Wow, this book was good! I got hooked on it even before we were assigned to start reading.
The beginning didn't bother me as much as Professor Sexson warned us it was going to, but then again I can't resist a love story. I did start getting pissed off at Nicholas towards the end of his affair; what a cold-hearted guy!
I think the whole beginning story was completely necessary though; it sets you up for the rest of the book when things get completely out of control. Having the normal, albeit frustrating romantic problems to compare with puts the "labyrinth" in that much sharper relief, and also sort of gives you a sense that justice has been served; the key to the mind-trip that is this book isn't that you should root for the main character, but that he is human and therefore insanely flawed. He needs the masque to realize what he is missing out on in life, and that is exactly what happens at the end. I agree with Jerrod in that this book's ending fits it and the mythological overtones perfectly. In myth you can never be sure how the story ends; either it is left hanging or there are dozens of different recorded endings, each with its own character. Since this book doesn't "end" in a traditional sense, it leaves you open to ascribe whatever ending you'd like, which is precisely what myth is: uncertainty, one of the main themes in the Magus. In this book, you can't even be sure if you ARE sure, because that is sure sign that you are right back where you started. Surely.
One of the most apparent examples of this unsteadiness is Nicholas' relationship with Lily. Every time he thinks he is sure of her identity or feelings for him she takes him that much further down the rabbit hole. I think one of the messages of this book is never to be too sure of yourself or anything, or "pride goeth before a fall". Conchis is trying to teach Nicholas to open his mind, but every time he refuses to by trying to ground the situation back into reality, he just gets more frustrated by the added twists and turns of the masque.
