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Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician Audiobook
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(3.01) - 789 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Henry Walker was once a world-class magician, performing to sold-out shows in New York. But now he has been reduced to joining Musgrove's Chinese Circus (which at no point in its tour of the deep South has ever included a single Chinese person) as the shambling Negro Magician, whose dark black skin and electric green eyes bewitch most audiences. But one balmy Mississippi night in 1954, Henry disappears in the company of three rowdy white teens and is never seen again. Wallace pieces together Henry's incredible vagabond life - from a deal with a bone-white devil known only as Mr. Sebastian, to the heartrending loss of his sister Hannah - and creates an enchanting tale of love, loss, identity, and the limitation of magic.
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""Big Fish" was a book I loved, in part for it's non-linear storytelling. Wallace uses similarly unconventional techniques here, with a series of narrators who each know a part of the story. Packed full of memorable characters and moments that really resonate."
— Kris (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A brilliantly constructed roller-coaster of a novel: there’s a surprise and a thrill around every corner.”
— Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants -
“Daniel Wallace performs strange magic. Even when the trick is done and we have been invited onstage to inspect the apparatus, the story is still inexplicable, wondrous, beautiful.”
— Audrey Niffenegger, New York Times bestselling author of The Time Traveler’s Wife -
“Daniel Wallace has given us a wholly realized novel—inventive, richly layered, witty, touching, dexterous, and engrossing from beginning to end. Here is a book that will leave its magical imprint on your heart.”
— Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried -
“[A] grand illusion of a novel…Outlandish invention with a real-life core.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“Wallace employs enough tricks to fill both sleeves, his pockets, and an old trunk that seems to be levitating backstage…A big-hearted book about loss and illusion…I admired Big Fish, but never imagined it as a movie until director Tim Burton got hold of it. I’d love to see what tricks he could play with Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician.”
— USA Today -
“Poignant and provocative…Wallace’s lush verbal invention is his real genius.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Intriguing…A story within a story, when well told, can be very seductive. And when it is retold by different voices, with variations and twists and turns, the story can be mesmerizing.”
— Oregonian -
“Mythmaker Daniel Wallace—of Big Fish notoriety—serves up his strangest brew yet…The unraveling of a man’s myth to illuminate the essence of his life is the charm of this accomplished and inventive novel.”
— Paste -
“The truths of Henry’s and Mr. Sebastian’s identities and the fate of Hannah are gradually revealed, and what appears to be a Faustian tale of a pact with the devil turns out to be something more tragic. Wallace skillfully unravels the tale…The conclusion is both startling and inevitable, and Henry is as beguiling and enigmatic a character as Wallace has created.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Narrator Tom Stechschulte leads talented readers Alyssa Bresnahan, T. Rider Smith, and others through a fantastic world people with circus freaks and cruel crowds. This haunting, tender story transports listeners through time and space as it depicts a childhood fantasy with an emotional payoff that’s both heartwarming and tragic.”
— AudioFile
Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician Listener Reviews
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" I was fascinated by the idea of this book, but it went very slowly for me. I would have given it a higher rating if the whole book had been as good as the last fifty pages. It did make me think about how we often go through our lives unable to distinguish between what is real and what is an illusion. "
— Sara, 2/19/2014 -
" What is real? What is good -what is evil- what is fantasy- what is race ? Nothing is as it seems! An interesting,entertaining, magical tale! "
— Ksab, 2/15/2014 -
" I am a sucker for novels with magicians and this one has some fabulous twists. "
— Chris, 2/9/2014 -
" Many different issues were touched upon in this story. I enjoyed it immensely yet found it sad. Henry is such an interesting character and the stories of his life were wonderfully told. "
— Vicki, 2/7/2014 -
" I really gave this book a chance...it started out entertaining enough, teasing with the promised twists and turns. It just didn't all fall in to place for me...ever. I consider myself of average intelligence and I certainly don't want a book to just hand the story over to me. I enjoy a good brain tease as much as the next person. This just didn't do it. It confused the hell out of me and tricked me in to thinking it would all work itself out in the end. It was mildly entertaining, I'll give it that. The thicker I got in to the plot, however, the less I wanted to pick it back up. "
— Eryka, 2/3/2014 -
" I read this last summer so I will not try to remember all of the details, but I do remember it to be one of those you could not put down. Somewhat strange, sad, but most of all a story that drew you into the characters' lives. "
— Kelli, 1/23/2014 -
" Magical, insightful, and funny - but the ending could have been more revealing. "
— Brent, 1/20/2014 -
" Wonderful (almost) magical realism. Nothing in the book is what it appears at first, including prominently the "Negro magician." We all have disguises. "
— Pat, 1/19/2014 -
" Tampoco me esperaba mucho de el... "
— Petite, 1/16/2014 -
" I did enjoy this book, but it took me almost four months to finish and it is NOT a long book. Since it didn't keep me turning the pages I've rated it accordingly. "
— Marian, 12/30/2013 -
" This book is really interesting... Takes place in the 1950s and the magician's mysterious life story is told through a number of circus friend's eyes and nothing is as it appeared to be. There was a twist at the end of chapter one and it had me from there!!! "
— Elisha, 12/3/2013 -
" This an okay book. It didn't really hold up to my expectations. The end was so abrupt. "
— Christian, 11/19/2013 -
" thought I liked it, but then it ended flat "
— Emily, 11/6/2013 -
" Interesting story but very poor ending. Amazing what people will do to change their image to be what someone else wants or even to hide. "
— Stephanie, 11/3/2013 -
" I'mn not really sure what I think about this book. It was captivating and bizarre and sad and intriguing and a whole other slew of adjectives. I'd say give it a shot and go into it with a very open mind. Overall though, I did enjoy it and was sort of sad to finish it. "
— Katelin, 1/26/2013 -
" 3.5 starts, but rounded up because it really captured my imagination. "
— Jessica, 8/16/2012 -
" A dark page turning yarn. Wallace weaves together a range of appealing voices in this continually unfolding story about a down-on-his-luck sideshow magician, in which nothing is as exactly it seems. "
— Noah, 5/27/2012 -
" The book that turned me on to Daniel Wallace. After reading this one, I sought out all of his other books, and he quickly made it into my favorite authors list. A masterpiece. "
— Lyric, 4/15/2012 -
" I liked "Big Fish," but this book left me puzzled. What the...? "
— Lindsey, 11/7/2011 -
" A good read, some unique twists. i would recommend this. "
— Michael, 6/15/2011 -
" I loved that this book wasn't predictable...that's all I'm saying. Saying more than what's written in the jacket copy would give away too much of the magic of this book. Sorry I about the magic analogy. Couldn't help it. "
— Derekbklyn, 5/28/2011 -
" I'mn not really sure what I think about this book. It was captivating and bizarre and sad and intriguing and a whole other slew of adjectives. I'd say give it a shot and go into it with a very open mind. Overall though, I did enjoy it and was sort of sad to finish it. "
— Katelin, 3/9/2011 -
" Mr. Wallace has outdone himself with Mr. Sebastian. It is a heartfelt page turner with twists throughout that leave you wondering where the truth of this tragic man's life may be held. "
— Ryan, 11/12/2010 -
" I was really into this one until the end.....it tells this man's story from the perspectives of his different friends / associates. I love the way it was written, but I felt a little up in the air at the end. Overall, it's a pretty entertaining book, though. "
— Mary, 8/18/2010 -
" Absolutly FANTASTIC!!!!!!! READ IT IN A DAY..COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN! "
— Karen, 8/16/2010 -
" What is real? What is good -what is evil- what is fantasy- what is race ? Nothing is as it seems! An interesting,entertaining, magical tale! "
— Ksab, 7/23/2010 -
" Didn't even finish this one (something I rarely do). Just too weird and disjointed. Life's too short to endure a bad book. "
— Wendy, 3/28/2010 -
" An interesting magic-realism tale--I enjoyed it all but the last chapter. "
— Lachelle, 2/12/2010 -
" Now I want to read Big Fish, which I suspect is much better than the movie. I really liked this book. Better than I expected. "
— Richard, 2/6/2010 -
" Daniel Wallace is quite the storyteller. This book begs to be read aloud. The constant switch in narrators was a bit much and detracted from the story, I think. About love and sacrifice; it's tragic and no one is as s/he seems. "
— Laurel, 2/3/2010
About Daniel Wallace
Daniel Wallace is the author of five novels. His first, Big Fish, was made into a motion picture of the same name by Tim Burton in 2003, and a musical version is coming to Broadway in 2013. Wallace’s work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages and is studied in high schools and universities across the country. He is a contributing editor to Garden & Gun magazine and is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he teaches and directs the Creative Writing Program. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife, Laura Kellison Wallace. Visit his website at DanielWallace.org.
About the Narrators
Alyssa Bresnahan is a dynamic dancer, actor, and audiobook narrator. She has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, has earned twenty Earphones Awards, and was named one of AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voices. In 2009 she was a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best fiction narration.
Katherine Kellgren (1969–2018), narrator and actress, appeared onstage in London, New York, and Frankfurt, including in the role of Laura in a regional production of The Glass Menagerie and appearances on Comedy Central. In recognition of her mastery of audiobook narration, she received many honors, including the prestigious Audie Awards, with four for best female narrator; the Odyssey Award; Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award; dozens of AudioFile magazine Earphones Awards; an AudioFile Golden Voice Award; Booklist Voice of Choice award; and acclaim from press and listener reviews.
L. J. Ganser is a multiple Audie Award–winning narrator with over six hundred titles recorded to date. Prized for versatility, his work ranges from preschool books to crime noir thrillers, from astronomical adventures in both science and science fiction, to Arctic Circle high school basketball stories. He lives in New York City with his family and dog, Mars.
Norman Dietz is a writer, voice-over artist, and audiobook narrator. He has won numerous Earphones Awards and was named one of the fifty “Best Voices of the Century” by AudioFile magazine. He and his late wife, Sandra, transformed an abandoned ice-cream parlor into a playhouse, which served “the world’s best hot fudge sundaes” before and after performances. The founder of Theatre in the Works, he lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
T. Ryder Smith is an American actor. A native of New York state and long-time resident of New York City, he has appeared frequently on stage, particularly in avant-garde theater works, and in film, sometimes as a voice actor.
Tom Stechschulte (1948–2021) was an acclaimed narrator and winner of the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He had been a college athlete and business major when a friend dared him to audition for a play. He got the part and traded the locker room for the dressing room, eventually taking him to New York City and to recording audiobooks.