Customer Reviews

The Magician's Study: A Guided Tour of the Life, Times, and Memorabilia of Robert "The Great" Rouncival

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Tobias Seamon crafts this work into layers of illusions, and he does so with formidable skill. His knowledge and use of history--the events, people, and places--make it increasingly difficult to maintain the belief that Robert is a fictitious character. Somewhere along the way, Robert becomes human and, then, somewhere else along the way, he becomes truly magical. Seamon is a writer of tremendous depth and perception and he takes us on an odyssey that is magical, mythical, and ultimately human. In the end, he reminds us of the magic that can lie behind the pain, the mishaps, and the failings of human flesh, and his novel has my highest recommendation! Interested readers should also purchase Seamon's poetry!!

A strange, terrific read. Reminiscent of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay with its focus on boisterous old New York, dazzling showmanship, and the showman's own personal demons (which often conjure newer, more menacing demons). There's a memorable encounter with Houdini, stage magic that becomes harder and harder to dismiss as mere illusion, a couple of knock-down, drag-out love stories, and so much vivid detail I'd almost have sworn the story wasn't fiction. Robert the Great's apparently tragic tale ends up feeling quietly exhilarating, a kind of lifelong survival story about an angry young man who ultimately turns his whole life into a crazy, thrilling act. Great great great.