The Magician (Vintage classics)
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Book Description
Stunningly rejacketed as part of a major reinvention of this neglected 20th century master
Product Description
Set in the bohemian café society of Paris at the turn of the nineteenth century, Maugham's exploration of hypnotism and the occult was inspired by the sinister black magician Aleister Crowley. At the start of this compulsive gothic horror story, Arthur and his beautiful, innocent fiancée Margaret look forward to an idyllic life together, until they encounter the mesmerising and repulsive Oliver Haddo...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Maugham himself commented that this, one of his earlier novels, is turgid and overly verbose. And that it certainly is; the opening paragraph excrutiatingly so. Many a reader would turn back at this point and none would call them coward. However, it'd be to their loss. For 'The Magician' is a rip roaring occult pot-boiler not unlike 'Dracula' or Dennis Wheatley's black magic romps of the 40s and 50s. Alongside its period (Edwardian) charm and well rendered sense of place (bohemian Paris) its got a top draw villain (based on the historical satanist/'magician' Alestair Crowley), romance, humour, combat, spirit summonings, possession and human sacrifice! So forgive a tyro author of a hundred years (ish) ago a few stylistic weaknesses and plunge right on in to a genuine pageturner.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Somerset Maugham has always had a rather sober reptation as a novelist: quiet, restrained, elegant, neat and unfussy, so 'The Magician' came as something of a surprise to me - elegant it may be but restrained it certainly isn't. The plot is quite simple. Arthur Burden, decent but rather dull, and his similarly unspectacular fiance Margaret have their forthcoming plans for married bliss ruined by the sinister, charismatic and spectacularly repulsive Oliver Haddo. Maugham based Haddo on the black magician Aleister Crowley and it is Haddo's dark, supernatural personality that makes the book so wonderfully readable. Haddo upsets Margaret, Arthur physically assaults Haddo and the magician takes his revenge by making Margaret fall in love with him and subsequently desert her fiance. From these simple beginnings Maugham crafts a novel which is by turns amusing, frightening and ultimately unsetteling.
The writing is, by Maugham's own later admission, a little flowery but it has terrific power. There is one chapter in the middle of the book which reads like an opium dream: Margaret finds herself in the midst of a nightmare which simply drips with erotic symbolism and intensity and it carries a weight and power a less skillful writer could never have managed. Similarly the ending of the novel is quite spectacularly horrible but in Maugham's hands it works wonderfully. Whatever the attractions of Maugham's later works he clearly learnt much of his craft with this early and rather sensational novel.
The Magician is something of a curiosity. It's a little uneven and the florid prose intially takes some getting used to, but the novel is worth perservering with. Haddo makes for a splendid villain and while Arthur and Margaret are both somewhat dry Margaret's friend Susie is a beautiful portrayal of a woman of character. Taken as a whole the novel is fascinatingly strange - imagine H G Wells muddling Mr Polly with Dr Moreau and you'll have a good idea of the dark places into which this wonderful novel will lead you. Recommended for those looking for something dark, sinister and liable to give you some very strange dreams....
The writing is, by Maugham's own later admission, a little flowery but it has terrific power. There is one chapter in the middle of the book which reads like an opium dream: Margaret finds herself in the midst of a nightmare which simply drips with erotic symbolism and intensity and it carries a weight and power a less skillful writer could never have managed. Similarly the ending of the novel is quite spectacularly horrible but in Maugham's hands it works wonderfully. Whatever the attractions of Maugham's later works he clearly learnt much of his craft with this early and rather sensational novel.
The Magician is something of a curiosity. It's a little uneven and the florid prose intially takes some getting used to, but the novel is worth perservering with. Haddo makes for a splendid villain and while Arthur and Margaret are both somewhat dry Margaret's friend Susie is a beautiful portrayal of a woman of character. Taken as a whole the novel is fascinatingly strange - imagine H G Wells muddling Mr Polly with Dr Moreau and you'll have a good idea of the dark places into which this wonderful novel will lead you. Recommended for those looking for something dark, sinister and liable to give you some very strange dreams....
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is certainly a novel worth persevering with. The beginning is dare I say dull, and Maugham himself criticised it. But then suddenly it develops into a truly gripping read. The awfully sinister Oliver Haddo is a sly practitioner of the occult, who appears to use his skill to ruin the lives of a couple of good and innocent souls. This classic novel becomes unputdownable, atmospheric and chilling. An excellent read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good stuff - but turns preposterous
I'll go along with the positive reviews here, and the evil Oliver Haddo is a character to conjure with, so to speak. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. C. Morris
Fab
What a great find this was, encouraged by other reviews here and having read and loved 'Of Human Bondage'. Haddo is Crowley isn't he? Read more
Published 18 months ago by Cardiff Reader
Crowley, innit?
Excellent story, famously based on you-know-who and well worth a read. The story is quite relevant as a moral cautionary tale against falsehood and jealousy, but also works on an... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Zepfan
Matt Smith
OK, so this is never going to be regarded as one of Maugham's better novels, but get past the first 15 pages and a rich story soon unfolds. Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2010 by M. Smith
Spell-binding
The Magician is an early work of the still young(ish) Maugham. A compulsive attraction for a person unworthy of it stands between its protagonist and happiness: it shares a similar... Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2009 by reader 451
The Magician - W. Somserset Maugham
I LIKED this. Despite the turgid opening paragraph which reminded me of overflorid prose poetry, this novel turns into a corker. Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2008 by RachelWalker
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