The Magus

By: John Fowles

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©1977 J. R. Fowles Ltd (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks

Long, deep prose keeps you invested in outcome.

Phenomenal writing style mixed with great narration leaves you intertwined into a complex story about love, loss, and psychological doubts about the meaning of events. Great read with a thrilling subtlety that leaves you confounded over the importance of relationships, egotism, and self worth.

This is now my favorite book of all time.

Very rarely does a story have you continuously revisiting the plot and events trying to dissect new meaning. This book had my mind going in a thousand different directions and then the path of the narrative found direction 1001. Great book and stellar performance by Nicholas Boulton.

Ugh I couldn’t get into this book

I don’t know what my problem was but Nicholas was such a egocentric and self-deprecating character I could not get into the story. I’m sure it gets better but I can’t get past the beginning.

Great story telling

Interesting story. Irritating protagonist. This guy needs to get on with his life. Endless dwelling on a pointless situation.

Real

I was impressed by the Great writing and deep insight. I found it painful because it was close to home.

Brilliant book, incomparable reading

Where does The Magus rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

First.

What other book might you compare The Magus to and why?

"The Magus" is something in itself. I think Fowles used to express his admiration for "Le Grand Meaulnes", which I read decades ago and can't remember (oi). Have bought the Audible version, though, and still need to listen to it. Perhaps a reading of Fowles's "The Aristos" (his second book, published two years before "The Magus"), might not be a bad idea in preparation for "Magus".

Have you listened to any of Nicholas Boulton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not yet, but looking at his other readings. Incidentally, he is particularly good at reading female voices. In some other audiobooks (e.g. two versions of "The Alexandria Quartet") the male readers would have done better in keeping to a more normal pitch.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There are several brilliant moments and parts, but the scene in which Conchis hypnotises Nicholas was particularly masterfully done. Boulton's reading makes one aware of something magical, "metaphysical", totally illusory, and irresistible. Perhaps fatal, too. The reading achieves what the printed word can't do quite as well: mesmerise the listener.

Any additional comments?

Boulton's reading made me aware of many things that I missed in my own readings of "The Magus". For me, his reading made this book shimmer all the more.

Flawless reading of a masterpiece

Any additional comments?

The narrator has a remarkable gift for accents, pacing and atmosphere. Highly recommended. This is the best reading I've heard in a long time.

Never ending twists and turns

The narrator was capanle of bringing authenticity to all save maybe one character. This reminds me to sample all similar novels for the narration is essential to the enjoyment.

Superb reading

Fowles’ novel is sophisticated and complex. Nicholas Boulton is an ideal reader, with a beautiful Jeremy Irons-like voice. There are frequent passages in which a speaker in the novel has a foreign or dialect accent, as well as passages directly citing other languages, particularly French. Boulton reads all of these with great mastery. Along with all this technical skill, he fathoms the nuances of meaning with great intelligence , particularly Fowles’ pervasive irony. Based on his rendering of “The Magus,” I’m going to look for other books read by this consummate artist.

Everything About This Novel Is Perfect.

It’s a long recording, but it’s worth your time.

The ending is a bit challenging to understand. Do yourself a favour and, after you’ve finished, read a bit about what actually occurred in the final moments of the narrative, and then re-listen.

5 Stars all around.

-Noah KB
4/7/25