The Night Circus
Encyclopedia
Plot
The Night Circus is a phantasmagorical fairy tale set near an ahistorical Victorian London in a wandering magical circus that exists only from sunset to sunrise. Le Cirque des Rêves features such wonders and "ethereal enigmas" as a blooming garden made all of ice and a fire-breathing paper dragon. Its truly magical nature is occluded under the guise of legerdemain. The curious circus develops avid fans who distinguish themselves to each other by wearing the black and white of the circus tents, with a splash of red. The magicians Prospero the Enchanter and the enigmatic Mr. A.H. groom their young proteges, Celia and Marco, to proxy their rivalry with the exhibits as a stage. At stake is a question of the proper approach to magic: whether as an innate talent, represented by Prospero's daughter Celia, or whether as a skill that can be taught, represented by Mr. A.H.'s orphan ward Marco. The two generate nightly wonders for the circus and for each other. Unaware of their mentors' designs and deadly wager, Celia and Marco fall in love; the magical courtship strains the fate laid out for them and endangers the circus.Reception
The book has been extensively promoted, often with mention of Harry PotterHarry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
or Twilight
Twilight (novel)
Twilight is a young-adult vampire-romance novel by author Stephenie Meyer. It is the first book of the Twilight series, and introduces seventeen-year-old Isabella "Bella" Swan, who moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington and finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire,...
, but also in comparison to Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, Something Wicked This Way Comes
Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1962 novel by Ray Bradbury. It is about two 13-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, who have a harrowing experience with a nightmarish traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October. The carnival's leader is the mysterious "Mr...
, or Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is the 2004 first novel by British writer Susanna Clarke. An alternative history set in 19th-century England around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, it is based on the premise that magic once existed in England and has returned with two men: Gilbert Norrell and...
. Ron Charles writing for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
compares Morgenstern's imagery to Steven Millhauser
Steven Millhauser
Steven Millhauser is an American novelist and short story writer. He won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel Martin Dressler. The prize brought many of his older books back into print.-Life and career:...
's, albeit with "more playful and more dramatic surrealism". Olivia Laing writing for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
compares the book to an "eminently intriguing cabinet of curiosities" with an intricate but unmoored setting and colorful but clockwork characters. Laura Miller writing for Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
likewise praises the "aesthetic fantasia with all the trimmings" but not the plot itself. Sarah Stegall writing for SFScope
SFScope
SFScope is an online trade journal devoted to entertainment news concerning speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was founded by Ian Randal Strock in early 2007....
praises the vivid imagery, predicting that it should be nominated for literary awards. Richard Peabody writing for The Washington Independent Review of Books describes the narrative as nonlinear, with frequent shifts in points of view, tangential vignettes, and short almost cinematic chapters. PopCultureMonster.com describes the novel as "very filmic" with "well timed shifts from scene to scene" and "an extremely visual feel".
The Night Circus is a candidate for the 2011 Guardian First Book Award
Guardian First Book Award
Guardian First Book Award, issued before 1999 as Guardian Fiction Prize or Guardian Fiction Award, is awarded to new writing in fiction and non-fiction.-History:...
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Associated media
An audiobook version of The Night Circus is read by Jim DaleJim Dale
Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
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The UK publisher, Harvill Secker, contracted Failbetter Games, creators of Echo Bazaar!
Echo Bazaar!
Echo Bazaar is a browser-based choose-your-own-adventure game by Failbetter Games. It is set in "Fallen London", an alternative Victorian London with gothic and steampunk overtones....
, to create an interactive browser-based puzzle game to accompany the book. The site went live on 1 September 2011, two weeks before the book was published.