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Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician: A Novel
by Daniel Wallace

Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician: A Novel Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

From the author of Big Fish comes this haunting, tender story that weaves a tragic secret, a mysterious meeting with the Devil, and a family of charming circus freaks recounting the extraordinary adventures of their friend Henry Walker, the Negro Magician.

In the middle of a dusty Southern town, in the middle of the twentieth century, magician Henry Walker entertains crowds at Jeremiah Musgrove's Chinese Circus. Though not the world-famous illusionist he once was, Henry, with his dark skin and green eyes, is still something of a novelty to the patrons who pay a dime to see his show. Most of the patrons, anyway.

As the novel begins, one May night in 1954, Henry is confronted by three menacing white teens, and soon thereafter disappears. With his fate uncertain, his friends from the circus — Jenny the Ossified Girl, Rudy the Strong Man, and JJ the Barker — piece together what they know of Henry's mysterious and extraordinary life. The result is a spellbinding adventure that begins when ten-year-old Henry meets the devil, who gives him the art of magic and then steals the one thing that means the most to him. As Henry's friends recount the remarkable adventures and incredible heartache that result from this childhood encounter, only one thing seems certain about Henry's life: nothing is as it appears.

Brimming with surprising twists and turns, and peopled with a literal circus of memorable characters, Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician is Daniel Wallace at his finest. As in his beloved debut, Big Fish, Wallace once again conjures a wondrous tale with an emotional punch. This is a story of love and loss, identity and illusion, fate and choice; a story that will capture your heart and your imagination and not let go until the very last page.

Review:

"An inept African-American illusionist is dogged by the deal he struck with the devil in Wallace's fourth novel, a circus picaresque that barnstorms its way through the 1950s American South. Henry Walker, once the 'greatest magician in the world,' has been reduced to a minstrel show — like novelty act in a traveling circus. Henry's story, told by a succession of narrators — including members of the circus and a private detective — begins during the Depression, when Henry's family fell on hard times. While down and out, Henry meets and apprentices with the devilish magician Mr. Sebastian. Henry learns the secrets of magic, but his ambition and ability are crimped when his beloved sister, Hannah, disappears. The truths of Henry's and Mr. Sebastian's identities and the fate of Hannah are gradually revealed, and what appears to be a Faustian tale of a pact with the devil turns out to be something more tragic. Wallace (Big Fish; The Watermelon King) skillfully unravels the tale, and though the conclusion is both startling and inevitable, and Henry is as beguiling and enigmatic a character as Wallace has created, the milieu of carnies, hucksters, tricksters and wanderers isn't as sharp as it could be. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"The Devil in Daniel Wallace's engaging if sometimes elusive new novel, 'Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician,' frequents upscale summer resort hotels, lives in Muncie, Ind., knows a fair number of card tricks and is very, very white.

The Depression is raging when Henry Walker, the story's hero, first meets the Devil, aka Mr. Sebastian, in room 702 of the Fremont Hotel. Henry is 10..." Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review)

Review:

"A deft and economical writer with a fine ear for dialogue." The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Review:

"Not until the very end of the book do the characters and plots snap into sharp focus....[Wallace] — like any good magician — refuses to give away all of his secrets." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"[A] readable and quirky off-center confection....It is a story of the fabulous, one that freely mixes the real and the desired in equal parts, so that the reader never knows quite what to believe." Denver Post

Review:

"Wallace brings to his role as author wit, a subtle compassion, and an offbeat originality." The Boston Globe

Review:

"[A] masterly novel about love and illusion, friendship and sacrifice." Library Journal

Review:

"Wallace's fractured fairy tale may strike readers new to the author as somewhat gimmicky; it will appeal to his fan base." Booklist

Synopsis:

Brimming with surprising twists and turns, and peopled with a literal circus of memorable characters, this is Wallace at his finest. As in his debut, Big Fish, Wallace once again conjures a wondrous tale with an emotional punch.

About the Author

Daniel Wallace is the author of three novels, including Big Fish. His stories have been published in many magazines and anthologies, including The Yale Review, The Massachusetts Review, Shenandoah, and Glimmer Train. He teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780385521093
Author:
Wallace, Daniel
Publisher:
Doubleday Books
Author:
Wallace, Daniel
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Magicians
Subject:
Circus performers.
Copyright:
Publication Date:
July 2007
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
257
Dimensions:
9.46x6.60x.97 in. 1.05 lbs.