The Illusions

‘‘’Cecil,’ Valentin says, softly. ‘Magic only works if you believe in it too. I saw what you can do, I know what lies inside of you. You must believe in the trick but you must also believe in your ability to perform it.’”

My thanks to Bonnier Books U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Illusions’ by Liz Hyder. The audiobook is narrated by Anna Burnett.

I was enchanted by Liz Hyder’s adult debut, ‘The Gifts’ and was excited by the premise of this novel, which is primarily historical fiction inspired by real life illusionists, photographers, and film pioneers. While it is not a fantasy there still is a hint of magic.

Bristol, 1896. Cecily Marsden is scraping a living as an assistant to an ageing con artist. When her master dies in a freak accident, Cecily wonders if her anger might have triggered it. Could she have powers? She is given a new home by conjurer, Roderick Skarratt, who had known her former master. Yet he soon starts to act rather creepy around her.

Thankfully she encounters Valentin, an aging magician who has traveled to Britain from abroad to reunite with The Professor, his dearest friend and bitterest foe. He and the Professor, who is dying, are planning to stage a grand send-off where the Professor will name his official successor. Skarratt feels strongly that title belongs to him and is willing to go to great lengths to secure it. Meanwhile, Valentin sees great potential in Cecily and becomes her teacher.

Elsewhere in Bristol, Eadie Carleton is a pioneering early film-maker. She struggles for her talent to be taken seriously in a male-dominated world. George Perris, a brilliant young magician, begins to see the potential in moving pictures and believes that if he can harness this new technology, it will revolutionise the world of magic forever.

This was a delightful read with wonderful characters and plenty of intrigue given the rivalry between the illusionists vying for the title of Britain’s Greatest Living Magician. In her Historical Note Hyder provides information about the real life inspirations for her characters and where she has utilised creative license.

With respect to the audiobook, Anna Burnett has a wide background in theatre, film, and television and has recently added audiobooks to her repertoire. I enjoyed her reading of ‘The Secrets of Rochester Place’ and felt that she was a good choice for ‘The Illusions’ as she has a rich voice that captures the novel’s various characters.

Overall, I found ‘The Illusions’ an excellent read that beautifully captured the atmosphere of the late 19th Century theatre and the stage magic of the time. Liz Hyder is a skilled storyteller and I loved this novel.

The audio book brought this story to life in my imagination. For magic to work you have to believe. I believe! I believe this is excellent fiction, and not an illusion! Roll up, roll up, settle comfortably and listen!. Set at the end of the 1890’s, the glamour of being entertained by a night out at the theatre, to be amazed by illusions and the new medium of film, is all the rage and the talk of the town. Fortunes to be made, reputations to be upheld, secrecy, greed, duplicity, a safe life, love, laughter, fun and honour can all be found amongst the characters (and a dog or two) who frequent the stage and this book. Don’t miss this one! Thank you to Bonnier Audio UK and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This was such a lovely book. The elements of found family, understanding and forgiveness really touched me. I found the historical aspects fascinating as I didn’t know how much conjurers and magicians were involved in the development of moving pictures. The characters were really well rounded and likeable while the villain was deplorable. The story had lots of twists to keep the reader’s interest and the relationships, both romantic and platonic were very sweet.

The narration was very good, and meant the listening experience was particularly enjoyable.

The phrase “All done by kindness” crops up a few times in the book, and I was interested to find out for the author’s note that this was actually a famous catchphrase from the world famous magician David Devant from around the time the book is set. I thought this was a lovely phrase and captures the feeling of the book so well. It’s definitely something that will stick with