I am sure this is an absolutely excellent book. I am sure readers will love the Baron character and the mysterious disease causing you men and women to transform into clowns (complete with round, red nose and big feet). I am sure there's a lot here to love, but it just takes a little too much time to pick up. 
 There will be an audience which this book is perfect for, but for the reluctant readers... for the students who need to be able to love a story from the first chapter... for the students to whom 300+ pages is just a little too much to commit to a story, this won't be the right pick. Of course, I could always be wrong... but for the time being I believe there are more accessible titles out there.