The Magus by John Fowles

THE MAGUS BY JOHN FOWLES 

Very Short Description (to keep you intrigued) :) 

A young English teacher Nicolas Urfe escapes from London to find peace on a beautiful remote island in Greece. There he meets Maurice Conchis, a master trickster, who drags Nicolas into psychological games. The more the character is buried in these games, the more they become dark and serious. 

My humble opinion 

Honestly, the first 50 pages had almost no impact on me. But then… I was so surprised I couldn’t put the book down. The author masterfully depicts sustains the tension and keeps the reader absorbed in the intrigue. The psychological games drive you crazy and at the same time astound. One has no idea what is true or false and cannot at all predict what will happen next. To my biggest satisfaction, the ending is ambiguous, which is perfect for such a dubious novel. 

Interesting Facts 

“Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens inspired the novel. As John Fowles himself mentions, he even thought of making Maurice Conchis a woman to make a parallel with Miss Havisham. 

Why read? 

For the sake of mystification and the search of truth.

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