Lost Empires

In 1913, Richard Herncastle is drifting. His mother has died, and he is tired of his office job. His Uncle Nick, a stage illusionist who treats his act with real seriousness, offers him work as general assistant on a touring variety show. Richard, who hopes to make his name as a painter, takes it as a chance to start again. The tour carries the troupe through the theaters and music halls of England, a punishing schedule that still has its thrills. Richard finds himself in a world built on illusion and artifice, among magicians, comedians, dancers, singers and actors. Some are eccentric, some ambitious, some cynical, and all of them are working hard to stay afloat. Beneath the glitter, though, things are less cheerful. Richard falls into a doomed affair with a beautiful older actress, and Uncle Nick's company is soon caught up in a murder investigation. Priestley first published the novel in 1965, looking back on a world of mass entertainment that had already vanished by then. He brings his usual eye for vivid detail, quick dialogue and Dickensian character sketches to a story that is both nostalgic and lasting, set just before the First World War.