Maughamâ"s enchanting tale of secrets and fatal attraction The Magician is one of Somerset Maughamâ"s most complex and perceptive novels. Running through it is the theme of evil, deftly woven into a story as memorable for its action as for its astonishingly vivid characters. In fin de siã¨cle Paris, Arthur and Margaret are engaged to be married. Everyone approves and everyone seems to be enjoying themselvesâ?until the sinister and repulsive Oliver Haddo appears.