A review by jefferz
Mister Magic by Kiersten White

mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

 Combining internet creepypasta x reddit culture with conspiracy theory discussions invoking the Mandela effect, while wrapped up with a premise involving former child stars reuniting under devious circumstances, Mister Magic’s ideas and concepts are nothing short of ingenious. A unique, suspenseful thriller with dashes of horror and paranormal activity, Mister Magic is wildly creative while simultaneously feeling like a personal literary work. Heavily hinged around the theme of lost childhood and the misdirection of parental guidance, there are moments where Kiersten White hits hard with relatable and edgy personal jabs at adulthood that are impressive. Unfortunately for me, those sporadic bursts of genius and excitement are surrounded by a slow and messy narrative that is never quite able to deliver on its hook and ideas on paper. Its ending also devolves into a rushed and convoluted mess. 

Working at a camping retreat with no cell phone and largely removed from society for the last 30 yrs, former child star Val is unexpectedly reunited with her former co-stars following the death of her father who once grounded and rescued her from a traumatic childhood she cannot remember. Encompassing elements of many popular kids tv shows, Mister Magic’s concept and mysterious disappearance from existence is a genius idea akin to Barney the Dinosaur in a twisted alternate reality. From the reddit thread snapshots, to creepypasta references, to the Teletubbies Tinky Winky gay agenda, to the Mandela effect in every sense except being named, Mister Magic is completely a millennial-inspired novel. The way White captures the online conspiracy internet culture is spot-on and given the age of the characters, this is clearly a novel with a specific reader demographic in mind. 
The story reintroduces all of Val’s former co-stars and friends via a reunion inspired podcast special, each of which having led anything but perfect lives following their childhood appearances on Mister Magic. Although this novel was originally published in July 2023, it somehow feels even more relevant today following recent child star documentaries like Quiet on the Set. The novel incorporates quite a few different themes, but the one that I feel is most successful is the reflection on lost childhood and how memories can be shaped or distorted by time and feelings experienced then. While no one can actually reference or re-watch the show decades later, all of the characters, as well as online threads, can still recall what they felt back when they were on or watching the show. Each of the former child stars reveal and reflect upon their adult and family lives following the show, and these personal stories and conflicts were easily the most compelling part of the book for me. 

Well, find your own magic, I suppose. The magic way to give your kids the perfect childhood that will turn them into better adults than you could ever have been. The magic way to undo whatever damage your parents did to you, to keep your kids happy and safe and protected forever. Maybe that’s why you’re still obsessed with the show, why we came here like moths to a flame.

Unfortunately, while the former child star and adult family life is an important thematic element in Mister Magic, most of the rest of the story isn’t as exciting to read. Despite having both thriller and paranormal horror aspects in the story, somehow neither of them really felt like a strong enough hook for me and the entire read felt labored and low. While reading and writing this review, my main notes feel almost contradictory. The story felt slow-moving, yet undeveloped, and somehow also rushed in terms of the paranormal mystery reveal. The character drama initially felt forced and disjointed, relying on the mysterious premise to keep the reader’s attention. Yet once the reunion starts and the podcast interviews begin, the horror elements start to lose their excitement and become repetitive. It’s not often this happens, but I’m not entirely sure what I wanted this novel to do for me to enjoy it more. All I know is that I wasn’t really a fan of what I read, and it seems that I’m not alone in that opinion. I think the issue is that Val’s backstory and arrival at the reunion takes over a third of the novel’s 270 page count and after spending so much time talking about how eerie the show is, the actual reunion special is a bit underwhelming after all the hype.

Outside of the reunion aspect and friends reflecting on their years following Mister Magic, the rest of the story felt progressively more out there with less and less explanation of what’s going on. Now I completely understand that the back half of Mister Magic is largely metaphorical, with the namesake persona, show experience, and the key disappearance revealed in the author's notes to be a personification of indoctrinated religion craziness (specifically the Mormon church), I don’t have any issues with the idea and concepts. The problem is the story quite literally takes on a fever dream-like experience and new paranormal elements are thrown in left and right on the fly with no rhyme or reason; they’re intriguing and unsettling but very random. Once the core mystery is revealed and Val begins to unlock her lost memories, there’s a particular scene where Val’s co-star Jenny straight-up monologues what’s happening around them and what this paranormal entity entails. Not only did I find it unintentionally funny due to how crudely the details were unveiled, but also by how out there it is with very few prior clues or non-existent foreshadowing to indicate the direction the story was heading. Aspects of cult behavior, closed community, and religious discovery, while interesting on their own, are implemented very unexpectedly. The ending, while dramatic, feels like White skipped an entire chunk of the story, leaving out important transitional details such as the background to the show’s creation and the implications of the disappearance.  With such an unnatural and clunky progression, the ending comes off as a hot mess. I could’ve easily seen the last forty pages stretched out to at least a hundred if it meant more cohesive details and world-building for all of the last-minute plot developments.

What unfortunately makes the ending feel even more unsatisfying is the inconsistent character development and stereotypical behavior traits exhibited by each co-star. Yes, the story makes a point to highlight that each character had a distinguishing role during their time on Mister Magic, but the character depth just kind of stops there. Additionally, a lot of the character backgrounds involves them reminiscing on past events or Val’s long-lost feelings of “this feels familiar” or “this feels right”. The problem with this approach is that the reader has no direct introduction or familiarity to the show/characters back then due to Val’s amnesia, so almost all of the character development is taking Val’s word for it repetitively rather than it being shown through the story organically. While Isaac, Javi and Marcus have quite simple backgrounds (Marcus’s in particular being the most stereotypical), Jenny’s character had so much potential that felt mishandled. Themes of being a wife/mom of servitude, obedience, throwing away one’s life, while all great material to work with, doesn’t have the impact it should due to her character’s portrayal and reactions being all over the place. Her character’s role in the show as the forgettable but everyone’s friend filler character is an intriguing exploration of deteriorating self-worth, but the story instead uses her as scapegoat for constant unhinged outbursts. The ending on the other hand is genius in theory and I loved what it was trying to do. Unfortunately, the ambitious ending heavily relies on the reader’s interest in the characters’ relationships with each other and their families, and there isn’t enough setup or character writing for its emotional resolution to land.

On paper, Mister Magic should’ve been a standout crossover suspenseful thriller with edgy social commentary on rural religious groups and childhood experiences. The concept of a childhood favorite tv show mysteriously disappearing and the unlikely reunion of its disturbed cast is such a great premise for millennial/young adult readers. Unfortunately, the details are everything (or in this case, the details are non-existent) and the lackluster reading experience shows how crucial it is for thrillers to pace their development and character dynamics throughout the book, rather than relying just on ambiance and tone; Mister Magic is also a thriller that’s rather sedated and a crossover horror novel that’s not particularly spooky or unsettling. If judged on ideas alone, Mister Magic would be a fantastic read but sadly this one I can really only recommend to readers looking for a unique and out there fever dream of a read.
 
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