Review: The Last Troupe

The Last Troupe by Ben Faulk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ben Faulk’s The Last Troupe lets us slip quietly into the lives of circus performers in a strange world, where the spell that once kept them safe suddenly falters. All at once, the familiar becomes uncertain, and there’s a constant unease, as if the ground beneath them might give way at any moment. The story is less about spectacle and more about the rawness that comes when all comforts are stripped back. It asks, in its own gentle way, what binds people together when the world begins to splinter, and what small things might pull them apart.

It aims to be a tale of survival and discovery, and I think it manages that. Each new misfortune presses the troupe to change, and I found myself watching how they leaned on each other, often in ways that surprised me. Magic’s failure is what sets it all in motion, and though the world is filled with fantasy’s usual trappings, the language remains quite plain, sometimes even a touch too simple for the weight of what’s happening. It feels as though the story wants to be more grown up, but the words do not always match its ambitions.

There is plenty here for those who love fantasy—ordinary folk drawn into darkness, the sense of something creeping in at the edges. The difference is that these are circus performers, not soldiers or sorcerers, and the odd talents they bring with them become unexpectedly useful. The focus remains on the group rather than any single hero, and I found it refreshing to see how their varied skills matter, each one finding their place when it is needed most.

At the start, the characters seem settled in their usual parts, but as troubles mount, they shift and grow in ways that feel honest. I caught myself hoping for them, especially as their ties deepened and became knottier under strain.

What lingered with me most was how the circus world mirrors the story’s darker themes. It is a sharp look at how corruption can curl into the heart of a group, not through any grand betrayal, but through the quiet erosion of trust. The relationships and small moments between characters are what truly carry the book, even when the story falls back on more familiar fantasy shapes. At times, the writing seemed almost too youthful, and if not for the shadows beneath the surface, I might have thought it belonged to a younger shelf.

The world itself takes a little patience at first, but as the tale winds on, it rewards the effort. There were places where the threads tangled and I lost my way, but persistence brought clarity.

By the end, I found myself thinking about how evil often finds its way in—not with a shout, but with the slow spreading of cracks, like a spell that breaks, bit by bit. The story handles these questions quietly, in a way that stays with you, and makes you consider the small choices we make.

For those who are drawn to tales of unlikely groups facing the dark together, there is much to enjoy here. If you are searching for prose polished to a shine or a plot that cuts sharply, this may not be quite what you’re after. But if your heart is drawn to stories of camaraderie and a new take on old magic, The Last Troupe has something to offer.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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