The Magus: John Fowles

A revelatory new account of the magus and his place in the intellectual, social and cultural world of Renaissance Europe. A man trapped in a millionare's deadly game of political and sexual betrayal Filled with shocks and chilling surprises, is a masterwork of contemporary literature. In it, a young Englishman, Nicholas Urfe, accepts a teaching position on a Greek island where his friendship with the owner of the islands most magnificent estate leads him into a nightmare. As reality and fantasy are deliberately confused by staged deaths, sensual encounters, and terrifying violence, Urfe becomes a desperate man fighting for his sanity and his life. A work rich with symbols, conundrums and labrinthine twists of event, is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining, a work that ranks with the best novels of modern times.