Customer Reviews

The Magician

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3 star:		(1)
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This is one of Maugham's least-read works, judging from its absence in most bookstores and libraries. Of Human Bondage, Cakes and Ale, The Moon and Sixpence are usually fairly easy to locate on most shelves. You must do a little digging to find this one, but it will reward your efforts.

At the center of the book is Oliver Haddo, who, as you can tell from the other reviews here, is based entirely and without much thought of disguise upon Aleister Crowley, the London necromancer. The plot is indeed pure melodrama, the virginal fiance drawn irresistibly towards her doom by dark forces against which there appears to be no defense. Think of Bram Stoker, or Coppola if you haven't read the novel. Will our hero somehow find a way to overcome the great odds and emerge victorious? Will Haddo succeed in his plan of evil debauchery? Stay tuned for the heady conclusion.

What saves The Magician from sinking into the morass of its conventional and even hackneyed plot is the quality of Maugham's writing. We are aware at all times that we are in the hands of an accomplished writer and artist, who can turn a tired theme into an event of wit and real pathos. At times the scenes are in fact quite chillingly rendered as well. There is real suspense here, as well as some startlingly weird and realistic depictions of the occult. The scene that comes most readily to mind is Haddo's creation of the homonculi, some home-grown little fiends he cooks up in a test-tube. Many of the scenes have a surreal edge to them, but are grounded in enough realistic detail to lend them plausibility at the same time.

I would recommend this book to those who have read and enjoyed Maugham's other works, as well as to anyone who enjoys books about the occult or to fans of horror novels (of which there are legion). It's an easy and fun read and is frightening enough that it just might have you looking over your shoulder the next time you're dining in a London restaurant, double-checking to see if Haddo might not be sitting somewhere across the room. Then again, these days, a lot of women probably hope that he is.

This is possibly the strangest of all Maugham novels that I've read. It starts innocently enough with the type of sophisticated turn of the century Parisian characters that populate much of his fiction. The characters are lucidly established and we are slowly drawn into their relationships and longings in typical Maugham fashion. Then we are introduced to the strange eccentric character of Oliver Haddo and with each of his subsequent appearances the theme of lurking evil is masterfully developed. The plot then takes over in a way that I felt was unique for Maugham and this novel turns into a suspenseful page turner. It is in someways reminiscent of Dracula. The climax builds relentlessly and the last half of the book is virtually impossible to put down once it's begun. Wonderfully blends a horror tale with the cultural sophistication of all Maugham's writing.

Maugham's elegant prose, his mastery of dialog, and his uncanny ability to sketch living, breathing, three dimensional characters in a few sentences serve him well in this gripping tale of the life and crimes of the evil Oliver Haddo and the handful of unlucky naïfs who fall under his spell in Paris at the turn of the last century.

Unlike many of Maugham's other novels, the appeal of "The Magician" owes as much to the tight plotting as to the characterizations. In particular, the character of the deliciously wicked Oliver Haddo, based on the infamous Aleister Crowley, "the wickedest man alive," jumps off the page. However, like Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (a book that in structure "The Magician" resembles more than a little) the plot can sag slightly when the villain is off-stage. Luckily, this is never for more than a handful of pages.

Still surprisingly fresh and readable nearly a hundred years after its first publication, this book will appeal as much to the literate horror fan as to the typical "Twentieth Century Classics" reader.

Okay. First, if you want to read this because you have heard the magician is based on Aleister Crowley, it's worth reading--The magician Haddo comes across as a spoiled vengeful little boy who never grew up which seems pretty accurate based on Crowley's CONFESSIONS. If you don't know anything about Crowley, this is still a worthwhile read despite being occassionally dated and having some "idiot moments" (i.e., "Why is the character doing that? He/She must be an idiot"). The ending is particularly chilling and caught me by surprise.

This novel is based on a character whom Somerset Maugham met in Paris in 1897 called Aleistair Crowley. He was a liar, a boastful man and a voluminous writer of mediocre verse. He was also dabbing in Satanism, magic and occult. He inspired Somerset Maugham and served as a model for Oliver Haddo in "The Magician".

Arthur Burdon, surgeon of St Luke's in London, has just arrived in Paris to study the methods of the French operators. But he has also come there to see Margaret Dauncy with whom he is in love. It is Dr Porhoet, a lifetime friend of Arthur's, who introduces him to Oliver Haddo. This obese, fleshy-faced man with an imposing paunch claims to be a magician. At a dinner party, the guests can hardly believe the stories told by this charlatan. They wonder whether he is an impostor or a madman and how much he really believes what he says. Does he deceive himself or is he laughing up his sleeve at the madness of those who take him seriously? To Arthur's bewilderment, as he is about to marry Margaret, she falls under the spell of Oliver Haddo and flees with him. Yet Arthur can hardly picture into what abyss of horror and evil Margaret will be driven.

A complex and perceptive novel. The theme of evil is perfectly woven into a story stunning for its action and vivid characters.

I recommend the audio version from Audible.com. Listening to Frederick Davidson reading "The Magician" is a pure delight!

This is the story about a beautiful young girl named Margaret, her friend Susie and Arthur Burdon - Margareth's guardian and fiancée. They are in Paris, preparing the wedding of Arthur and Margaret, when they meet the strange Oliver Haddo. He is introduced to them by Dr Porhoët, a friend of Arthurs'. Haddo is an eccentric character who is deeply occupied with occult mysteries and perhaps has dark powers of his own (or is he joking?)

Arthur and Margaret take an instant dislike to Haddo, and when he and Arthur become enemies, strange things begin to happen...

Soon the sensible and rational Arthur finds himself in way over his head in mysteries, when he tries to save the woman he loves from a truly horrible fate!

The story is interesting and haunting, but the characters are a bit too rigid for my taste, and - except for Haddo - without much nuance. I'm aware that the themes they represent are the main focus of the novel, but I would have liked more "3 dimensional" characters (again except for Haddo).

The plot is well constructed and interesting, and the explorations of the dark arts and it's practises are fascinating!

I won't reveal too much of the story here, as it takes some interesting twists and turns along the way! A nice read for a rainy day, if you like suspense and mystery mixed with love and occultism!

This isn't Maugham at his best, but it's not intended to be. Rather, this is a real page-turning thriller that Maugham more or less dashed off for the fun of it. But whatever Maugham wrote, including pot-boilers like this one, was written extremely well. The Black Magic theme in the hands of a lesser writer -- e.g., Dennis Wheatley -- is usually hopelessly lurid and over the top (albeit entertaining). But this is not the case with Maugham's "The Magician," which is that true rarity -- a sophisticated thriller.

The plot is now ridiculously common; man loves girl, girl loves man, "evil" other man ensnares girl, man and another girl and man's mentor attempt to save girl...I won't divulge the ending. I was surprised. This is the earliest work, I have encountered, that tells this story. Once I got beyond my thought of been there/seen this a million times in the movies and on t.v., I really enjoyed this work. I am continually impressed with Maugham's ability to write dialogue; the way in which he uses the interacting dialogue of his characters to advance the plot of the story. An early work of Maugham's and an easy, enjoyable read.

....the famous satanist whom Maugham was a contemporary of in turn of the century Paris. Themes of "human bondage" predominate, in common with Maugham's other works. Crowley himself reviewed the book in the Vanity Fair magazine at the time. A wonderful tale of travel through high society Europe and an exploration of darker human emotions. An underrated work, for which he has been accused of plagiarism.

Maughan...

dear lovers of magic,

... is a truly great writer and while this is not accorded as one of his great books, these elves, who love books about magic, both fiction and non-fiction, loved this book as well. As noted elsewhere, the book is based on Aleister Crowley, whom Maughan met in Paris just after Crowley returned from Africa where he had shot two lions that were charging him at the same time, which according to Maughan was quite an impressive feat considering the courage it took to remain calm while being so attacked. Maughan wrote that Crowley was neither as powerful nor as evil as the villain of this book. Somewhat reminiscent of Denis Wheatley's occult novels.

Kyela,

the silver elves