Mark Lawrence's Reviews > The Night Circus

I wavered between four and five stars on this one but then thought that I should show multi-millionaire authors the same generosity I show the struggling variety.

The Night Circus is very different from the kinds of fantasy books I’ve been reading of late. It’s not that it’s written in the present tense (I read the excellent Master Assassins recently and that is also in present tense). It’s not that is has a Victorian feel to it (the excellent Senlin Ascends has that). It’s not that it’s set in the real world (the highly enjoyable Paternus had a real world setting). It’s that there are no deliberate killings. There is, dear reader, almost no violence at all.

This is in fact a gentle, magical book. A lot of time is spent describing delicate and beautiful enchantments and illusions. A lot of time is spent describing the courses at exotic dinners. There is a distinct interest in fashion, interior design, and the layout/decoration of the eponymous circus.
It’s not a deeply philosophical book, or a deeply literary one (though there are allusions to Shakespeare) and it has a strong romantic element to it. So, very different from the kind of reads that I have been enjoying of late.

And yet … and this is why I gave it 5*, I read the book in a handful of days, which rarely happens. So Morgenstern clearly worked her magic on me.

I guess above all this is a work of imagination. There’s an element of mystery, there’s the romance, but the real star of the show is the circus itself and the finely described components, all of which bubble with imagination. The author succeeds in making you want to visit it, to experience its delights, to follow it across the world.

The story concerns two very powerful magicians who engage in a kind of proxy war via a series of protégés who are pitted against each other pairwise. But the war is a war of ideas and the contest is a vaguely defined showcasing of talent.

It’s not a story with any real tension, don’t expect to find yourself biting your nails. There are no thrilling chases, fights, there’s no real “baddy”. Everyone is very civil all the way though. It’s closer to Jane Austin than George Martin. But it is, as I’ve said, gently enchanting and more-ish.
Can I see why it has sold many millions of copies … no. Would I recommend it to you … yes. Oh wait. I guess that’s ‘all’ it takes to be a mega seller. If all your readers tell other readers to pick up the book, you have it made. Pick up the book.

As a side note: Years ago someone praising the prose sent me this line:

"Round spheres that resemble birdcages rise and descend while one or more aerialists move from within the sphere to without, standing on the top or hanging from the bars on the bottom."

It actually put me off. "round spheres" is redundant and I am picky.

But having read the book it turns out to be the only line I've any objection to!"



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