An original and haunting voice unspools a dark magic novel that features an otherworldly circus, the Boy who becomes a Magician, and the villainous Mother whose sadism might end it all—perfect for fans of Our Share of Night and The Changeling

Before the Magician, the novel’s unnamed central character, is a Man, first he is a Boy, born into a brutal childhood and subjected to unspeakable cruelties. The Boy survives only by a powerful magic that intervenes in moments of need—a gift he eventually learns to harness.

When he escapes home, a mysterious circus troupe welcomes him into their chosen family and the Boy begins to imagine a life beyond survival, one where circus lions roar and enchanted forests spiral far into the distance. He discovers a new, whimsical potential for his magic and eagerly apprentices under the circus’s conjurer—only to realize that his own gifts far outstrip the sleight of hand and illusions his mentor can offer. When the Boy allows his ambition to take control of his magic, he becomes the Magician, but it comes at a cost. Looming is a primal threat, determined to end the Magician, his magic, and all he holds dear, forever.

With the immersive horror of Josh Malerman, the fairytale cadence of Helen Oyeyemi, and the hellish magic of Victor LaValle, Tracy Lynne Oliver’s Magician welcomes readers into a spellbinding world of twisted patriarchal darkness and a powerful survival magic that threatens to consume everyone, including its wielder.