Book review: The Night Circus

One I wasn't sure I'd like but ended up pleased I gave it a go, Erin Morgenster's The Night Circus could have been, going from the blurb, either along the lines of Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell or a tedious paranormal romance. Fortunately it's closer to the former, and although a romantic connection between the two leads is central to how the story pans out, it's kept surprisingly low-key.

Two ancient magicians who've done battle many times before, meet again in the late 19th century and select children they'll raise to wield magic and be set into a lifelong game against each other. One chooses his own daughter Celia, the other finds Marco in an orphanage. When they reach their late teens they're sent off to do metaphorical battle in the unusual arena of the titular circus, an after-dark carnival where they have to put all their energies into outdoing each other with magical exhibits. Morgenstern's descriptions of Cirque des Rêves are the highlight of the novel and make it more of a mystical piece of immersive theatre than a circus. It often made me think of Punchdrunk, so it's not surprising when the acknowledgements at the end thank Punchdrunk for providing much of the author's inspiration in imagining the circus.