World of Wonders

The Deptford Trilogy, Book 3

By: Robertson Davies

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Hailed by the Washington Post Book World as a "modern classic", Robertson Davies' acclaimed Deptford Trilogy is a glittering, fantastical, cunningly contrived series of novels, around which a mysterious death is woven.

World of Wonders, the third book in the series after The Manticore, follows the story of Magnus Eisengrim - the most illustrious magician of his age - who is spirited away from his home by a member of a traveling sideshow, the Wanless World of Wonders. After honing his skills and becoming better known, Magnus unfurls his life's courageous and adventurous tale in this third and final volume of a spectacular, soaring work.

Listen to the rest of The Deptford Trilogy.

©1975 Robertson Davies (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the splendid literary enterprises of this decade." ( Newsweek)

"Robertson Davies is one of the great modern novelists." (Malcolm Bradbury, The Sunday Times, London)

"Robertson Davies is a novelist whose books are thick and rich with humor, character and incident. They are plotted with skill and much flamboyance." ( The Observer)

Don't Miss Thos Book

Brilliant end of the Deptford trilogy engrossing fiction so well narrated.
Read all three for a magical adventure tinto the human soul.

Great writing

Narrator gave each character a distinct voice, adding to the experience and entertainment value. Novel still has relevance today.

Great North American Novel

I'm convinced, after this trilogy, that everyone after Twain trying to write a wistful, picaresque Bildungsroman and call it the Great American Novel, has actually written the Great Canadian Novel.

Wonderful finale

Robertson Davies Deptford Trilogy is a beautifully written story that captures the imagination. The audio book is read well so that the characters are vividly drawn.

Not quite a classic but exceptional of its kind

This third book of the Deptford Trilogy is, at times, a little pedestrian in its examination of the life and times of the previously enigmatic master illusionist Marcus Isengrim.

Like the earlier books, this one also maintains a narrative path that is not easy to define. It mixes realist fiction with elements of fantasy to create a world where Jungian dream symbols are often present.

The reading is a solid achievement given the great variety of characters and accents involved.

A satisfying read after the first two…

While not quite as strong as either of the first two books, I am glad I stuck with it.

I don’t find the story of Magnus is compelling as I did, either of David in the second, or as Dunston in the first. That may be due to the perspective, which is Dunstan, telling most of the story in Magnus’s voice.

But the ending is satisfying and definitely worth the read.

Compelling story; excellent reader

I listened to Fifth Business, The Manticore & World of Wonders straight through--just had to find out more about the characters.👍👍

Hard to follow

It is a story full of symbols and family tragedies, that, if you can follow it, leads to interesting epiphanies on heartache and love.

essential reading for humans.

Robertson Davies was a master of his craft, and his potraits of the masters in the Deptford Trilogy are outstanding.

Disappointing Finish

I finally finished Robertson Davies' modern classic, the Deptford trilogy, and I'm sorry to report that the third entry, World of Wonders, provided a disappointing finish to what started so brilliantly with the first book, Fifth Business. I almost gave World of Wonders one star, and not two, but couldnt quite bring myself to do that because it was a creative story with interesting characters. However, I just found the last book's series of biographical monologues to be really tedious.