An idealistic inventor is seduced by a mysterious firm in this Faustian novel by the "virtuoso" author of Justine (The New York Times).
 

Felix Charlock's scientific genius is unrivaled--and so is his very special invention. So special, in fact, that a shadowy and enigmatic international firm, called Merlin, recruits Felix and marries him into the family. He is betrothed to the erratic Merlin heiress, Benedicta, and given access to an inexhaustible fortune. Yet he longs to be free of the psychological and scientific toll the mysterious firm inflicts. The inscrutable Merlin is always one step ahead, and twists and turns ensue in this tale of sexual and moral intrigue that leaves Felix's future--and his sanity--on uncertain ground.