While William Goldman will always be remembered fondly as the author of the novel The Princess Bride and the screenwriter for All the President’s Men, his other works such as the present volume are minor classics in their own right. For those that wondered if the author could successfully work in other genres we are pleased to present this volume as ample evidence that Goldman could write a gripping novel of psychological horror.
The trope of a ventriloquist falling under the spell of his own alter-ego in the persona of his dummy is an old one. Goldman, however, shows a remarkable gift for re-imaging the plot in a novel wherein he uses a multitude of varying points of view and unreliable narrators to weave a web of kaleidoscopic psychological horror where nothing is necessarily what it seems and the central character’s alcoholism and possible descent into madness serve to reinforce the novel’s complexity.
Magic is a tour-de-force of its type and merits comparison to the very best of authors such as Ramsey Campbell and Peter Straub. Originally published by Delacorte in 1976, this new edition features all of the craftsmanship and attention to detail that Centipede Press customers have come to expect. In addition to the novel itself the book contains new artwork and a new introduction by Brian Evenson.
Limited to 300 copies for sale, the book is bound in cloth, Smyth sewn, with a deckled edge, top-edge stain, ribbon marker, and custom printed endpapers. Each copy is signed by Brian Evenson and artist David Ho.
Last I heard there were about 12 copies left for purchase from Centipede Press.
