The Heart of the Circle
#7763.80 adjusted 3.90 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2018 Reading commitment Low Keren Landsman Last reviewed 2026-10-31
Overview
Keren Landsman is an Israeli epidemiologist and writer. Her novel Lev ha-ma'agal (Hebrew, 2018; English as The Heart of the Circle, translated, Angry Robot, 2019) is set in modern Tel Aviv in a world where sorcerers have lived among ordinary people for centuries. An extremist group, the Sons of Simeon, persecutes them while the government ignores it. Reed, an empath who works as a waiter, becomes a target after a march for sorcerers' rights ends in murder. The novel stands alone.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Heart of the Circle Keren Landsman
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lev ha-ma'agal (לב המעגל); Published in Hebrew by Kinneret Zmora-Bitan; English translation The Heart of the Circle (Angry Robot, 2019). | 2018 | 1 | core | 3.80 (472 ratings) |
A standalone urban fantasy novel about persecuted sorcerers in Tel Aviv.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Heart of the Circle? The Heart of the Circle's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Heart of the Circle finished? Complete (2018).
- How much reading does The Heart of the Circle take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Heart of the Circle ranked? #776 in this site's official ranking, based on 472 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #776?
Ranked #776 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.80 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (472 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.10 behind #775, Kitty Norville.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 472 ratings · Ranks #776 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Geffen Award (Best Original Novel), 2019: won: Lev ha-ma'agal (לב המעגל)
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- The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.91
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.80 across 472 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: The Last Dragon Chronicles, The Wardstone Chronicles, The Sisters Grimm, Kingdom Keepers, Saga o zbóju Twardokęsku, Noční klub, El libro de los héroes, Kalfukura, Royaume de vent et de colères and The Heart of the Circle accepted 2026-10-31
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Angry Robot - The Heart of the Circle Tier 2
- SF Encyclopedia - Landsman, Keren Tier 2
- Wikipedia - Keren Landsman Tier 2
- Jerusalem Post - Geffen Award Tier 2
- Civilian Reader - interview with Keren Landsman Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-31
Rule: Core Canon = the single novel Lev ha-ma'agal / The Heart of the Circle (2018). Her short story collection Shama'im Shvurim (Broken Skies, 2014) is excluded.