12 DECEMBER 1908, Page 26

The Magician. By W. Somerset Maugham. (W. Heinemann. 6s.)—It is

very seldom that the writers of modern fiction an succeed in giving a real thrill of horror to their readers. They usually adopt the subterfuge of alluding vaguely to horrible mysteries and leaving their exact form to the imagination. Mr. Maugham, however, invents a ghastly series of experiments for his modern magician, and any one embarking on this book may be assured that his flesh will creep, and that he will have a decided sensation of sickness when the mysteries of Oliver Haddo's doings are revealed. The pictures of artist life in Paris are not so commonplace as is generally the case with this very hackneyed theme, and the accounts of Dr. Porhoet's library of magic are given in great and convincing detail.