Mister Magic, the elusive cloaked figure of the kid’s show with the same name, has plagued the memories of the rest of the cast for years. These other cast members, called the ‘circle of friends’, were all children when the show abruptly ended, but their short time on “Mister Magic” carries into adulthood when they all get an invitation to speak about the show on a podcast.
Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing. Looking through the past with the eyes of a child, naive and excitable, can warp anyone’s concept of reality. Kiersten White explores this from a horror perspective in her 2023 release “Mister Magic.”
White is most known for her 2022 horror novel “Hide” and “Lucy Undying” of 2024. Although these books are all similar in genre, she takes a sizably different approach to “Mister Magic.”The book is set up in the perspective of the five (surviving) child-stars of the show–with a little twist, of course. Every few chapters there is a break in the plot dedicated to fake social media posts and discussions on the mysteries of the show…all of which eventually disappear without a trace.
Not only does this add to the intrigue of the dark past of the children’s show, but it makes it feel real. White crafts “Mister Magic” in such a way that it fits right in with other, non-fictional shows like “Teletubbies” and “Barney & Friends”. In the process, she also takes advantage of the often-eerie rumors that surround such shows, compressing that underlying fear into the man in the black cape himself, Mister Magic.
Via “Mister Magic,” White tackles the inherent horror of growing up, and how nostalgia can be manipulative if left unchecked. Each friend in “the circle” had built a very different life after their time on the show, and yet all of those experiences paled in comparison to Mister Magic. So much so, in fact, that they all came back together just for a chance to see him again. If that’s not nostalgia-bate then I don’t know what is.
All this aside, it is White’s characters that really bring the story to life. Of course, the most intimidating of them is Mister Magic himself, but on his own, he isn’t that interesting. The group of little kids is what actually made the show, after all.
Back in the day, Val was the leader of their little group; now, she can barely keep her own life together. Jenny was the good-natured sidekick; now, she’s a mother of six shackled to overwhelming responsibilities. Javi was the rebellious troublemaker; now he’s a high-scale attorney and recent divorcee. Isaac was the oldest, the caretaker; now he’s an ex-private investigator battling for custody of his daughter. Marcus was the artist; now he’s a failed actor trying to keep he and his son afloat.
While these struggles all might seem unrelated at first glance, it’s possible that the circle’s collective childhood has more to do with them than their own choices. That is what’s really horrifying, isn’t it? In order to live in the past of your nostalgia, you must sacrifice your present…and possibly your future.
