The Midnight Circus, стр. 1

Praisefor The Midnight Circus

“JaneYolen is, simply, a legend. The powerful fairy godmother of everywriter working in mythic fantasy today. In these dark and wonderfulstories, that legend proves itself true over and over again.”

—CatherynneM. Valente, author of the Fairyland series

“Lookthis way, look that; blazing her consummate imagination against theshadows of human sorrow, Jane Yolen has done it again. TheMidnight Circus delights.”

—GregoryMaguire, author of Wicked

“JaneYolen’s stories are pure magic! They draw you in, beguile your senses,and paint the world in richer hues than you’ve ever seen. Her taleswill haunt you in the very best way. I loved every word!”

—SarahBeth Durst, author of Race the Sands

“NebulaAward winner Yolen follows How to Fracture a FairyTale with another, slightly more sinister collection ofdelightfully dark fairy tales. Each of the 16 stories is coupled with acompanion poem and fascinating story notes that allow readers to delveinto Yolen’s magical worlds . . . Yolen’s many fans will be thrilled.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Somestories, like ‘Inscription,’ read like Celtic folktales while ‘RequiemAntarctica’ is a Jamesian tale of creeping madness at the ends of theEarth, and ‘An Infestation of Angels’ is a retelling of the book ofExodus. And if the stories themselves somehow aren’t enough, each isaccompanied by a poem that extends its themes into evocative verse.Haunting stories from a modern master.”

—Kirkus

“The Midnight Circus sings with magic, darkness, andwonder— perfect for anyone who has ever loved a fairy tale. Thrillingand chilling all at once, this collection of stories will keep youriveted long after your bedtime, no matter your age.”

—MeaganSpooner, author of the Starbound Trilogy

“5/5stars. A wonderful collection of short stories! Each one is its ownself-contained story that is just perfection.”

—Ash & Books

Praisefor the Jane Yolen Classic Fantasy collections

On2018 World Fantasy Award Winner The Emerald Circus

“Thesedelightful retellings of favorite stories will captivate newcomers andfans of Yolen.”

—Library Journal, starred review

“Thesehighly entertaining retellings are perfect for teen fans of fairy talesand classic literature, though they are easily enjoyed without anybackground knowledge.”

—School Library Journal, starred review

“JaneYolen facets her glittering stories with the craft of a masterjeweller. Everything she writes, including TheEmerald Circus, is original and timeless.”

—ElizabethWein, author of Code Name Verity

On2019 Anne Izard Storytelling Award Winner How toFracture a Fairy Tale

“Thiscollection is Jane Yolen at her best.”

—PatriciaC. Wrede, author of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles

“Yolentakes well-known fairy tales and splits them apart, some- times leavingthem still quite familiar and other times shining a light from anunfamiliar angle to reveal new truths and possibilities.”

—MargoKelly, author of Unlocked

“Amaster storyteller at her best. I’ve been a fan of Jane Yolen andfractured fairytales for years and this collection doesn’t disappoint.”

—ChandaHahn, bestselling author of Reign

Praisefor Jane Yolen

“TheHans Christian Andersen of America.”

—Newsweek

“TheAesop of the twentieth century.”

—The New York Times

“JaneYolen is a gem in the diadem of science fiction and fantasy.”

—Analog

“Oneof the treasures of the science fiction community.”

—BrandonSanderson, author of Mistborn

“Thereis simply no better storyteller working in the fantasy field today.She’s a national treasure.”

—TerriWindling, author of The Wood Wife

Alsoby Jane Yolen

Novels

TheWizard of Washington Square (1969)

HoboToad and the Motorcycle Gang (1970)

TheBird of Time (1971)

TheMagic Three of Solatia (1974)

TheTransfigured Hart (1975)

TheMermaid’s Three Wisdoms (1978)

TheAcorn Quest (1981)

Dragon’sBlood (1982)

Heart’sBlood (1984)

TheStone Silenus (1984)

Cardsof Grief (1985)

ASending of Dragons (1987)

TheDevil’s Arithmetic (1988)

SisterLight, Sister Dark (1989)

WhiteJenna (1989)

TheDragon’s Boy (1990)

Wizard’sHall (1991)

BriarRose (1992)

GoodGriselle (1994)

TheWild Hunt (1995)

TheSea Man (1997)

HereThere Be Ghosts (1998)

TheOne-Armed Queen (1998)

TheWizard’s Map (1999)

ThePictish Child (1999)

Bootsand the Seven Leaguers (2000)

TheBagpiper’s Ghost (2002)

Swordof the Rightful King (2003)

The Young Merlin Trilogy: Passager, Hobby, and Merlin (2004)

Paythe Piper: A Rock ’n’ Roll Fairy Tale (with AdamStemple, 2005)

TrollBridge: A Rock ’n’ Roll Fairy Tale (with AdamStemple, 2006)

Dragon’sHeart (2009)

Exceptthe Queen (with Midori Snyder, 2010)

Snowin Summer (2011)

Curseof the Thirteenth Fey (2012)

B. U.G. (Big Ugly Guy) (with Adam Stemple, 2013)

TheLast Changeling (with Adam Stemple, 2014)

CentaurRising (2014)

APlague of Unicorns (2014)

TrashMountain (2015)

TheSeelie King’s War (with Adam Stemple, 2016)

TheLast Tsar’s Dragons (with Adam Stemple, 2019)

YoungHeroes series

Odysseusin the Serpent Maze (with Robert J. Harris, 2001)

Hippolytaand the Curse of the Amazon (with Robert J. Harris,2002)

Atalantaand the Arcadian Beast (with Robert J. Harris, 2003)

Jason and the Gorgon’s Blood (with RobertJ. Harris, 2004)

Collections

TheGirl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales (1974)

TheMoon Ribbon (1976)

TheHundredth Dove and Other Tales (1977)

DreamWeaver (1979)

NeptuneRising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea People (1982)

Talesof Wonder (1983)

TheWhitethorn Wood and Other Magicks (1984)

Dragonfieldand Other Stories (1985)

FavoriteFolktales of the World (1986)

Merlin’sBooke (1986)

TheFaery Flag (1989)

Storyteller(1992)

HereThere Be Dragons (1993)

Here There Be Unicorns (1994)

HereThere Be Witches (1995)

AmongAngels (with Nancy Willard, 1995)

HereThere Be Angels (1996)

HereThere Be Ghosts (1998)

TwelveImpossible Things Before Breakfast (1997)

SisterEmily’s Lightship and Other Stories (2000)

NotOne Damsel in Distress (2000)

MightierThan the Sword (2003)

OnceUpon a Time (She Said) (2005)

TheLast Selchie Child (2012)

Grumblesfrom the Forest: Fairy- Tale Voices with a Twist (withRebecca Kai Dotlich, 2013)

TheEmerald Circus (2017)

Howto Fracture a Fairy Tale (2018)

GraphicNovels

Foiled(2010)

TheLast Dragon (2011)

Curses!Foiled Again (with Mike Cavallaro, 2013)

StoneMan Mysteries (with Adam Stemple)

StoneCold (2016)

Sanctuary(2017)

TheMidnight Circus

Thisis a collected work of fiction. All events portrayed in this book arefictitious and any resemblance to real people or events is purelycoinci- dental. All rights reserved including the right to reproducethis book or portions thereof in any form without the expresspermission of the author and the publisher.

Interiorand cover design by Elizabeth Story

Pages240–242 constitute an extension of this copyright page

TachyonPublications LLC

145918th Street #139

SanFrancisco, CA 94107

415.285.5615

www.tachyonpublications.com

tachyon@tachyonpublications.com

SeriesEditor: Jacob Weisman

ProjectEditor: James DeMaiolo

PrintISBN: 978-1-61696-340-8

DigitalISBN: 978-1-61696-341-5

Printedin the United States by Versa Press

FirstEdition: 2020

Contents

Introduction:“Welcome to the Midnight Circus” by Theodora Goss

“WhoKnew I Was a Writer of Dark Stories?” by Jane Yolen

TheWeaver of Tomorrow

TheWhite Seal Maid

TheSnatchers

Wilding

RequiemAntarctica (with Robert J. Harris)

NightWolves

TheHouse of Seven Angels

GreatGray

LittleRed (with Adam Stemple)

Winter’sKing

Inscription

DogBoy Remembers

TheFisherman’s Wife

Becomea Warrior

AnInfestation of Angels

Names

StoryNotes and Poems

TheWeaver of Tomorrow / “The Wheel Spins”

TheWhite Seal Maid / “Ballad of the White Seal Maid”

Snatchers/ “Lou Leaving Home”

Wilding/ “Deer, Dances”

RequiemAntarctica