The Illusionist (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Anita Mason
- First Published: 1983
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Fantasy—theological romance
- Time of Work: The first century
- Setting: Judaea, Samaria, Syria, and Rome
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction, Fantasy
- Subjects: Magic or magicians, Christianity, Middle East, Rome, First century
- Locales: Rome, ancient, Middle East
The Plot
The Illusionist speculates about the life of Simon Magus, a magician who appears in the New Testament (Acts 8:9-24). Simon angers the apostle Peter when he attempts to buy the power to summon the Holy Spirit, thereby increasing his magical powers.
As the novel opens, Simon has been wandering through Palestine for fifteen years, looking for the source of his magical powers. Simon can fly, plunge his hands into fire, assume the face of another person, and change the density of his flesh so that knives cannot penetrate it or so that it seems to melt beneath...
[The entire page is 968 words long]
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