The circus arrives without warning.

And so begins an enchanting and mesmerising tale of the a circus that just appeared one day (apparently), and proceeds to ensnare countless people into its web, and under its charm. The Night Circus is a book that I suppose could fit within the category of magical realism, filled as it is with fantasy of both an urban and more modern variety.

The story is set in Victorian times, when two powerful magician's, Prospero the Enchanter and Mr A.H- enter into a binding agreement to test two of their students against each other to see which is the better student. Or more precisely, who is the better teacher. Able to manipulate matter, but living in an age when magician's of the technical variety exists everywhere, both teachers seek to do the supposedly miraculous whilst having it look to like stagecraft. The purpose of the game they have now entered into is to do so in a public forum, pushing their forms of magic to it's very limits.

Prospero raises his daughter, Celia Bowen, to be his next student, noticing she has a natural talent for the magical and mysterious. He calls upon his old friend and counterpart Mr A.H- to a duel, and he promptly sets about finding a suitable candidate. Finding Marco Alisdair in an orphanage, he sets about the long and demanding task of turning him into the finest manipulator of all things to do with matter and energy.

Eventually a circus is arranged as the stage for the contest. But not just any circus. One organised by the brightest and most enigmatic or people, and to run only at night. It travels unannounced, through Europe and North America, appearing randomly at new venues, and arousing curiosity in the locals at each new stop.

Eventually a club of supporters grows up around the circus, seeking to learn it's movements and follow it. The magic inherent in the circus itself casts it spell over many, as it travels about.

However, as the years pass, strange occurrences become noticeable to the organisers. The lack of ageing of the participants, the death of one of the initial organisers, the failure of the owner to to retain his memories. Slowly the need to maintain the contest is destroying the very thing it needs to survive – the circus.

Celia and Marco learn eventually that the contest has a result neither had bargained for – the death of the loser. As they have come to learn of each other's existence, they have found themselves falling in love, both coming under each other's spell. They find themselves trapped, ready to end the game, and be with each other, but unable to do so without disaster.

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The Night Circus is a powerful trip into the world of magic and imagination. It is written in a way that slowly builds up, jumping from one moment in time to another, with each chapter not necessarily following in from the last in a linear manner. The story comes together like multiple threads, slowly winding themselves around each other, revealing the deeper relevance of each of the characters, and the role they play in the circus, and it's possible future.

The writing tends to be very descriptive, perhaps too much so at some times, but never enough to put me off the book. It is a modern fairy tale, a delightful romp, a fun excursion through a dream world overlaying the real.

I give The Night Circus 4 out of 5 stars.

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Cover image source. Other images sourced from unsplash.com.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you liked it then please like, comment, and follow.

@naquoya

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Links to earlier works

Book Reviews
Take The Corvus - Luke Kondor
Ubik - Philip K Dick
The Switch - Elmore Leonard
A Glitch In The World - Alex Drozd
All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
Where Epics Fail - Yahia Lababidi
Hellbent - Gregg Hurwitz
1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
Soon - Lois Murphy
The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Crooked God Machine - Autumn Christian

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