantly threatened as the members regret their decisions, but Lyman exacts vengeance upon them regardless of their usefulness to the mission.
Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show is an excellent example of how to use tropes that have worked well in the past, and by disregarding those that have not successfully creating something fresh. The setting is reminiscent of TV shows like Deadwood or Ripper Street, a general melancholy with a sense of not being able to get out of ones current situation. The descriptions and language are used in a masterful way. The reader becomes instantly immersed in the sadness and sorrow of the characters and the world they inhabit, but there is a beauty and serenity in it, very much like the poems by Baudelaire who is oft quoted by singer turned prostitute in the book. The tempo is fast paced without ever feeling rushed, composed like a thriller the story moves along with ease without ever simplifying words or uncomplicating the plot. It speaks to Fischl’s ability to trust the reader and speaking to the reader’s intelligence. He makes no excuses and the characters suffer and go through hell without mercy and it is refreshing.
Fischl is great at using a variety of tropes belonging to just as varied a genre of literature; The western, the Gothic romance, the urban fantasy, the thriller and classic horror and he uses their various strengths like a master craftsman carrying a toolbox filled with the best tools for a job. The characters are easily recognizable as being plucked from Gothic Horror of Victorian style. The crazed and unethical aristocrat, the young innocent damsel, the idealistic young hero, a horrible assistant and a slew of other figures that make up a rich gallery.
There is a lot that Fischl does right with this book. It is a story about broken people, seemingly feeling like they have no hope and a man preying on them for his own sick and twisted reasons. One could easily see the story being picked up by FX or HBO, it’s that kind of story. That is one of the truly interesting aspects, it has a contemporary feel, the way the tale is told. Fischl has his finger on the pulse of what is going culturally be it TV or genre fiction, but in a late 19th century setting. It melds the credibility of human interest with a fantastical element written well enough to suspend ones disbelief. In the end it makes for a great and wonderful read that won’t disappoint those used to fantasy, horror or suspense.
Familiarity is a double edged sword, a trap that an author might fall into if they are not careful. The waters are tricky to navigate when using tropes from genre fiction, but the ship that Fischl commandeers keeps the reader dry and he does not wreck on the reefs of repetitiveness and triteness. Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show takes what is familiar and makes it original and engaging.
March 11, 2017
Dr. Potter is a disheartened, broken surgeon, once the fastest bonesaw on the killing fields of the civil war. He's been reduced to selling "snake oil" to the rubes in the broken down, cheerless pockets of misery that his traveling show visits in the sodden and dreary Northwest. This miracle cure-all is an elixir that is, however, a potion that dooms some to a fate worse than death. These few who respond to the call of the Choc-A-Saw Sagwa, are the raison d'etre for the Medicine Show.
The story setting is dank and comfortless. There is plenty of vulgarity and graphic brutality. The characters are largely unlikable, and there is little to stir any feeling of hope for them. And yet, I find myself cheering them on, hoping that tiny flicker of goodness each of them harbors will grow into something new, something redemptive.
Ah, but Lyman... the breadth, strength, and satisfaction one gets from a story like this is directly proportional to how "good" the villain is. Lyman is a brute that I could really sink my teeth into. He is so despicable and loathsome, and yet a realistic likeness of the combined forces of the more ruthless aspects of both nature and nurture.
The excellent imagery engrosses one fully in this story, as every sense is engaged. The character development is so finely honed that even those whose presence is less central to the story are understood just intimately enough, in a way that is subtle and yet feels so genuine.
I highly recommend this one. I am so grateful to the author for this ARC and the opportunity to read his novel! Mr. Fischl is one of the best writers I've encountered in a while, and I'll be looking for more of his work.
The story setting is dank and comfortless. There is plenty of vulgarity and graphic brutality. The characters are largely unlikable, and there is little to stir any feeling of hope for them. And yet, I find myself cheering them on, hoping that tiny flicker of goodness each of them harbors will grow into something new, something redemptive.
Ah, but Lyman... the breadth, strength, and satisfaction one gets from a story like this is directly proportional to how "good" the villain is. Lyman is a brute that I could really sink my teeth into. He is so despicable and loathsome, and yet a realistic likeness of the combined forces of the more ruthless aspects of both nature and nurture.
The excellent imagery engrosses one fully in this story, as every sense is engaged. The character development is so finely honed that even those whose presence is less central to the story are understood just intimately enough, in a way that is subtle and yet feels so genuine.
I highly recommend this one. I am so grateful to the author for this ARC and the opportunity to read his novel! Mr. Fischl is one of the best writers I've encountered in a while, and I'll be looking for more of his work.
February 10, 2017
You know what really sucks about books? They don’t come with the genre equivalent of nutrition labels. It’s the dumbest thing. The back cover and the blurbs and all the advertising pitch this book as a historical dark fantasy, which it is, with murder and occult magic, which it has, to put you in the mood for some arcane sideshow grotesquery, which it does.
But the packaging will not tell you that this book comes with a Laurel-and-Hardy pair of bickering rustic clownshoes, or one of those headstrong young women who are always gadding about on the frontier. There will be little mention of the Hangover-esque quartet (including the hapless drunk dentist with missing teeth) and their quest to revenge themselves on a murderer and/or get some pie. You certainly aren’t going to hear anything about the colorfully upgraded rural vocabulary, despite the fact that it would do Deadwood’s Al Swearengen proud, much less the author’s own wonderful use of language. Who’s got time to catalogue all that?
Well, I do. So here it is. Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show is 35% carnival horror, 22% redneck picaresque, 15% friendship and loyalty and true human connection spitting in the face of every needless cruelty, 12% opium and grain alcohol (with more than one greasy belching thereof), 8% latent tuberculosis, 5% people being rained on, and 3% Agamemnon Rideout, a corn-fed dull-edged shitkicking hero-clod and one hell of a model American.
So if that-all sounds like a good time to you, shake it up, hold your nose, and drink it down. There’s no telling what it might do to you, but I guarantee you won’t find bad medicine this good anywhere else.
But the packaging will not tell you that this book comes with a Laurel-and-Hardy pair of bickering rustic clownshoes, or one of those headstrong young women who are always gadding about on the frontier. There will be little mention of the Hangover-esque quartet (including the hapless drunk dentist with missing teeth) and their quest to revenge themselves on a murderer and/or get some pie. You certainly aren’t going to hear anything about the colorfully upgraded rural vocabulary, despite the fact that it would do Deadwood’s Al Swearengen proud, much less the author’s own wonderful use of language. Who’s got time to catalogue all that?
Well, I do. So here it is. Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show is 35% carnival horror, 22% redneck picaresque, 15% friendship and loyalty and true human connection spitting in the face of every needless cruelty, 12% opium and grain alcohol (with more than one greasy belching thereof), 8% latent tuberculosis, 5% people being rained on, and 3% Agamemnon Rideout, a corn-fed dull-edged shitkicking hero-clod and one hell of a model American.
So if that-all sounds like a good time to you, shake it up, hold your nose, and drink it down. There’s no telling what it might do to you, but I guarantee you won’t find bad medicine this good anywhere else.
September 17, 2024
At first I was pretty confused - the reader is thrown into three character journeys that overlap and collide in the end. I found too many characters introduced right at the beginning and I only started to remember characters and their stories after 100 pages. It was a bit out there in some spots and the author definitely had room to slow down in others. I'm glad I saw it through to the end even if I didn't care for Fischl's ending.
January 9, 2017
Alexander Potter, a disgraced American Civil war surgeon who was once known for being the quickest with a bone saw, now spends his days hawking a cure-all tonic to the poor, desperate public of the Pacific Northwest, and drinking himself to death. He travels with a seedy, rundown circus, boasting no more than a strong man, an exotic singer and a smattering of unremarkable acts. At night, however, the circus transforms into something much more nefarious. The ‘dark tent� opens to those willing to pay a little more, the exotic singer is rented out to the highest bidder, and another version of the tonic is sold to suitable candidates. All this happens under the watchful gaze of Lyman, the omnipotent, brutish owner. As the circus trundles from one damp, downtrodden town to the next it leaves behind it a trail of destruction and death that is not immediately obvious to the unsuspecting patrons. But one man has taken notice, a man with nothing left to lose who is hell-bent on revenge.
This violent, disturbing thriller delves into the dark side of alchemy in 19th Century America. The characters are all so well developed that, while you deplore their cowardly acts and grow frustrated with their weakness, you also hold out hope that the dying embers of humanity within them will eventually be flamed into action. All except Lyman. He is the most evil, terrifying character to crawl off a page, and his psychotically barbaric acts of cruelty towards his wife, his employees and his innocent victims will cause readers to squirm with discomfort. The novel is exquisitely written, with rich descriptions that paint an unsettling picture of life at that time. It expertly combines history, humour and horror, and keeps the reader hooked as the truth behind Lyman’s malevolent plans are slowly revealed.
This violent, disturbing thriller delves into the dark side of alchemy in 19th Century America. The characters are all so well developed that, while you deplore their cowardly acts and grow frustrated with their weakness, you also hold out hope that the dying embers of humanity within them will eventually be flamed into action. All except Lyman. He is the most evil, terrifying character to crawl off a page, and his psychotically barbaric acts of cruelty towards his wife, his employees and his innocent victims will cause readers to squirm with discomfort. The novel is exquisitely written, with rich descriptions that paint an unsettling picture of life at that time. It expertly combines history, humour and horror, and keeps the reader hooked as the truth behind Lyman’s malevolent plans are slowly revealed.
March 4, 2017
Quite imaginative, I must say. Very good for a first novel by Eric Scott Fischl. I sort of felt like I was immersed in the game-world of 'Red Dead Redemption' alongside of Nigel West Dickens, trying to hock some sludge passing off as Medicine. And a little like Freak Show (season four of American Horror Story). I look forward to the next book by Fischl, coming out around October
January 30, 2018
When I read the blurb it sparked my interest. I just found the twists and plot a little too simple and predictable. The characters were definitely not likeable but like some fantasy novels that works. I think it was more just where the story ended. Just kinda felt myself say "oh was that it?". Will probably appeal to some but maybe as I read too much ( haha) it just didnt work for me.
April 27, 2023
This was a little different from my usual books but it was interesting - interesting characters and interesting storyline.
April 4, 2017
Wisst ihr, was eine Medicine Show ist? Im 19. Jahrhundert reisten selbsternannte Wunderheiler in Pferdewagen durch die USA und versuchten, selbstzusammengerührte Heilmittelchen an die Leute zu bringen. Meist waren diese Verkaufsveranstaltungen mit einem Unterhaltungsprogramm verbunden. Eine Mischung aus Zirkus, Kirmes und Kaffeefahrt. Da Herstellung und Vertrieb von Medikamenten noch keinen gesetzlichen Regelungen unterworfen waren (erst ab 1906), konnte sich jeder zum Quacksalber aufschwingen, der den Willen und die finanziellen Voraussetzungen besaß. Dementsprechend waren diese Mittel oft wirkungslos oder sogar schädlich � großzügig versetzt mit Alkohol, Opium oder Kokain. Eine Geschichte, die in diesem Umfeld spielt, erschien mir äußerst vielversprechend. Ich konnte nicht widerstehen, als ich „Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show� von Eric Scott Fischl bei Netgalley entdeckte.
Hereinspaziert, hereinspaziert! Kommen Sie näher, kommen Sie näher! Überzeugen Sie sich selbst von der wundersamen Wirkung von Dr. Hedwiths Chock-a-saw Sagwa Tonikum! Kopfschmerzen, Schlaflosigkeit, Rheuma � dieses großartige Elixier heilt jede geistige oder körperliche Krankheit!
Diese oder eine ähnliche Ansprache hält Dr. Alexander Potter in jeder neuen Stadt, die er mit seiner Medicine Show besucht, obwohl er weiß, dass das Tonikum im besten Fall lediglich abhängig macht. Im schlimmsten Fall� erweckt es die Menschen. Zu viele Jahre arbeitet der Sezessionskriegsveteran schon für Dr. Hedwith und seinen grausamen Handlanger Lyman Rhoades, trägt eine alte Schuld ab, die ihn auf ewig an den Doktor fesselt und in dessen alchemistische Experimente verstrickt. Zu lange schon wartet Alexander darauf, seine Freiheit zurückzugewinnen. Seine Chance kommt, in Person des verzweifelten Zahnarztes Josiah McDaniel, dem das Sagwa Tonikum alles nahm und der nun schwört, sich an Dr. Hedwith zu rächen. Gemeinsam stellen sie sich dem Kampf gegen einen Mann, der nichts zu verlieren hat � außer der Unsterblichkeit.
„Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show� ist ein Erstling. Leider spürt man das beim Lesen. Das Buch ist auf skurrile Weise unfertig, ja gar unvollkommen. Es ist oberflächlich, besitzt so gut wie keine Tiefe und wirkt folglich wie eine grobe Skizze. Eric Scott Fischl konzentrierte sich fast ausschließlich auf die Handlung; es fehlen all die liebevollen Details, die diese lebendig hätten werden lassen. Atmosphäre? So gut wie nicht vorhanden. Es fühlte sich an, als hätte ich lediglich die Hälfte einer grundsätzlich interessanten Geschichte vor Augen. Die andere Hälfte� Tja, wer weiß, vielleicht schwirrt die immer noch durch den Äther. Das ist wirklich schade, weil die Hälfte, die ich lesen durfte, durchaus über Potential verfügte und im Ansatz sogar ziemlich clever konstruiert ist. Die Leser_innen treffen Dr. Alexander Potter 1878 in Oregon, während einer weiteren seiner zahllosen Verkaufsveranstaltungen. Ihm ist nur allzu bewusst, dass alles, was er den Leuten über das Chock-a-saw Sagwa Tonikum erzählt, hausgemachter Mumpitz ist. Er ist ein weltverdrossener, kranker, müder, alter Mann und seine Crew besteht aus ähnlich abgerissenen Gestalten. Bereits in den ersten Kapiteln wird deutlich, dass niemand freiwillig Teil der Show ist (mit Ausnahme des jungen Ausreißers Ridley) und hinter den Kulissen seltsame Dinge vor sich gehen. Im Verlauf der Handlung stellt sich dann heraus, dass die Show lediglich als Tarnung für Dr. Hedwiths alchemistische Experimente dient; als Bezugsquelle für unwissende Versuchsobjekte, die ihm helfen sollen, eine Formel für ein bahnbrechendes Wunderelixier zu finden. Hedwiths Methoden sind skrupellos und überraschend okkultistisch. Fischl erwähnt im Nachwort, dass die Alchemie in vielerlei Hinsicht als Vorläufer der modernen Chemie angesehen werden kann, obwohl einige Versuche definitiv magischen oder religiösen Praktiken ähnelten. Ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass der Autor erklärt, welche Annahmen oder Prinzipien hinter Hedwiths Experimenten stecken, denn ich habe nicht verstanden, warum das Elixier durch ein kompliziertes Ritual aktiviert werden muss, um seine Wirkung zu entfalten. Hedwiths Forschung, deren Zweck und Umsetzung, ist eine der zwei zugrundeliegenden Komponenten von „Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show�. Die andere Komponente ist die Aufklärung der Frage, wie die einzelnen Figuren in Hedwiths Machenschaften involviert wurden, wie sie sich kennenlernten und an einen toten Punkt der Verzweiflung getrieben wurden, der sie zwingt, Zeuge und Mittäter monströser Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit zu werden. Mir gefiel diese Herangehensweise an die Geschichte, die Kombination zweier Hauptlinien, doch unglücklicherweise ließ mich die Vergangenheit der Figuren meist kalt. Ich fand die Rückblenden willkürlich eingesetzt, ohne erkennbaren Kontext und mochte keinen einzigen Charakter wirklich gern. Im Großen und Ganzen waren sie mir alle egal, ich schloss niemanden ins Herz. Wie hätte ich da Anteil an der Geschichte nehmen sollen?
„Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show� hat insgesamt sehr wenig Eindruck bei mir hinterlassen. Ehrlich gesagt bin ich sogar erleichtert, dass ich überhaupt eine Rezension zustande gebracht habe, denn mein vorherrschendes Gefühl der Geschichte gegenüber ist ein herzhaftes Schulterzucken. Bereits beim Lesen wollte ich das Buch lediglich so schnell wie möglich beenden. Ich denke, Eric Scott Fischl ist bedauerlicherweise einfach kein besonders talentierter Erzähler. Meiner Empfindung nach hat er kein Händchen dafür, seine Leser_innen zu fesseln und emotional einzubinden. Er rasselt die Ereignisse herunter, ohne sie auszukosten und versucht, mit nett gedachten, im Endeffekt aber eher platten Methoden Spannung zu erzeugen. Dementsprechend kann ich leider keine Empfehlung für „Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show� aussprechen. Es lohnt sich schlicht nicht, diesen Roman zu lesen.
Vielen Dank an Netgalley und Angry Robot für die Bereitstellung dieses Rezensionsexemplars im Austausch für eine ehrliche Rezension!
August 17, 2017
Bought this at Emerald City Comicon, and the author signed it for me! He also corrected a mistake. I don't know if Mr. Fischl reads his book's reviews on here, but if he does, there is another error on page 272, and one on the last page. Lol.
Now to the book.
The cover and title are awesome. There is no need for a synopsis on the back of the book. You get the setting and mood just by looking at it.
For a book that is not too long, it has a lot of characters. I was worried this might make it hard to follow at first, but they are introduced slowly enough that it doesn't.
Overall I thought the writing was smooth, but found one thing a bit awkward at first. In scenes with several characters the inner thoughts, the secondary POV I guess, would switch from paragraph to paragraph rather from chapter sections. It didn't take long to get used to this though, and then I didn't notice anymore. I found some of the descriptions and word choices delightful.
This novel is just as much horror as it is fantasy. Some parts were gruesome. Not usually my cup of tea, but seemed to fit the story well.
I enjoyed it!
Now to the book.
The cover and title are awesome. There is no need for a synopsis on the back of the book. You get the setting and mood just by looking at it.
For a book that is not too long, it has a lot of characters. I was worried this might make it hard to follow at first, but they are introduced slowly enough that it doesn't.
Overall I thought the writing was smooth, but found one thing a bit awkward at first. In scenes with several characters the inner thoughts, the secondary POV I guess, would switch from paragraph to paragraph rather from chapter sections. It didn't take long to get used to this though, and then I didn't notice anymore. I found some of the descriptions and word choices delightful.
This novel is just as much horror as it is fantasy. Some parts were gruesome. Not usually my cup of tea, but seemed to fit the story well.
I enjoyed it!
August 5, 2017
I have read many books in this type of setting, which is what appealed to me in the first place. While I am sure the book is well written and will appeal to many, after attempting to engage with it three times it is time to admit defeat. Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for letting me try!
February 14, 2017
At first glance, the plot of this novel appears to be relatively straight-forward. Alexander Potter is a charlatan, little more than a con man. He travels from town to town with his medicine show, separating the locals from their hard-earned cash. The Sagwa tonic he is peddling is nothing but a sham, it has no medicinal properties at all. Of course, looks can be deceptive, there is far more to the story than that. It turns out that one form of the tonic is utterly fake, but there is another variant that has the potential to be something miraculous.
Dr Potter is a fascinating fellow. It’s quickly established that he has been ground down by his time in the world. A series of ill-advised decisions has left him in a situation he can’t get out of. Forced to travel the back roads of America, he must sell the Chock-a-saw Sagwa Tonic because he has no other option. In his mournful state, he reflects on the man he once was. In his younger days he was brilliant but brash, the fastest surgeon with the skills to match. Potter is burnt out by the horrors he witnessed during the Civil War. There is only so much blood and guts one man can stand, so he lost himself in the bottom of a bottle. At his lowest ebb he was given a choice � be in thrall to someone else or die. In his weakened state, he chose the former. A choice he comes to truly regret with each passing decade.
For every hero, no matter how flawed, there must be a villain. Dr Potter may be the public face of the enterprise, but there is another who is pulling all the strings. Potter’s nemesis is Lyman Rhoades, a corpulent beast who runs the medicine show from behind the scenes. I don’t think I can adequately express how unpleasant he is. Rhoades truly is a vile piece of work. I’m always impressed when an author manages to pull this off, to make me genuinely loathe a character. Rhoades is evil, but don’t confuse that with being two dimensional. There are reasons why he is the way he is. I almost felt empathy for him when his backstory is revealed� almost.
The other members of the travelling show are an eclectic bunch. The chanteuse is in an abusive relationship, the fortune teller is a drug addict and the strongman is in just as much trouble as Dr Potter. There are even a group of ill-treated oddities who are forced to live in cages and take part in a sinister scheme. Now you might be thinking this all sounds horribly downbeat, and to an extent it is. There is certainly an underlying melancholy to this novel that I don’t think I was expecting. The thing is though, I rather like it. Why? Well, it gives the narrative some nice additional depth. It also allows Potter and his friends the chance to seek something akin to redemption. The characters are well observed, you get the sense that they are all broken in one way or another. Potter most of all, he is almost crippled by his regrets. The doctor has done horrible things because he believes he lacks the inner strength to do what is right. Can he finally make amends before it is all too late?
Eric Scott Fischl also does a wonderful job of capturing the intimate details of the lives his characters lead. As part of the run-down medicine show, they travel dusty trails in carts and caravans that have seen better days. You get a real sense of mind numbing repetition. They are all trapped in their own prescribed roles, ground down by the drugery. It’s like everyone is existing in their personal form of Purgatory. Each of them has a secret they are trying hide, or something they are trying to run away from.
I’ve been pondering this one for a while now and I reckon I have the perfect music recommendation to go along with this read � the soundtrack to Carnivà le by Jeff Beal. The book and the television show cover similar thematic ground so it only makes sense that the musical accompaniment for the television series almost perfectly complements the book. A little bit Western and a little bit Gothic turns out is an ideal fit.
Dr Potter is a fascinating fellow. It’s quickly established that he has been ground down by his time in the world. A series of ill-advised decisions has left him in a situation he can’t get out of. Forced to travel the back roads of America, he must sell the Chock-a-saw Sagwa Tonic because he has no other option. In his mournful state, he reflects on the man he once was. In his younger days he was brilliant but brash, the fastest surgeon with the skills to match. Potter is burnt out by the horrors he witnessed during the Civil War. There is only so much blood and guts one man can stand, so he lost himself in the bottom of a bottle. At his lowest ebb he was given a choice � be in thrall to someone else or die. In his weakened state, he chose the former. A choice he comes to truly regret with each passing decade.
For every hero, no matter how flawed, there must be a villain. Dr Potter may be the public face of the enterprise, but there is another who is pulling all the strings. Potter’s nemesis is Lyman Rhoades, a corpulent beast who runs the medicine show from behind the scenes. I don’t think I can adequately express how unpleasant he is. Rhoades truly is a vile piece of work. I’m always impressed when an author manages to pull this off, to make me genuinely loathe a character. Rhoades is evil, but don’t confuse that with being two dimensional. There are reasons why he is the way he is. I almost felt empathy for him when his backstory is revealed� almost.
The other members of the travelling show are an eclectic bunch. The chanteuse is in an abusive relationship, the fortune teller is a drug addict and the strongman is in just as much trouble as Dr Potter. There are even a group of ill-treated oddities who are forced to live in cages and take part in a sinister scheme. Now you might be thinking this all sounds horribly downbeat, and to an extent it is. There is certainly an underlying melancholy to this novel that I don’t think I was expecting. The thing is though, I rather like it. Why? Well, it gives the narrative some nice additional depth. It also allows Potter and his friends the chance to seek something akin to redemption. The characters are well observed, you get the sense that they are all broken in one way or another. Potter most of all, he is almost crippled by his regrets. The doctor has done horrible things because he believes he lacks the inner strength to do what is right. Can he finally make amends before it is all too late?
Eric Scott Fischl also does a wonderful job of capturing the intimate details of the lives his characters lead. As part of the run-down medicine show, they travel dusty trails in carts and caravans that have seen better days. You get a real sense of mind numbing repetition. They are all trapped in their own prescribed roles, ground down by the drugery. It’s like everyone is existing in their personal form of Purgatory. Each of them has a secret they are trying hide, or something they are trying to run away from.
I’ve been pondering this one for a while now and I reckon I have the perfect music recommendation to go along with this read � the soundtrack to Carnivà le by Jeff Beal. The book and the television show cover similar thematic ground so it only makes sense that the musical accompaniment for the television series almost perfectly complements the book. A little bit Western and a little bit Gothic turns out is an ideal fit.
Shelved as 'dnf'
October 27, 2017Almost 80 pages in and had to give it up. So many characters. Too much character development (let's save some for later, eh?). Lots of references to a "big event" but I don't even give a shit.
February 24, 2019
This book was absolutely awful. The character development is subpar, the plot is nonexistent, the ending is rushed and simply doesn't make sense. I can get something out of most books, and I am definitely not one to hate on a book, but I am 100% hating on this book. Additionally, the female characters in this book are subjected to brutality that is described in detail. Not a fan of that either. And it isn't to make a point, or to enlighten the reader, or develop a character. It's simply brutality for the sake of brutality. Find another book to read, this one is honestly not worth the read.
August 2, 2017
Dark and dirty. Fischl creates a dismal and depressing atmosphere for the dastardly deeds of the truly despicable Lyman Rhodes. None of his characters are heartwarming or even particularly likable, but all are deep and complex enough for the reader to hold out some hope for their redemption and maybe to even revel their demise. At least a few of them.
Want to read
February 19, 2017I will not rate this book because I did not finish it.
I must say I was really intrigued by the book descriptions and had expectations.
After reading 23% I gave up for three reasons
- I found the story confusing
- I could not connect to one of the characters
- I could not cope with the writing style of the author
This happens. One can't love every book.
I must say I was really intrigued by the book descriptions and had expectations.
After reading 23% I gave up for three reasons
- I found the story confusing
- I could not connect to one of the characters
- I could not cope with the writing style of the author
This happens. One can't love every book.
February 5, 2017
Deeply dark and rich with horror and wonderful morally grey characters.
December 16, 2017
This review originally published in . Rated 2.5 of 5
Alchemy seems to be in fashion. This is the third book in about as many weeks that I have read with alchemy taking a prominent place in the story.
Alexander Potter was a Civil War doctor who has gone above and beyond the normal atrocities that doctors were noted for during the Civil War (that primarily being a great deal of amputations). Now Potter travels with a freak-show/circus where he hawks his snake-oil cure-all. Most of the tonic is useless but there is a tonic that will bring the strongest men to their knees - or something much worse.
But Potter is not the villain here. Potter is a pawn to the much more villainous circus manager, who in turn is a pawn to someone further behind the scenes back on the coast. They travel through backwoods towns relieving rubes of their money and bringing about a little horror.
Early in the book, as the character of Dr Potter was being established, I was really captivated and interested. I could hardly wait to get in to his story. Then we got to know a few more characters. And the story? Well, it was sort of being told to us along the way but we weren't really being drawn in to experience the story ourselves. But it was close ... oh, so close.
My biggest issue with the book was the characters. Potter is our central character, but no one, including Potter, was particularly likable. If you're going to have a story with a bunch of despicable, or at least unlikable, characters, then you need a story that is really strong and this one just didn't have it.
Though I didn't really expect a horror novel from Angry Robot, that is what we get here and I've said it before - it's really hard to write a horror novel. Being able to sustain the suspense and keep the reader on edge is something few people can do well (and why those who can do it well manage to stay at the top).
There's some promise here, but giving us somebody to root for would have helped.
Looking for a good book? Dr. Potter's Medicine Show by Eric Scott Fischl is a promising Civil War-era horror novel but doesn't quite rise up to give us engaging characters or a very strong story.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Alchemy seems to be in fashion. This is the third book in about as many weeks that I have read with alchemy taking a prominent place in the story.
Alexander Potter was a Civil War doctor who has gone above and beyond the normal atrocities that doctors were noted for during the Civil War (that primarily being a great deal of amputations). Now Potter travels with a freak-show/circus where he hawks his snake-oil cure-all. Most of the tonic is useless but there is a tonic that will bring the strongest men to their knees - or something much worse.
But Potter is not the villain here. Potter is a pawn to the much more villainous circus manager, who in turn is a pawn to someone further behind the scenes back on the coast. They travel through backwoods towns relieving rubes of their money and bringing about a little horror.
Early in the book, as the character of Dr Potter was being established, I was really captivated and interested. I could hardly wait to get in to his story. Then we got to know a few more characters. And the story? Well, it was sort of being told to us along the way but we weren't really being drawn in to experience the story ourselves. But it was close ... oh, so close.
My biggest issue with the book was the characters. Potter is our central character, but no one, including Potter, was particularly likable. If you're going to have a story with a bunch of despicable, or at least unlikable, characters, then you need a story that is really strong and this one just didn't have it.
Though I didn't really expect a horror novel from Angry Robot, that is what we get here and I've said it before - it's really hard to write a horror novel. Being able to sustain the suspense and keep the reader on edge is something few people can do well (and why those who can do it well manage to stay at the top).
There's some promise here, but giving us somebody to root for would have helped.
Looking for a good book? Dr. Potter's Medicine Show by Eric Scott Fischl is a promising Civil War-era horror novel but doesn't quite rise up to give us engaging characters or a very strong story.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
May 23, 2017
In Dr. Potter's Medicine Show, author Eric Scott Fischl uses the conventional western trope of a traveling "medicine" sideshow and upends it to explore themes of power, abuse, and the drive for immortality.
The first third of the novel has the feeling of a good side-story from David Milch's Deadwood - complete with a ruthless boss (in the form of one of the most menacing villains ever conceived -
Lyman Rhoades) controlling his flawed crew with unyielding cruelty. Written with a keen depth of characterization, none of the figures are two-dimensional, making the reality of their position as players (and victims) in the traveling show feel more urgent and tragic.
But the story has more to it than that - as we learn this is not exactly a harmless elixir meant only as a means for a con man to cheat poor rubes out of their hard-earned pay. No, Dr. Potter's Medicine Show is a traveling experiment in alchemy and its unsuspecting users lose more than just their money.
As more is revealed about the true purpose of the Chock-a-Saw Sagwa Tonic, the various victims of this ruthless experiment try to salvage the humanity they have left by banding together in unexpected ways. But the force of the tonic, the sheer malice of Lyman Rhoades and the creator's drive to achieve its ends make for a formidable obstacle, often at times leaving the reader despairing at it's apparent hopelessness.
But it's worth sticking through to the end to see these beaten-down characters fight their demons from within and without to take a stand against all that the tonic has taken.
It's hard to believe this is Fischl's first novel - the prose is confident, heady and lively. The story is immediately engaging and never really lets up. Highly recommended!
The first third of the novel has the feeling of a good side-story from David Milch's Deadwood - complete with a ruthless boss (in the form of one of the most menacing villains ever conceived -
Lyman Rhoades) controlling his flawed crew with unyielding cruelty. Written with a keen depth of characterization, none of the figures are two-dimensional, making the reality of their position as players (and victims) in the traveling show feel more urgent and tragic.
But the story has more to it than that - as we learn this is not exactly a harmless elixir meant only as a means for a con man to cheat poor rubes out of their hard-earned pay. No, Dr. Potter's Medicine Show is a traveling experiment in alchemy and its unsuspecting users lose more than just their money.
As more is revealed about the true purpose of the Chock-a-Saw Sagwa Tonic, the various victims of this ruthless experiment try to salvage the humanity they have left by banding together in unexpected ways. But the force of the tonic, the sheer malice of Lyman Rhoades and the creator's drive to achieve its ends make for a formidable obstacle, often at times leaving the reader despairing at it's apparent hopelessness.
But it's worth sticking through to the end to see these beaten-down characters fight their demons from within and without to take a stand against all that the tonic has taken.
It's hard to believe this is Fischl's first novel - the prose is confident, heady and lively. The story is immediately engaging and never really lets up. Highly recommended!
August 23, 2017
Because I liked this book a lot, I am going to write a long review. I honestly do not know where to begin.
The story telling in the book is slow, but at a decent pace for the type of book it is. The first few chapters give you a feel for all the characters and who they are, and it mixes in the story so its a nice even amount of information so you are not overwhelmed with too much information.
About 75% of the way through, you feel like it could be a finished product but it surprises you at the end with a good finish. You feel like you have eaten enough and then it gives you a nice dessert and you are stuffed and satisfied, like a good thanks giving dinner!
My main complaint is how this book treats women in it. Most of the women in the story could be left out and still be a damn good story. Most of the time, they are there to be abused or killed. Only ONE woman character is shown to be decent and yet she gets her character downgraded later in the book. (she was my favorite but... the story wasn't kind to her.)
The way they portray evil in this book is amazing, but it could have been done a little more tasteful.
There was some parts that made me set the book down and cringe, but that made me want to read it more. Mostly for justice of certain characters.
All in all, I would recommend this book to my friends and family, but I would warn them that there are parts that they may find disturbing, or would want to skip all together.
The story telling in the book is slow, but at a decent pace for the type of book it is. The first few chapters give you a feel for all the characters and who they are, and it mixes in the story so its a nice even amount of information so you are not overwhelmed with too much information.
About 75% of the way through, you feel like it could be a finished product but it surprises you at the end with a good finish. You feel like you have eaten enough and then it gives you a nice dessert and you are stuffed and satisfied, like a good thanks giving dinner!
My main complaint is how this book treats women in it. Most of the women in the story could be left out and still be a damn good story. Most of the time, they are there to be abused or killed. Only ONE woman character is shown to be decent and yet she gets her character downgraded later in the book. (she was my favorite but... the story wasn't kind to her.)
The way they portray evil in this book is amazing, but it could have been done a little more tasteful.
There was some parts that made me set the book down and cringe, but that made me want to read it more. Mostly for justice of certain characters.
All in all, I would recommend this book to my friends and family, but I would warn them that there are parts that they may find disturbing, or would want to skip all together.
February 9, 2017
*Book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
I'll start with a warning that this book is not for the faint of heart or stomach. More than once I wished I wasn't eating while reading. It starts out innocently enough but there are some scenes that made me think of Red Dragon. So, fair warning, not a book for everyone.
That being said, I actually did enjoy this book a lot more than I thought I would. Yes, the book is full of dark and depressing scenes, but, thankfully, Fischl has a good number of scenes with Ag and Sol. Yes, they're pretty much comic relief, but they're are so well balanced with the darker stories that you never feel like the book is taking itself too seriously or not seriously enough. Fischl has a really good sense of balance with his characters and their stories.
I also enjoyed how Fischl wrapped things up at the end of the book. There was enough mystery that you didn't know exactly what had happened, but enough loose ends had been tied up that you didn't feel like you were missing out. Not everyone got the ending I wanted for them but I wasn't unpleasantly surprised by the endings they received. It was a really well done book.
If you're in the mood for a darker story where alchemical studies are real, taking place in the post-civil war era, I highly recommend Dr. Potter's Medicine Show. It's a good story with great characters.
I'll start with a warning that this book is not for the faint of heart or stomach. More than once I wished I wasn't eating while reading. It starts out innocently enough but there are some scenes that made me think of Red Dragon. So, fair warning, not a book for everyone.
That being said, I actually did enjoy this book a lot more than I thought I would. Yes, the book is full of dark and depressing scenes, but, thankfully, Fischl has a good number of scenes with Ag and Sol. Yes, they're pretty much comic relief, but they're are so well balanced with the darker stories that you never feel like the book is taking itself too seriously or not seriously enough. Fischl has a really good sense of balance with his characters and their stories.
I also enjoyed how Fischl wrapped things up at the end of the book. There was enough mystery that you didn't know exactly what had happened, but enough loose ends had been tied up that you didn't feel like you were missing out. Not everyone got the ending I wanted for them but I wasn't unpleasantly surprised by the endings they received. It was a really well done book.
If you're in the mood for a darker story where alchemical studies are real, taking place in the post-civil war era, I highly recommend Dr. Potter's Medicine Show. It's a good story with great characters.
May 30, 2021
They had the weight of righteousness on their side, after all, but Sol is now beginning to get a hint that, in the real world, maybe righteousness doesn't mean a goddamn thing, not when you're put in opposition to that which is stronger and meaner than you are.
Setting:
This book takes place in late 1800’s America.
Characters:
Alexander: Ostensibly, the titular Dr. Potter is in charge of the traveling medicine show peddling a cure all tonic readers will correctly identify for the snake oil it is. In reality, Potter is a worn out man who hates what he’s doing but has little choice in the matter.
Lyman: Lyman is actually in charge of the traveling show. He's a cruel and vicious snake of a man.
Sol & Ag: Sol and Ag are a pair of bumbling idiot half-brothers who wind up getting involved in things.
Plot:
Dr. Potter's medicine show travels around selling their garbage tonic, claiming it is the end all be all of medicine. Sometimes however, they hand out things even worse than the usual blend of alcohol and opium. Lyman's boss is studying something, something which requires human test subjects.
Sol and Ag are in the run after, they think, a murder committed in a drunken haze. While fleeing the theoretical lawmen, they find a drunken man claiming Potter and his crew took his wife from him.
My Thoughts:
Fischl is working off a good premise. What if one of those lying snake oil salesmen wasn't selling something merely ineffective and addictive, but much much worse than that. The execution of the premise is largely solid.
Lyman's boss is a man who is entirely obsessed with his goal and if pursuing it means the necessity of kidnapping, drugging, and murdering people it's no skin off his nose.
This novel strays closer to horror than fantasy. The horror here is reasonably effective� except when Sol or Ag are in the scene. These two idiots are clearly intended as some manner of comedic levity but the joke of them being inept and useless isn’t particularly funny to begin with and gets old very fast. These characters feel quite unneeded to the story in general. They don’t serve as good comedy and they are also largely useless to plot
The novel also has a habit of having time and/or perspective shifts with no indication in the text. Usually there would be a couple of line breaks, possibly with some symbol in the free space, not here. One paragraph to the next will simply be several hours later and potentially from a different point of view leaving the reader very confused for a sentence or two before the change is apparent.
On the whole, it’s an enjoyable novel if you’re interested in Western horror.
Setting:
This book takes place in late 1800’s America.
Characters:
Alexander: Ostensibly, the titular Dr. Potter is in charge of the traveling medicine show peddling a cure all tonic readers will correctly identify for the snake oil it is. In reality, Potter is a worn out man who hates what he’s doing but has little choice in the matter.
Lyman: Lyman is actually in charge of the traveling show. He's a cruel and vicious snake of a man.
Sol & Ag: Sol and Ag are a pair of bumbling idiot half-brothers who wind up getting involved in things.
Plot:
Dr. Potter's medicine show travels around selling their garbage tonic, claiming it is the end all be all of medicine. Sometimes however, they hand out things even worse than the usual blend of alcohol and opium. Lyman's boss is studying something, something which requires human test subjects.
Sol and Ag are in the run after, they think, a murder committed in a drunken haze. While fleeing the theoretical lawmen, they find a drunken man claiming Potter and his crew took his wife from him.
My Thoughts:
Fischl is working off a good premise. What if one of those lying snake oil salesmen wasn't selling something merely ineffective and addictive, but much much worse than that. The execution of the premise is largely solid.
Lyman's boss is a man who is entirely obsessed with his goal and if pursuing it means the necessity of kidnapping, drugging, and murdering people it's no skin off his nose.
This novel strays closer to horror than fantasy. The horror here is reasonably effective� except when Sol or Ag are in the scene. These two idiots are clearly intended as some manner of comedic levity but the joke of them being inept and useless isn’t particularly funny to begin with and gets old very fast. These characters feel quite unneeded to the story in general. They don’t serve as good comedy and they are also largely useless to plot
The novel also has a habit of having time and/or perspective shifts with no indication in the text. Usually there would be a couple of line breaks, possibly with some symbol in the free space, not here. One paragraph to the next will simply be several hours later and potentially from a different point of view leaving the reader very confused for a sentence or two before the change is apparent.
On the whole, it’s an enjoyable novel if you’re interested in Western horror.
December 30, 2017
I really enjoyed this one. The characters are well drawn and the writing is well crafted with great dialogue and descriptive language. The book moves along at a fast clip and does a good job of building suspense in a natural way. I also found the historical setting interesting. It’s set in the Pacific Northwest, which is a different part of the country than I’m used to seeing in a “western� and I liked that greatly. I also liked that although there were fantastic elements it did not go overboard with them. Best of all, it was delightfully funny which I wasn’t expecting and really appreciated.
My only criticisms involve some plot contrivances and what I felt to be rushed pacing near the halfway point. The point of view shifts suddenly at times in a way that can be disorienting and I also thought the “rules� of the sagwa were a little squishy. But those are really minor gripes.
I have never read Mr. Fischl or any books from this publisher but I’m very glad I did if this is a good example of their quality. I’d definitely recommend checking this one out!
My only criticisms involve some plot contrivances and what I felt to be rushed pacing near the halfway point. The point of view shifts suddenly at times in a way that can be disorienting and I also thought the “rules� of the sagwa were a little squishy. But those are really minor gripes.
I have never read Mr. Fischl or any books from this publisher but I’m very glad I did if this is a good example of their quality. I’d definitely recommend checking this one out!
January 19, 2018
I enjoyed this story a lot. I liked the writing, the situations and the characters. I thought the characters were very well written. The bad guys were really, really evil (and hard to kill), and the good guys, even though some of them had done things they abhorred, were essentially good and their hearts were in the right place. I don’t consider this a horror story, but more of a historical/scifi story. Dr. Potter has a medicine show, with a strong man, a beautiful singer, a tarot reader and a few freaks and geeks. They are a group of people who've been traveling together a long time. They love and care about each other. Well, most of them, anyway. There were a few good surprises that I liked. And that's all I will write here (my private review is much longer). I hope to I can find more books by this author.
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