The Manticore

The Deptford Trilogy, Book 2

By: Robertson Davies

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Hailed by the Washington Post Book World as "a modern classic", Robertson Davies' acclaimed Deptford Trilogy is a glittering, fantastical, cunningly contrived series of novels, around which a mysterious death is woven.

The Manticore, the second book in the series after Fifth Business, follows David Staunton, a man pleased with his success but haunted by his relationship with his larger-than-life father. As he seeks help through therapy, he encounters a wonderful cast of characters who help connect him to his past and the death of his father.

Listen to the rest of The Deptford Trilogy.©1972 Robertson Davies (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the splendid literary enterprises of this decade." ( Newsweek)

"Robertson Davies is one of the great modern novelists." (Malcolm Bradbury, The Sunday Times, London)

"Robertson Davies is a novelist whose books are thick and rich with humor, character and incident. They are plotted with skill and much flamboyance." ( The Observer)

Truly profound engaging modern novel

This is the second book of the Deptford trilogy. Although not absolutely necessary it would help to think of the trilogy as one long, fabulous novel. With compelling characters and an engaging plot these books plumb the depth of the human psyche in a way that makes reading and perhaps rereading a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Fabulous.. pun intended

If you loved "Fifth Business," you will not be disappointed. It took about 2 hours for "The Manticore" to grab me in manner of the first. This volume is deeper with less "action." It also lacks the jaw-dropping revelations of "Fifth. Business." This absence is not a detraction, this is simply a different boon, one that stands independent of the first. Some of the myth and metaphor here feels heavy-handed, but not in a shabby way. A few loose ends from the first volume are addressed here, and I don't feel its purpose was to complete the first. I may not soon reread "Fifth Business," but this one I will have to revisit soon. There is so much here.

Unusual Plot Continues Series

This was the second in Robertson Davies' Deptford Trilogy. I loved the first book, and probably finished this only because the first was so enjoyable.

This book was almost entirely about a psychoanalyst's work with one patient over the course of a year. This made for an unusual plot; and it makes me wonder what the third book could possibly be about.

But the day is Jung...

The first book in this trilogy concluded after the mysterious death of Boy Staunton, titan of Canadian industry and sexual swordsman.

In the second book we follow the experiences of Boy's son David as he turns to the old world and Jungian analysis in his quest to find his authentic self. With a Swiss guide to ease his way, he begins to see some light in the darkness. But it is only a beginning.

The best books conjure up a compelling world of their own. By that measure this is a book of considerable merit. It is also a fine primer for those curious about Jung's system for decoding the shadows that lurk within all of us.

Listening time well spent…

Both the book and the reading were outstanding. Davies builds his story so patiently, just the antidote for our kayanaskatsi (forgive my spelling) modern world.

I came straight to this book after reading, Fifth Business, and will now go onto the third book.

Another review mentioned that they are best seen this one long book and I agree.

Grateful for authors, such as Robertson Davis and the narrators like Marc Vietor.

The second Deptford book

This one has always bogged me down, but has grown on me in recent years. It’s very “talk-y” like all of Davies things, but the emotional high points are splendidly conveyed here by a first-rate reading. Obviously, read or listen to Fifth Business first!

No Nobel Prize?

Davies was often on the short list. He certainly has my vote (if I had one).

Be sure you choose what you believe

“Be sure you choose what you believe and know why you believe it, because if you don't choose your beliefs, you may be certain that some belief, and probably not a very credible one, will choose you.”
― Robertson Davies, The Manticore

The second novel in Davies' Deptford Trilogy, The Manticore focuses largely on the life of Boy Staunton's son David. Like Fifth Business before, this novel contains amazing prose and a caste of characters that are not quite loveable, but amazingly human at the same time. The structure of the novel is largely a diary David Staunton keeps while undergoing Jungian analysis after the suicide of his billionaire father. This flashback analysis allows Davies to deal with an unreliable narrator by having the Jungian therapist (Johanna Von Haller) jump in occasionally to explain, uproot, twist, and interject architypes into the unrolling life of David Staunton, his relationship with his father, nurse, mother, sister, and early love. It also allows Davies to explore issues around the subconcious, Jungian architypes, myth, history, etc.

The third and final chapter of the novel exits the diary and brings in some of the characters from the series (Dunstan Ramsey, Liesl, and Magnus Eisengrim). I didn't quite like it as much as Fifth Business, but still adored it. I understand (I think) where Davies was going with the final act, but I'm not quite sure he squared the knot. Perhaps, it left a lot unsaid because, obviously, there is one more book. So, for now I'll tenatively leave it as 4-stars, but perhaps that will increase as I finish the trilogy.

Always the best

I have loved reading Robertson Davies' novels since I was a young man - when I read, now listen, to his prose I am transported to the story - as if I am a part, an onlooker, a bystander in the room watching the narrative unfold. His gift for language and words are amazing to me. I have taught his books my entire career and continue to love them as I now move towards the end of that career. Five stars are simply not enough.

Definitely 2nd in a trilogy

It's a Rashomon-like, alternate view of the major plot points of Fifth Business, as told by "Boy" Staunton's son in the form of his year-long analysis at the Carl Jung Institute in Zurich. At times it can feel like a Jungian-based critique of the first novel in the trilogy — pedantic — even as it rounds out and fills in many of that book's minor characters. The abrupt shift in the last few chapters feels a bit forced, and is obviously a set-up for the third novel, World of Wonders. Which I'm going to start immediately, because it definitely piques the interest!