Books in Brief

The Magus, by John Fowles (Little, Brown, $7.95). John Fowles’ The Collector, published three years ago, was an excellent first novel and a chilling study in morbid psychology. The Magus, Mr. Fowles’ second novel, is one of the most ambitious novels of the decade. The most striking thing about it is that it returns quite frankly to the old-fashioned novel of suspense and adventure, and is unabashedly episodic, romantic, and chock-full of jolts. It is written in that alternately crisp and toothsome style that the best detective-story writers use to such advantage. What makes the book so unabandonable is its ability to surprise, and never twice in the same way. One feels that so wild a flight of the imagination ought not to reduce, all things considered, to a simple romance; but, then, a girl that is hard to get is patently worth having. Mr. Fowles has written a doughty novel; he has not, however, mastered the art of the novel. The Magus is as entertaining as a circus, but it tells us nothing about the nature of humanity. Anyway, it’s a masterpiece of high-class tushery, thoroughly enjoyable all the way through.

G. davenport.

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The Magus, by John Fowles (Little, Brown, $7.95). John Fowles’ The Collector, published three years ago, was an excellent first novel and a chilling study in morbid psychology. The Magus, Mr. Fowles’ second novel, is one of the most ambitious novels of the decade. The most striking thing about it is that it returns quite frankly to the old-fashioned novel of suspense and adventure, and is unabashedly episodic, romantic, and chock-full of jolts. It is written in that alternately crisp and toothsome style that the best detective-story writers use to such advantage. What makes the book so unabandonable is its ability to surprise, and never twice in the same way. One feels that so wild a flight of the imagination ought not to reduce, all things considered, to a simple romance; but, then, a girl that is hard to get is patently worth having. Mr. Fowles has written a doughty novel; he has not, however, mastered the art of the novel. The Magus is as entertaining as a circus, but it tells us nothing about the nature of humanity. Anyway, it’s a masterpiece of high-class tushery, thoroughly enjoyable all the way through.

G. davenport.