Mister Magic: A Novel
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show—and discover the secret of its enigmatic host—in this “skin-crawling story of pop culture fandom and ‘90s nostalgia” (Melissa Albert, author of The Hazel Woods) from the author of Hide.
“[A] propulsive, exciting, often genuinely scary, endlessly compelling mystery.”—Terry Miles, author of Rabbits
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Polygon, Chicago Public Library, CrimeReads
Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.
But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.
Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.
After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?
Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship. . . .
“[A] propulsive, exciting, often genuinely scary, endlessly compelling mystery.”—Terry Miles, author of Rabbits
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Polygon, Chicago Public Library, CrimeReads
Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.
But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.
Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.
After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?
Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship. . . .
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Community Reviews
Thank you Netgalley, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, and Author Kiersten White for the eARC copy of "Mister Magic: The Graphic Novel" in exchange for an honest review.
I had never read the novel Mister Magic so this was my intro to the book. The art was beautiful and really captured the time and emotion of the story. I think if I had read the original novel I would have enjoyed this way more especially as a horror. However, the graphic novel seems to be missing something. It felt way more mystery/thriller and I found myself having trouble really getting into it.
Overall, I do think it's worth a read and is an interesting story that really an interesting take on generational trauma, performative childhood, and touches on aspects that many might not think about when it comes to children and even children in media.
I had never read the novel Mister Magic so this was my intro to the book. The art was beautiful and really captured the time and emotion of the story. I think if I had read the original novel I would have enjoyed this way more especially as a horror. However, the graphic novel seems to be missing something. It felt way more mystery/thriller and I found myself having trouble really getting into it.
Overall, I do think it's worth a read and is an interesting story that really an interesting take on generational trauma, performative childhood, and touches on aspects that many might not think about when it comes to children and even children in media.
“Mister Magic” has a very intriguing premise, which has a lot of promise within the first half of the novel. But, once you enter into the second half, and actually start finding out what is going on, this book started to lose me. It got a bit convoluted, which resulted in an ending that felt far too safe and predictable. This easily could have been an interesting dive into our relationship with media, and how the powers that be could be influencing us, which could have been a very captivating read. I really did enjoy the first half of the book, and I’m sad that the ending fell flat for me, but I’m still very interested in seeing what else White has in store, since her previous novel “Hide” really was an enjoyable read.
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