I first read The Magician when I was in my early 20s and revelled in all things gothic and dark, possibly with a hint of romanticism. I absolutely loved the book at the time and knew quite a few passages by heart. I recently decided to read The Magician again when I found out it was freely available in Kindle format. Well, it's almost been twenty years now since I first read it (!) and I must say I wasn't terribly impressed this time. Maugham is one of my favourite authors and I love is writing but it is quite uneven in The Magician, which I think is one of the main flaws of the book. I still like the story very much and the fact that it is quite a departure from the rest of Maugham's works makes it an original read. Hadn't it been for Maugham I probably would have given the book a two-star rating but I just can't give any of his book less than three stars :)