Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2305 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-04
• Binding: Paperback
• 656 pages

Anthony Burgess
'An astonishing achievement'

Synopsis
On a remote Greek Island, Nicholas Urfe finds himself embroiled in the deceptions of a master trickster. As reality and illusion intertwine, Urfe is caught up in the darkest of psychological games...John Fowles expertly unfolds a tale that is lush with over-powering imagery in a spellbinding exploration of the complexities of the human mind. By turns disturbing, thrilling and seductive, The Magus is a cerebral feast.

About the Author
John Fowles was born in England in 1926 and educated at Bedford School and Oxford University. John Fowles won international recognition with his first published title, THE COLLECTOR (1963). He was immediately acclaimed as an outstandingly innovative writer of exceptional imaginative power and this reputation was confirmed with the appearance of his subsequent works. He now lives and writes in Lyme Regis, Dorset.

Customer Reviews

Strange but enjoyable
Definitely one of the stranger books I have read. You are left in the dark all the way through and still guessing at the end. I am not one for too much detail in stories so that is my main criticism- it was too much for me. On the otherhand the latter might be just what they like. It was a weird storyline, and several times I started to think I was losing the plot when reading it, which is great because that is exactly how the main character feels. The ending leaves your imagination to decide where the story goes. It is a long story and struggle to get through it but worth reading it from start to finish.

exellently written nonsense
Maybe I am too old for The Magus. I agree it is a book for adolescents. But I felt cheated by how much time it took me to read it. I gave it an extra star because the writing is so accomplished and fluid. Truly expert. You never see Fowles break a sweat in terms of conveying what he wants to say in the simplest, most poetic terms. But what is he saying? The story is overblown nonsense. Still, if I were 16, I might have thoroughly enjoyed this book.

A good mystery which is never solved - very unsatisfying
I was warned by my girlfriend that The Magus was hard going - she gave up about half way through, which is most unlike her - and that she'd seen a lot of negative reviews of the book. I'm glad I persisted: I found the "trust no-one" double-dealing mystery very gripping, rather similar to the genre that Robert Goddard does so much better.

But the ending was very underwhelming. I'm still none the wiser as to why Conchis was playing his psychological games with a succession of teachers at the school. What was his motivation? I hoped that by the end of the book I'd be put out of my misery. But it was not to be. Several days of reading with no pay-off at the end. What a waste.

And all the characters (Urfe, Conchis, June, Julie, Alison) were odious - there wasn't much that endeared you to them. If you are to follow the exploits and experiences of a hero, you need to have some empathy for him.