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gabe_escobedo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
parrynoia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When I finished The Magicians, it did what good books do: left me thinking.
The story is, "What if Hogwarts was real, but also, there are murder fairies," and plays a fairly tight game with the fourth wall and the reader, referencing a Potteresque fictional series within a fictional book on which the fictional magic is based 🙂
There are some decent and really interesting characters in this book. The best friend, but also a narcissist. The girlfriend, but also jealousy. The other narcissist, but also empathetic. And so on. If I had to pick a flaw with the book, it might be the flaws in the characters; there's a bit too much grimdark going on for my liking with the cast, and they do things that are a) obviously stupid and b) will lead to poor outcomes (which they do, on themes both big and small).
However, the book is a stellar masterwork on the what-if-magic-was-real. It's a very convincing The Matrix but it's magic, and doesn't shy away from consequences. There's no MCU-level rewrites of history when people die. If you're a villain, you need to work to get back in the black. And maybe, just maybe, villains are actually villains, and you just can't trust some people. The complicated nature of the world, and how it intersects with the characters, is sublime.
While this book is by no means a comedy, Grossman has some truly superb lines in here that are either poignant our laugh out loud. His eye for detail, and then distilling that into a bite, is something authors should all study. There's one moment where a character drinks whisky, and it's described something like water passed through an oak stump that had been struck by lightning. It's this kind of thing that's everywhere in the prose; it's easy to consume, but leaves you fulfilled in a way a simple sugary snack wouldn't.
The book, despite being the first in a series, has a start, middle, and an end. The promise to the reader is maintained, and everything is resolved that should be. It leaves you wanting more, but not because the meal was only half-finished. And that's where I went - right to the sequel.
The story is, "What if Hogwarts was real, but also, there are murder fairies," and plays a fairly tight game with the fourth wall and the reader, referencing a Potteresque fictional series within a fictional book on which the fictional magic is based 🙂
There are some decent and really interesting characters in this book. The best friend, but also a narcissist. The girlfriend, but also jealousy. The other narcissist, but also empathetic. And so on. If I had to pick a flaw with the book, it might be the flaws in the characters; there's a bit too much grimdark going on for my liking with the cast, and they do things that are a) obviously stupid and b) will lead to poor outcomes (which they do, on themes both big and small).
However, the book is a stellar masterwork on the what-if-magic-was-real. It's a very convincing The Matrix but it's magic, and doesn't shy away from consequences. There's no MCU-level rewrites of history when people die. If you're a villain, you need to work to get back in the black. And maybe, just maybe, villains are actually villains, and you just can't trust some people. The complicated nature of the world, and how it intersects with the characters, is sublime.
While this book is by no means a comedy, Grossman has some truly superb lines in here that are either poignant our laugh out loud. His eye for detail, and then distilling that into a bite, is something authors should all study. There's one moment where a character drinks whisky, and it's described something like water passed through an oak stump that had been struck by lightning. It's this kind of thing that's everywhere in the prose; it's easy to consume, but leaves you fulfilled in a way a simple sugary snack wouldn't.
The book, despite being the first in a series, has a start, middle, and an end. The promise to the reader is maintained, and everything is resolved that should be. It leaves you wanting more, but not because the meal was only half-finished. And that's where I went - right to the sequel.
coreylanesmith's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
roseyrose42's review against another edition
1.0
You know. I honestly really enjoyed the TV show. It was cheesy, it was fun. Figured why not read the book?
Wrong.
All I'm saying is, the main character should be in a Fedora. I felt gross after reading some of the lines in here.
Wrong.
All I'm saying is, the main character should be in a Fedora. I felt gross after reading some of the lines in here.
fantasynovel's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really, really thought I would love this book. From what I gathered, it would be like a revamped Harry Potter, only darker. And in many ways, it was. It was basically a response to Harry Potter, to Narnia, to Oz, to all the children's fantasy from that last century. Instead of following the lives of children, the book portrayed older, college-aged teenagers exploring the magical world and their burgeoning magical abilities. The problem? I really hated these college-aged teenagers. They came with annoying angst and lovers' quarrels and way too much alcohol. The main character, Quentin, did several insufferable things like . The only parts of the book I liked dealt with the magic itself; times when the characters honed their abilities. The only parts of the book I loved dealt with Fillory, the Narnia-esque fantasy books that the Quentin was obsessed with. In some ways, this part of the book allowed me to return to the time when I read Narnia, only instead of Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy Pevensie wandering through a wardrobe into Narnia, the five Chatwin children in various ways fell into Fillory. Fillory even had magical gods who, like Aslan, were in the shape of animals: Ember and Umber, the two magical rams who governed Fillory and sent the children back at the end of each adventure. However, the annoying college teenagers, constantly drunk and angry with each other, spoiled Fillory for me. I will be reading the next book, but I really hope there'll be some significant character development.
Spoiler
cheating on his girlfriend and then becoming furious when she slept with someone elselindsayaunderwood's review against another edition
3.0
I went back and forth with really liking this book and being not all that into it. Pretty much everyone agrees that this is a dark and gritty version of Harry Potter. I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect. It felt kind of how Harry potter would go if you and a bunch of your friends were transported there in high school... Not much interest in bravery and a lot of interest in benign moody.
However, where harry potter gets you with the characters, this book does not. Part of that can't be helped I suppose, in a book like there where the author was trying to cover serious ground. There wasn't much room for detail when it came to each students' time at brakebills.
Luckily, the last 50 pages of the book really secured my interest and I'll definitely read the next book.
However, where harry potter gets you with the characters, this book does not. Part of that can't be helped I suppose, in a book like there where the author was trying to cover serious ground. There wasn't much room for detail when it came to each students' time at brakebills.
Luckily, the last 50 pages of the book really secured my interest and I'll definitely read the next book.
hales2000's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mizz_performer's review against another edition
3.0
The story was interesting but the women characters are really one dimensional stereotypes. Used by the main character (who is like a toddler) and picked up like toys only when someone else wants them.
deathmetalheron's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Violence
Minor: Drug use