The Night Circus
core novel 2011 The Night Circus
Record
| First published | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.99 (1,137,964 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| Page count | 506 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780385534635 |
Synopsis
The Night Circus, published in 2011, opens in an alternate Victorian-era setting where Le Cirque des Rêves, a circus of black-and-white tents, appears without warning and opens only between dusk and dawn. Its origin lies with two rival illusionists, Hector Bowen, known onstage as Prospero the Enchanter, and the enigmatic Mr. A. H., who each choose a child to train from a young age for a secretive magical contest they call the game. Hector's daughter, Celia Bowen, and Mr. A. H.'s ward, Marco Alisdair, grow up honing their abilities separately, unaware for years of each other's identity, until both are drawn into working within the circus itself, constructing ever more elaborate magical exhibitions for its audiences.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Night Circus
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Erin Morgenstern
Awards (verified)
- Alex Award (Selection), 2012: won
Notes
- single-work by the LOTR-analogy precedent: a standalone novel (Doubleday, 2011), no sequel or companion narrative. Morgenstern's The Starless Sea (2019) is an unrelated standalone and is not registered here.
Sources
← The Night Circus dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.