The Magicians: A Novel

Lev Grossman

Aug 2009 · Magicians Trilogy Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Lev Grossman’s new novel THE BRIGHT SWORD is out now!

The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world, now an original series on SYFY

“The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea. . . . Hogwarts was never like this.”
—George R.R. Martin
 
“Sad, hilarious, beautiful, and essential to anyone who cares about modern fantasy.”
—Joe Hill
 
“A very knowing and wonderful take on the wizard school genre.”
—John Green
 
“The Magicians may just be the most subversive, gripping and enchanting fantasy novel I’ve read this century.”
—Cory Doctorow

“This gripping novel draws on the conventions of contemporary and classic fantasy novels in order to upend them . . . an unexpectedly moving coming-of-age story.”
—The New Yorker

“The best urban fantasy in years.”
—A.V. Club

Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A high school math genius, he’s secretly fascinated with a series of children’s fantasy novels set in a magical land called Fillory, and real life is disappointing by comparison. When Quentin is unexpectedly admitted to an elite, secret college of magic, it looks like his wildest dreams have come true. But his newfound powers lead him down a rabbit hole of hedonism and disillusionment, and ultimately to the dark secret behind the story of Fillory. The land of his childhood fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he ever could have imagined. . . .

The prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician's Land, The Magicians is one of the most daring and inventive works of literary fantasy in years. No one who has escaped into the worlds of Narnia and Harry Potter should miss this breathtaking return to the landscape of the imagination.

Ratings and reviews

I can't believe I wasted a week on this terrible book. The book is basically the fabulous Mr Ripley, meets chronicles of Narnia, with magic and the school taking a back seat to endless drinking, sleeping around and references to Fillroy (which is essentially Narnia by another name). The School section explores a few interesting themes, which the book never really follows through on. It also never fully explores the magic (which is what you would think would make this stand out). Overall it is a longer than average read that starts promisingly enough, yet never goes anywhere. Don't wast your time.

I was turned off of this book the moment I read the phrase "petulant child". Not only that, but the main character turned out to be self sabotaging and unhappy. Why? Possibly because his love interest won't sleep with him. Poor baby. Also the author seems to think that mentioning penises all the time will make his 17 year old characters more believable?

Quentin has zero redeeming qualities and the author has some serious issues with how to write women without whittling them down to a pair of breasts that Quentin can agonize over. The author's sad attempt at grounding the characters in an adult reality using depression, substance abuse, and sex falls flat as he fails to explore any of them in a meaningful way. This coupled with the characters determination to affect indifference at every turn kills any sense of magic found within the novel. What may have been an interesting allegory for depression is ultimately unrewarded.

About the author

LEV GROSSMAN is the book critic for Time magazine and author of five novels, including the international bestseller Codex and the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children.