Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician: A Novel [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Daniel Wallace (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2007

From the author of Big Fish comes this haunting, tender story that weaves a tragic secret, a mysterious meeting with the Devil, and a family of charming circus freaks recounting the extraordinary adventures of their friend Henry Walker, the Negro Magician. 

In the middle of a dusty Southern town, in the middle of the twentieth century, magician Henry Walker entertains crowds at Jeremiah Musgrove’s Chinese Circus. Though not the world-famous illusionist he once was, Henry, with his dark skin and green eyes, is still something of a novelty to the patrons who pay a dime to see his show. Most of the patrons, anyway.

As the novel begins, one May night in 1954, Henry is confronted by three menacing white teens, and soon thereafter disappears. With his fate uncertain, his friends from the circus—Jenny the Ossified Girl, Rudy the Strong Man, and JJ the Barker—piece together what they know of Henry's mysterious and extraordinary life. The result is a spellbinding adventure that begins when ten-year-old Henry meets the devil, who gives him the art of magic and then steals the one thing that means the most to him. As Henry’s friends recount the remarkable adventures and incredible heartache that result from this childhood encounter, only one thing seems certain about Henry's life: nothing is as it appears.

Brimming with surprising twists and turns, and peopled with a literal circus of memorable characters, Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician is Daniel Wallace at his finest. As in his beloved debut, Big Fish, Wallace once again conjures a wondrous tale with an emotional punch. This is a story of love and loss, identity and illusion, fate and choice; a story that will capture your heart and your imagination and not let go until the very last page.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An inept African-American illusionist is dogged by the deal he struck with the devil in Wallace's fourth novel, a circus picaresque that barnstorms its way through the 1950s American South. Henry Walker, once the "greatest magician in the world," has been reduced to a minstrel show–like novelty act in a traveling circus. Henry's story, told by a succession of narrators—including members of the circus and a private detective—begins during the Depression, when Henry's family fell on hard times. While down and out, Henry meets and apprentices with the devilish magician Mr. Sebastian. Henry learns the secrets of magic, but his ambition and ability are crimped when his beloved sister, Hannah, disappears. The truths of Henry's and Mr. Sebastian's identities and the fate of Hannah are gradually revealed, and what appears to be a Faustian tale of a pact with the devil turns out to be something more tragic. Wallace (Big Fish; The Watermelon King) skillfully unravels the tale, and though the conclusion is both startling and inevitable, and Henry is as beguiling and enigmatic a character as Wallace has created, the milieu of carnies, hucksters, tricksters and wanderers isn't as sharp as it could be. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Daniel Wallace is best known for Big Fish, a clever tale about a son's search for the man behind his father. Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician uses some of the same fictional ruses but tackles the far more troublesome issues of race and hypocrisy. A few reviewers found fault with an extremely convoluted plot and some extremely unreliable narrators. But most praised Wallace's unique characters and unpredictable plot twists. "In the end," concludes the Portland Oregonian, "we learn that nothing is as it appears to be, which is what this fine novel is really all about."

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (July 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038552109X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385521093
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.9 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #721,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An impressive Follow Up to Big Fish, July 13, 2007

By 

Randal the Vandal (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician: A Novel (Hardcover)

It seemed impossible to top Big FIsh, but Daniel Wallace did it with Mr. Sebastian. It's a rich and emotional mystery full of amazing magic, epic love, undying friendship, and heartbreaking tragedy. The story unfolds beautifully, and keeps you guessing right up to the end. It's almost impossible to get into the plot without giving things away so I won't.
I don't want to overhype the book, but it's REALLY good. I can't wait for the movie. Hopefully Tim Burton will do this one too. It seems right up his alley for sure.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it., August 30, 2007

By 

TJ (Pittsboro, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician: A Novel (Hardcover)

Daniel Wallace works his magic again. "Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician" is sure to please fans of "Big Fish"--it's just as thrilling, poignant, bighearted, and vividly visual. But it's also an extended and multilayered portrait of a fascinating group of people--circus freaks and ordinary folk struggling through the Depression and their own complex lives--and their voices are pitch-perfect. This novel is highly, wickedly entertaining, mysterious, suspenseful, and, finally, heartbreaking--but it's the kind of heartbreak that leaves you smiling through your tears. Run out and buy it, and write a letter to your favorite Hollywood director demanding the film. Work like this deserves your support.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A multi-layered tale where the truth becomes a bit too elusive., November 21, 2008

By 

J. Carroll "Jack" (Island Heights,NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician (Paperback)

Sometimes a good writer can become a bit precious when they tell a story with a number of different narrators. This is the approach Wallace uses here and while it often fascinates, it also frustrates. The reader can admire his talent, but that admiration is blunted by the loss of clarity it brings. I found myself getting annoyed rather than being intrigued. There is a lot to like here, an intriguing plot, and an honest examination of the racism that has plagued America, but I did find myself less than satisfied by the end. This novel ends up being more clever than it is compelling.