The main tale in this book straddles the beginning of the 20th century and tells the story of two feuding English magicians. The story is framed by the meeting of their great-grandchildren, in what seems very much like the present-day.

Their feud began through a series of misunderstandings and accidents, some of which had terrible costs, and was sustained through decades of competition and trickery, as each sought to become the greatest magician of the age.

The book is mostly a fantasy, with some horror and mystery elements. It was a pleasant read, one that I would recommend to someone who was anticipating spending long amounts of time in waiting rooms or airplanes, but it can otherwise be skipped.