I have just finished The Magus and I am absolutely baffled. Honestly, I have no idea what happened, or why. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is beautiful, but I couldn’t grasp the point of the book. What was the experiment actually about? What were these so-called "pretend gods" trying to teach Nicholas? The motives behind the "game" felt paper-thin to me, and the constant references to books and authors, while impressive, often felt like name-dropping rather than adding depth to the story.
At first, the book reminded me a bit of Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum, that idea of what is real and what is not….but as the story progressed and I got more confused, that comparison fell apart. I have re-read Foucault’s Pendulum at least five times and always find something new. I doubt I’ll return to The Magus.
That said, I know there are readers who absolutely loved this book, if you’re one of them, could you help me understand? What exactly was the point of the game, and what was it trying to prove?
by Crafty-Dependent1802