
a book
The Magus
John Fowles · 2001 · 656 pages
Widely considered John Fowles's masterpiece, The Magus is "a dynamo of suspense and horror...a dizzying, electrifying chase through the labyrinth of the soul....Read it in one sitting if possible-but read it" (New York Times).
A young Englishman, Nicholas Urfe, accepts a teaching post on a remote Greek island in order to escape an unsatisfactory love affair. There, his friendship with a reclusive millionaire evolves into a mysterious--and deadly--game of violence, seduction, and betrayal. As he is drawn deeper into the trickster's psychological traps, Nicholas finds it increasingly difficult to distinguish past from present, fantasy from reality. He becomes a desperate man fighting for his sanity and his very survival.
John Fowles expertly unfolds a spellbinding exploration of the complexities of the human mind. By turns disturbing, thrilling and seductive, The Magus is a masterwork of contemporary literature.
A young Englishman, Nicholas Urfe, accepts a teaching post on a remote Greek island in order to escape an unsatisfactory love affair. There, his friendship with a reclusive millionaire evolves into a mysterious--and deadly--game of violence, seduction, and betrayal. As he is drawn deeper into the trickster's psychological traps, Nicholas finds it increasingly difficult to distinguish past from present, fantasy from reality. He becomes a desperate man fighting for his sanity and his very survival.
John Fowles expertly unfolds a spellbinding exploration of the complexities of the human mind. By turns disturbing, thrilling and seductive, The Magus is a masterwork of contemporary literature.
recommended by 5 people
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Brie Larson
“I finished it in two days. If you like a story with an untrustworthy narrator, you’ll love this book.”↗

Christopher Harris
“When I did a Top 10 list for fave books a while back, “The Magus” by John Fowles was on it. It’s a magical humbling of a novel, an upper-crusty snob just getting *messed* with, I love it. (If you ever read it, get the 1977 Revised Edition, which is how Fowles intended it to be.)”↗

Jonny Geller
“I read this as a 21 year old and decided to see how it (and me) has changed, 30 years later. The sheer page turning storytelling still shines through, but all the “big ideas” don’t quite feel as big anymore. What favourite book of yours felt different after a longer gap?”↗


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