The Spirit Cabinet [Hardcover]

Paul quarrington (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 341 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic; First Edition edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679309853
• ISBN-13: 978-0679309857
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The world of magic, April 20, 2000

By 

Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spirit Cabinet (Hardcover)

On Terry Pratchett's Discworld, there are eight colours in the rainbow. The eighth is The Colour of Magic. Like the other colours, its intensity may be measured - using a thaumometer.

On our world, as Paul Quarrington depicts here, magic is measured with a bank account book. Its practitioners are showmen not wizards. They are sleight-of-hand artists, illusionists well versed in the motto 'the hand is quicker than the eye'. They are highly competitive for audiences and recognition. The issue of selecting routines for their performances looms large, both for the sake of the audience and thier competitors.

Performance magic relies heavily on deception and devices. Quarrington relates how little novelty there is in this trickery. Manuevers and mechanisms are frequently handed down over generations to apprentices or favored associates. In The Spirit Cabinet it is a collection of material derived, almost inevitably, from the greatest magical showman of them all, Henry Houdini.

Assembled from such diffuse origins as Germany, Switzerland and Saskatchewan, a melange of conjurers gathers in Las Vegas to acquire a collection of Houdini memoribilia. Quarrington takes great pains in demonstrating the trade draws unusual people. Jurgen and Rudolfo are an unusal couple, in more ways than one. A rarity in the craft, they are a team. Most magicians, such as Kaz and Preston the Adequate [his father was Preston the Magnificent] work alone, or with no more than a decorous assistant. All covet the Houdini material, although why, since so much of it has been duplicated, remains hidden. Jurgen and Rudolfo acquire the collection. From that point on, their relationship takes a new course. A hint of real magic emerges, confounding all their lives.

Quarrington has drawn these people well. In describing their origins, there are numerous unexpected twists. The memory of Preston's father overshadows his life. Jurgen and Rudolfo have what can only be described as bizarre childhoods. As partners in performance and life, they become lovers. Few books reach publication these days without some form of sexual dysfunction as at least a minor theme. Kaz is Jewish, causing him to view every slight or competition as anti-Semetically based. Only Miranda seems stable; the account of her show business career is one of the best episodes in the book.

Quarrington obviously spent much effort researching this book. Combining this information with his prose skills he restores the value of personal performance to a generation inundated with special effects in TV and film. As he did in Whale Music, he depicts the life of entertainers. Stage magic is not for the inept and Quarrington portrays well the stresses these practitioners endure. This book is a fine addition to any library.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spirit Fusion, March 24, 2003

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spirit Cabinet (Paperback)

"The Spirit Cabinet" uses the world of magicians and magic as an allegory for an exploration of self-worth. Much of the story takes place through the eyes of Rudolfo, who is the showman partner of Jurgan. The two come from colorful pasts. They are lovers as well as partners in a magic act. The novel contains several romantic graphic gay sexual encounters, one in a hail storm & one on an exercise bike. Rudolfo has a flare for working with animals, most notably Samson whose thoughts & fears are most humanely told. Samson is like the cowardly lion, although at times he's alternately bored or suffering from indigestion. The plot revolves around an auction where Jurgan buys a collection of books & magical equipment that belonged to Harry Houdini. This apparently contains secret magical information. We're not absolutely clear about what happens within the spirit cabinet, but Jurgen appears to undergo a transformation where he becomes increasingly less material, his body translucent, and less responsive to physical gravity. The culmination event reminded me of the idea of spirit fusion presented in The Urantia Book. Other magicians swirl in subplots. Preston the Adequate steals Jurgen & Rudolfo's lovely assistant Miranda. Envious magician Kaz tries to steal the Houdini collection. There is also a chauffeur from the African Dogon tribe who appears to have magical qualities. Quarrington peoples the novel with a collection of oddballs who all seem to question their self-worth. The quasi-mystical becomes magical and possible. Jurgen's climax where he seems to explode skyward into luminous bits is wonderful. The barriers to enjoyment come from the construction which is a bit hard to follow. One chapter is in the present, the next in flashback, and another in a dream. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's what, which may be the point. Overall, this is an interesting and entertaining tome, if a bit off-center. Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good writing, a little hard to swallow, June 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Spirit Cabinet (Hardcover)

I have to say I enjoyed this book, but saw room for improvement. While Quarrington's descriptive and narrative style is quite tasty and the plot decidedly provocative and well-researched, I found the telling a little loose and frayed around the edges and the last portion of the book seemed rushed and clumsily tied together. It takes place in a believable world (if you can call Las Vegas believable) where magic (not mere illusions) exists and animals have emotional and intellectual maturity. These devices worked and their "unrealness" was "believable" and enjoyable. Yet, for example, when one's lover/partner starts to turn literally translucent, begins wasting away before your eyes and performing ACTUAL magic learned from ancient books & scrolls and paraphernalia, one would probably react with something other than sulking, annoyance and self-centered anger. This is the sort of unbeleivability that I disliked about this book, even for it's well drawn characters, good humor and surprising twists of plot. Also, some of the out-of-chronological-order storytelling left me confused and back-tracking rather than being able to watch the subplots eventually fall satisfyingly into place. In sum: Enjoyable but not wholly satisfying.