Customer Reviews

The Illusionist (Abacus Books)

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I picked this up a couple of years ago in Swansea, Wales on the remaindered table of one of those now common dumping bookshops. In fact, I buy most of my books like that, since it is this safest way to get to know new authors. This is one of the only novels I have read that actually actively changed not my life, but my perception of certain matters.

The story is about Simon Magus, a man who is mostly remembered, if at all, for having been a great magician at the time of St Peter, who summoned demons to make him fly and was then brought to shame by the Saint himself and the power of God.

Ms Mason weaves the story of this extraordinary man around the turbulent ambience of the time. She demonstrates how during Jesus' own lifetime and later there were various miracle makers abroad, attracting great audiences with their shows. Simon Magus, a man of no religion, bisexual and with a penchant for young boys, mixes with the early Christians including Peter, not on enemy terms, but perfectly civilly. He travels around making great illusions for all to see, but always remains essentially a man.

Although the subject matter may seem unexciting to some, the book is extraordinarily gripping and entertaining. The author demonstrates in a very convincing manner, but without being pedantic, how the God of the Old Testament, the Jewish God, is in contradiction to the forgiving God Jesus spoke of. Although he is already dead at the time of the story, Jesus becomes very much alive and human to the reader.

I am not sure what kind of effect this book will have on Christians, I'm sure it will cause quite a stir,
but for me, a more than convinced atheist, it did a lot to change my view both of Jesus himself, and of Christianity, which sadly now as ever, has often little to do with the teachings of its unfortunate namesake.

Absolutely boring.
Thin, superficial, drawn out, tedious.
No research done at all, apparently, in preparing this book.
Supposed to be based on historical character, but appears to be based on hearsay experienced thru the years by the author, who obviously had very limited recall.
Sad.

I found this book to be somewhat lackluster. It starts out with a bang, and wraps up with a poor ending. It doesn't employ Magus' abilities well, and while the historical content is of some interest, the author insists on using names few would recognize or puzzle out. Jesus is Joshua, Peter is Kepha, even though Saul is easily recognizable, as is Phillip. Much of Simon's arguments against the scriptures pretty much smack of sophistry. Anita Mason does her utmost to stay with the basic storyline as told by numerous Gnostic websites. A decent read, but not a book that I would use as a reference guide, nor one that I would reread.