Book Review: Mister Magic

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 dark supernatural thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide.

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 cult. A minor deity. A pocket universe. A reality TV show from an unspecified production company on an unspecified channel and mostly just remembered as a kid’s show. And the child stars who remember their time on set much differently thirty years later – including Val who doesn’t remember at all.

Themes of a restrictive, heteronormative, patriarchal (probably misogynistic) society bleeds through the pages as well as the pain not loving someone for who they are and telling them that they are enough, fills the story to the brim.

Val always thought she couldn’t remember anything before the ranch she lived her life on because she did something horrible; that she was bad. She also believed that they (she and her father) were on the run because she did something bad. And he let her believe it. Then, after thirty years of living on the ranch, her father dies and people from her past (she can’t remember) shows up, inviting her to the reunion of the show on a podcast. And telling her that her mother was alive – something else her father had withheld from her.

Filled with grief and shame (she still believed she’d done something horrible she couldn’t remember) she sets off with these strangers she instinctually trusts to find out about her past.

And a whole creepy past is revealed as her memories return in flashes.

Scary and deliciously dark, the truth of the TV show and its world is unfurled. Loads of social commentary – especially on sexism, homophobia, racism, and religious trauma.

Though there’s a lot of telling (would have liked to see her actually work with the horse Stormy she seems to fear), it sort of works with the blocks she has in her mind about her entire life. And the fact that these thirty-somethings act like teenagers while drunk is another reminder of how much being on the show had damaged them. I enjoyed this odd thriller.

Trigger warnings: cult, misogyny, child abuse, blasphemy, swearing, religious trauma.