Mistification (Fantasy / Horror Novel)

You do not understand. Without the magicians, all the ugliness would be revealed. All reason for living, all excuses for our existence would be destroyed. Society and civilization would collapse into anarchy.

I have only read a few horror novels in my life. So, while my local library classifies Mistification by Kaaron Warren as a horror story, I am reluctant to do so. Yes, at times it looks at the dark side of human nature. Yes, there are some violent scenes that involve the supernatural. But, for me, it is a novel in which the author has used various scenes and stories to communicate ideas and feelings about magic, healing and superstition.

Briefly, the novel is composed of one overarching plot with dozens of short stories interspersed. The major plotline involves Marvo. The story opens with his earliest memory, being eight years old and being hidden from men in green who want to kill him. Years later, when he finally leaves his hiding place, he learns about who he really is, a magician, about his mission, and about the world he has only been exposed to through television. Along the way he meets Andra, a witch and healer, and they create a magic act together. Marvo has a need for stories, “seeking stories like they were drugs.” Marvo attempts to fulfill his mission as a true magician, while avoiding the death he foresees in a vision.

I found Mistification fascinating. The novel is dark and too sexually explicit for young adults. I didn’t find it uplifting. I couldn’t relate to the characters. With the exception of the last part of the novel, the plot didn’t excite me. Yet, I enjoyed the story because it conveyed so many interesting ideas and feelings.