Audiobook Review
The Magician of Tiger Castle (2025)
by Louis Sachar
This novel caught my eye because the author is a career children's lit writer (biggest hit is the multi-platform success, Holes) who decided, at the age of 70, to publish his first book for adults. Sachar delivers a delightful tale set in Renaissance Italy- it sounded like Turin to me, about a court magician, telling his story from his perspective as a tourist touring modern-day "Tiger Castle" (he accidentally became immortal). Anyone expecting ADULT adult fiction will be disappointed- this book reminded me of something like a Wes Anderson film set in Renaissance Italy. Sachar took his research seriously- though if I'm not mistaken, he cites his two primary references as a pair of "Learning From the Greats" courses that used to advertise in the New York Times book review in a note at the end of the Audiobook.
But I was impressed, particularly by his thematic grasp of the fungible line between magic and science in the Renaissance/early modern period. Magicians were experimenting long before the scientific method existed. Sachar displays his grasp of the Renaissance/early modern period in many dimensions- another character, a talented scribe, is already anticipating the impact that Gutenberg and his moveable type will have on this own profession.
The Magician of Tiger Castle is smart, funny and well-written. It's not a great anything novel, more of a delightful tale. Sachar shouldn't have waited so long to make the jump to adult fiction!
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