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nphillipich's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
mrsrccockrell's review against another edition
4.0
This book was recommended to me by every “Harry Potter for Adults” book list I found online. It has an agonizingly slow start, but it does eventually pick up and I’m looking forward to reading the next one. I am, however, not a huge fan of Quentin, the main character. He’s kind of a self-absorbed prick who can’t help but wallow in misery that he’s created for himself. In fact, there was only one character I was 100% on board with and I’m not happy with the way her arc played out.
I hope, now that things have gotten moving with this plot, that the next two books keep me momentum going and that Quentin starts being a character worth getting behind.
I hope, now that things have gotten moving with this plot, that the next two books keep me momentum going and that Quentin starts being a character worth getting behind.
charlote_1347's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t like this novel. The beginning had me enthralled but as the chapters crept on, I grew less and less interested. Only a determination to finish kept me reading. I can pinpoint the exact moment my interest spluttered out too – when Brakebills was left behind and Fillory came into play. The disconnect between the two plots was infuriating and fragmented. Between one heartbeat and the next, Grossman went from depicting a sexy, edgy Harry-Potter-type world to a knock-off Narnia that replaced the wardrobe with a button.
The Fillory world-building was sketchy at best, with broad, sweeping statements and vague plot progression that stripped away all the juicy stuff. I like banter and passion and petty arguments in my fiction. Encounters I can sink my teeth into. Encounters that make me laugh, or cry, or sympathise. The only emotion that gets screen-time is Quentin’s incessant pursuit of happiness and his depression at the pointlessness of existence and boy, does that screen-time drag on. Every significant event, every epiphany and every decision seems to be a consequence of Quentin’s never-ending self-pity and while I rolled with it during the Brakebills saga, by Fillory I’d had more than enough. There’s only so much a reader can take.
The novel’s other characters were not that much better. Eliot was a constant favourite of mine, despite his ongoing and ever-escalating drinking problem. I’m interested to see how the sequel approaches his character progression. Josh had redeemable features too but it was impossible to really explore the facets of his personality. The closest look I was given of his inner workings was before the welters game, when he was hiding out in the library, and Quentin very quickly made the whole encounter about him. Penny was my pet peeve from his first scene. Every time he made an appearance I couldn’t take him seriously, even when his Discipline was revealed and he exposed the others to the Neitherworld. Not to say that I didn’t feel the utmost sympathy when his hands were bitten off. That was brutal. Brilliant in terms of dramatic impact but brutal. I liked the ambiguity of his ending – that he disappeared into a building in the City. Janet didn’t make an impression on me at all. Alice insists that Janet hated her from the beginning and pursued Quentin only to one-up her and hurt her, but I don’t see it. Not because it’s not a possibility but because I was given no reason to believe that Janet felt that way. Grossman revealed no motivation for her behaviour. She existed and acted in a void. Alice was another character that had almost no effect on my reading experience, which is sad because I really wanted to like her. The depiction of characters in general lacked something. They appeared to be three-dimensional but if the reader actually reached out to touch them, they crumbled. I apologise if there’s any other Physicals I’m forgetting but I genuinely don’t remember them so perhaps that speaks for itself.
In order to avoid a ramble I’m going to finish with one last complaint, and it’s a doozy. ‘The Magicians’ should not have been a single novel. There’s enough content for a trilogy, at the very least. By cramming so much into a four-hundred page story, Grossman thoroughly overwhelmed the reader’s senses. I loved the Brakebills experience as it unravelled – I was eager for more. The writing style was concise but flawless and demonstrated a unique mastery of imagery. There were no clichés. My main criticism, before I sifted through the rest of the book, was going to be that the Brakebills’ experience read more like a summary than a novel. Then came Manhattan…and the Neitherworld…and Fillory. Whatever enjoyment the Brakebills’ portion conjured evaporated like it’d never been. From what I’ve heard, the television show might be more to my liking.
The Fillory world-building was sketchy at best, with broad, sweeping statements and vague plot progression that stripped away all the juicy stuff. I like banter and passion and petty arguments in my fiction. Encounters I can sink my teeth into. Encounters that make me laugh, or cry, or sympathise. The only emotion that gets screen-time is Quentin’s incessant pursuit of happiness and his depression at the pointlessness of existence and boy, does that screen-time drag on. Every significant event, every epiphany and every decision seems to be a consequence of Quentin’s never-ending self-pity and while I rolled with it during the Brakebills saga, by Fillory I’d had more than enough. There’s only so much a reader can take.
The novel’s other characters were not that much better. Eliot was a constant favourite of mine, despite his ongoing and ever-escalating drinking problem. I’m interested to see how the sequel approaches his character progression. Josh had redeemable features too but it was impossible to really explore the facets of his personality. The closest look I was given of his inner workings was before the welters game, when he was hiding out in the library, and Quentin very quickly made the whole encounter about him. Penny was my pet peeve from his first scene. Every time he made an appearance I couldn’t take him seriously, even when his Discipline was revealed and he exposed the others to the Neitherworld. Not to say that I didn’t feel the utmost sympathy when his hands were bitten off. That was brutal. Brilliant in terms of dramatic impact but brutal. I liked the ambiguity of his ending – that he disappeared into a building in the City. Janet didn’t make an impression on me at all. Alice insists that Janet hated her from the beginning and pursued Quentin only to one-up her and hurt her, but I don’t see it. Not because it’s not a possibility but because I was given no reason to believe that Janet felt that way. Grossman revealed no motivation for her behaviour. She existed and acted in a void. Alice was another character that had almost no effect on my reading experience, which is sad because I really wanted to like her. The depiction of characters in general lacked something. They appeared to be three-dimensional but if the reader actually reached out to touch them, they crumbled. I apologise if there’s any other Physicals I’m forgetting but I genuinely don’t remember them so perhaps that speaks for itself.
In order to avoid a ramble I’m going to finish with one last complaint, and it’s a doozy. ‘The Magicians’ should not have been a single novel. There’s enough content for a trilogy, at the very least. By cramming so much into a four-hundred page story, Grossman thoroughly overwhelmed the reader’s senses. I loved the Brakebills experience as it unravelled – I was eager for more. The writing style was concise but flawless and demonstrated a unique mastery of imagery. There were no clichés. My main criticism, before I sifted through the rest of the book, was going to be that the Brakebills’ experience read more like a summary than a novel. Then came Manhattan…and the Neitherworld…and Fillory. Whatever enjoyment the Brakebills’ portion conjured evaporated like it’d never been. From what I’ve heard, the television show might be more to my liking.
dmacfrick's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.75
It's a pretty good read. I don't really love the characters as people, but I think that's kinda the point. I will say that I agree with the majority of the reviews that say the tv show is a bit better than the book in this case. But it's still fun to read!
readingwithstardust's review against another edition
3.5
There is something very odd about the way this book was written but I just can't quite put my finger on it (the fact that I've seen most of the series, and therefore had to contend with overlapping contradictory threads, probably didn't help). I went in with fairly low expectations so I didn't dislike this -- and actually was quite entertained with how unlikeable Quentin is as a protagonist, not that show!Quentin was the epitome of charisma -- and I'd be curious to finish the trilogy just to see exactly how much further it diverges from what I know of the show.
smakdonald's review against another edition
4.0
Rather than rate this book based on anything so frivolous as plot, prose, or poignancy, I've instead docked it 0.25 stars each time the phrases "heavy breasts" or "autistically" were used.
fairycakes666's review against another edition
2.0
This book could have been awesome. Instead, the author just keeps on running through events, with no time to spare for actual character development or anything like it. Things just sort of happen all the time.
victorianicole's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nowuseemia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
matheamae's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable fast read! Can't say the characters were as rounded as in the show but I guess that's understandable as we get more time with whole seasons vs a limited amount of words in a book, still very enjoyable though! Love the realistic depiction of depression even amidst magic