I am amazed that no one has made a thread yet. The Magicians is a 2009 fantasy novel by author Lev Grossman. It is a dark and adult urban fantasy set in New York about a brilliant kid who finds his way into a college for magic. It mixes elements of several different genres and has an interesting world but above all else focuses on the characters. A friend of mine had this to say about it: "Harry Potter goes to college, and Narnia goes to hell." It is an apt description, as you will find out if you read it. I give it 9.5/10 and recommend it highly to all who read this. Be warned that it is dark and cynical and not for the fainthearted. Synopsis (SPOILERS!): Spoiler Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. He’s a senior in high school, and a certifiable genius, but he’s still secretly obsessed with a series of fantasy novels he read as a kid, about the adventures of five children in a magical land called Fillory. Compared to that, anything in his real life just seems gray and colorless. Everything changes when Quentin finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the practice of modern sorcery. He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. But something is still missing. Magic doesn’t bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he thought it would. Then, after graduation, he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. Mention by George R.R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire: These days any novel about young sorcerers at wizard school inevitably invites comparison to Harry Potter. Lev Grossman meets the challenge head on… and very successfully. The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea. Solidly rooted in the traditions of both fantasy and mainstream literary fiction, the novel tips its hat to Oz and Narnia as well to Harry, but don’t mistake this for a children’s book. Grossman’s sensibilities are thoroughly adult, his narrative dark and dangerous and full of twists. Hogwart’s was never like this. TOR Review (SPOILERS!): http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/08/the-magicians-by-lev-grossman Have you read it? If not, you should. If you have, then did you like it? Discuss.
I am soooo late but I'll post anyway. I didn't like the book. I adored it with a passion to the point of making Lev Grossman one of my favorite authors. I read it about two years ago and eagerly awaited it's sequel. Jayn blessed me with The Magician King(the sequel to The Magicians) for Christmas. I give both books a standing ovations. Though the TMK's ending rubbed me the wrong way a bit.
I still need to finish my copy of The Magician King. I got a copy for Christmas, too. It seems disappointing compared to the first, unfortunately... Why did you have to go downhill, Grossman; why did you have to disappoint me? /cry
I didn't want to type it because I loved The Magicians so much. But The Magician King did disappoint me a bit. I get what Grossman was aiming for in it's ending though and I respect him for it. I guess I related to Quentin so much that I felt what Grossman does in TMK just wasn't right for Quentin. Once you read it fully, I can elaborate. Twas a decent read though. PS; I disliked Julia then I was like WTF when the ending hits you. After that, disliked her even more.
