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The Magus

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The Magus

By: John Fowles
Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
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Summary

John Fowles’ The Magus was a literary landmark of the 1960s. Nicholas Urfe goes to a Greek island to teach at a private school and becomes enmeshed in curious happenings at the home of a mysterious Greek recluse, Maurice Conchis. Are these events, involving attractive young English sisters, just psychological games, or an elaborate joke, or more? Reality shifts as the story unfolds.

The Magus reflected the issues of the 1960s perfectly, but even almost half a century after its first publication, it continues to create tension and concern, remaining the page-turner that it was when it was first released.

©1977 J. R. Fowles Ltd (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Mind-bending Magic Users Greece
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What did you like about this audiobook?

It's a dated book but still very enjoyable listen

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

It made me want to revisit Greece.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

The plot is highly unlikely but the listener can just about suspend disbelief and go with the story.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

The narrator was great

Wasn't as I remembered it

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Any additional comments?

The Magus is undoubtedly a literary masterpiece as well as a fascinating listen. However, it is quite bizarre and although I loved it I am sure many people will not. If the following don't appeal to you, don't read it: Jungian psychology; mystifying intrigue comprising layers of lies within lies; and armchair philosophy on love, infidelity and freedom of choice. This is something of a caricature of the book's themes but I do believe it may save some people from a 26 hour mistake.

A brilliant book and a brilliant performance

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Seized by a fit of nostalgia and having always had fond memories of this book I decided to get it as a break from my usual stuff which lately has been a little dry. The last time I was so disappointed in a book was when I read Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice and collapsed with utter boredom fifty pages from the end. I think I got to chapter 40 something with this one but it had a long way to go and I was no longer intrigued enough to follow it to its conclusion. In the long ago sixties this was a marvellous book, I thought. Just shows how age can either make you lose your taste or sharpen the buds more. Whichever it was/is, I find I no longer have the resilience to keep on reading or listening to a book if it's hard going. This was frustrating and very hard going.
So, disappointing. Couldn't recommend it to anybody but an insomniac.

Interminable

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I remember reading the Magus as a teenager, and it functioned then like a horror novel, presenting everyone as wearing masks in order to arrive at 'truth' in the subjective sense of 'know thyself' and of course any moral arguments passed me by as it was read more to justify one's own desire for gratification, and the only message that seemed clear then was to not let one's' needs fool you.
It was with much curiosity then that I purchased this in Audible's £3 sale and what a buy. The reading is flawless, the different voices all distinct enough to really create definite characters. There is a deeply moral argument running through it, the misery of Adam once he consumed the fruit, that knowledge is absence and ultimately loneliness, Nietzsche's subterranean man burrowing for truth in the dust that is humanity. All of which doesn't do justice to just how gripping a tale it is and even better listening to this reading than reading it oneself. Superb.

Gripping listen

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Listened to it today at 40 years after having read twice before at around 20 and 30 years old. Still unique after so many years and different parts stand out based on our experience. Imperfect but uncomparable.

One of the great books.

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