The Circle (Elfgren and Strandberg novel)

The Circle
First edition
AuthorMats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren
Original titleCirkeln
LanguageSwedish
SeriesThe Engelsfors Trilogy
GenreYoung adult fiction, Urban fantasy, Horror
PublisherRabén & Sjögren (Swedish), Random House (English)
Publication date
April 2011 (Sweden), June 2012 (United Kingdom)
Publication placeSweden
Media typePrint (Paperback and hardback)
Pages516 (hardback)
ISBN978-1468306583
LC ClassPZ7.E386 Ci
Followed byFire 

The Circle (Swedish title Cirkeln) is a Swedish young adult fantasy novel written by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren. It is the first part of the Engelsfors trilogy. The novel takes place in a fictional rural town in Bergslagen in central Sweden and follows a group of teenage girls with little in common who discover that they are witches chosen to save the world from an otherworldly evil. In addition to the fantasy theme, the novel also uses tropes of horror fiction, psychological realism and the unreliable narrator. The novel has been sold for publication in 21 different languages in addition to Swedish.[1] Random House released the English translation in the UK on June 7, 2012, and in other English-speaking countries during the summer of 2012.[2]

The novel won Bokbloggarnas litteraturpris which is awarded by major Swedish book bloggers,[3] as well as Bokjuryn, where over 30,000 Swedish children and young adults vote for their favourite books,[4] and it was nominated for the August Prize youth award in 2011.