The Magician Illustrated

Arthur Burdon travels to Paris expecting a reunion with his fiancée, Margaret Dauncey, and instead meets Oliver Haddo, an imposing occultist whose boasts seem designed to provoke disbelief. W. Somerset Maugham's The Magician turns that social antagonism into a struggle over Margaret's freedom, with reason and supernatural influence offering competing explanations for her behavior.

Haddo first unsettles Arthur, Margaret, Susie Boyd, and Dr. Porhoët through displays that may be tricks or genuine magic. After Arthur humiliates him in a fight, Haddo directs his attention toward Margaret. Her revulsion gives way to fascination; she marries him and leaves Paris. Arthur retreats into surgical work, and Susie tries to master her unreturned love for him. Reports of the marriage and Margaret's troubled return convince the group that ordinary persuasion may not account for Haddo's hold.

The danger sharpens when Margaret hints that her husband is preparing an occult ritual that requires her death. Arthur's scientific confidence can no longer shield him from what he cannot measure, and Porhoët's learning becomes essential to the rescue. Maugham shapes the novel around seduction, obsession, and the fear that charisma can become a form of captivity, giving its horror both a psychological and an uncanny edge.