In Paris the young surgeon Arthur Burdon is engaged to Margaret Dauncey, an art student, when they meet Oliver Haddo, a vast, boastful Englishman who claims real magical powers. After Arthur humiliates him, Haddo turns his attention to Margaret, and she finds herself drawn against her will toward a man she despises. A later autobiographical fragment by Maugham introduces the novel.
Maugham’s 1908 occult thriller, whose Haddo was modelled on Aleister Crowley, sits between gothic horror and psychological drama. Download the free EPUB.