Synopsis: Travelling circus troupe Maddigan’s Fantasia brave the unpredictable landscape of a post-apocalyptic world, spreading wonder and laughter. However, when three mysterious children join the Fantasia, bringing with them uncanny abilities and powerful enemies, the circus suddenly becomes embroiled in a series of terrifying adventures and a quest that could change the shape of the future.

Review:Margaret Mahy’s latest novel plunges the reader into an unpredictable world. Following ‘The Destruction’ and ensuing ‘Chaos’, civilisation has returned to a frontier age. Townships lie isolated by constantly shifting roads and a twisting landscape trying to remake itself. Across this broken land travel the circus performers of Maddigan’s Fantasia, spreading wonder and laughter, while seeking a solar converter to rescue the dying city of Solis.

However, for the protagonist, twelve-year-old Garland Maddigan, everything is about to change. Suddenly, her father, the ringmaster of the troupe, is killed by raiders, and two mysterious boys seek refuge in the Fantasia, along with their baby sister. Coming from a possible future and pursued by mysterious enemies, agents of the tyrannical Nennog, the children bring with them uncanny powers, dark secrets and destiny-changing adventures.

The action of this post-apocalyptic fantasy is largely episodic, as the circus moves from town to town, encountering hidden threats and uncovering secret conspiracies. An over-arching element in these adventures is slavery, as the freedom and mutual care of the Fantasia is contrasted with communities in bondage, whether to the acquisition of wealth or fear of the supernatural, to the pursuit of pleasure or the over-indulgence of children. Garland and her companions typically become embroiled in a town’s problems, then use their skills and abilities to save the day. In so doing, they confront a medley of characters (who often have a two-dimensional, fairy-tale quality), leading to events that can stretch the bounds of plausibility at times.

A central theme of the novel is mutability, as the characters grapple with changes not only in the landscape, but also in themselves and those they trust. Grieving for her father, resentful of the man she sees trying to replace him, and grappling with her own awakening adolescence, Garland struggles to move on. It is not until events allow her to travel back in time to change things that she finally recognises how our past experiences shape who we become, and is able to fight for the future.

This is an intriguing story, with puzzles, twists and revelations that keep the reader guessing. Although I was uncertain how well certain aspects of the plot held together and frustrated at some of the dialogue, it did offer a blend of magic and adventure, relationships and mystery which may appeal to readers in late KS2 and early KS3.