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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Dire, dull and juvenile; and that's me being nice.
I couldn't finish it, I hated everything about it.
I couldn't finish it, I hated everything about it.
The Magicians is a dark Portal Fantasy trilogy by Lev Grossman that was adapted into a TV series. This Graphic Novel is based upon the original books – not the TV show.
Think College after Hogwarts with sex, drugs and bad mental health – and then give them firepower and access to Narnia to really party!. The original trilogy dragged the reader through some dark corners of the main characters souls before showing any light. This Graphic Novel parallels the events of the first novel in the series, The Magicians – anyone who has already read the novels will find this story very familiar.
The Magicians Original Graphic Novel: Alice’s Story – as the title suggests is all about Alice. This book shows us what happens from Alice’s perspective. But if you haven’t read the original books, fear not – this Graphic Novel stands on its own merits and requires no knowledge of the series at large. (But reading this will give you spoilers for the main books, so be warned)
I really liked this and had fun coming back to a series I’ve enjoyed before. It felt familiar but new. Still dark, but for unexpected reasons – and made me feel for Alice all over again.
Alice’s Story deals with outsiders trying to fit in amongst other outsiders. Obsessions pushed too far, the realisation that not everyone grows up at the same pace (or at all in some cases) – and the scars of bereavement and grief that never completely heal.
Lev Grossman and Lilah Sturges have together managed to write a story anew, bringing something for both existing fans as well as those new to the worlds of The Magicians. Pius Bak has brought to life the characters and worlds in such a way as to radiate their essences.
This graphic novel is published by Boom! Studios. Written by Lev Grossman and Lilah Sturges. Illustrated by Pius Bak. Colour by Dan Jackson. Lettering by Mike Fiorentino.
The Magicians: Alice’s Story will be available from 16th July 2019. (A free digital copy of this book for review purposes was kindly provided by the publisher through Netgalley.)
4 out of 5 stars.
Think College after Hogwarts with sex, drugs and bad mental health – and then give them firepower and access to Narnia to really party!. The original trilogy dragged the reader through some dark corners of the main characters souls before showing any light. This Graphic Novel parallels the events of the first novel in the series, The Magicians – anyone who has already read the novels will find this story very familiar.
The Magicians Original Graphic Novel: Alice’s Story – as the title suggests is all about Alice. This book shows us what happens from Alice’s perspective. But if you haven’t read the original books, fear not – this Graphic Novel stands on its own merits and requires no knowledge of the series at large. (But reading this will give you spoilers for the main books, so be warned)
I really liked this and had fun coming back to a series I’ve enjoyed before. It felt familiar but new. Still dark, but for unexpected reasons – and made me feel for Alice all over again.
Alice’s Story deals with outsiders trying to fit in amongst other outsiders. Obsessions pushed too far, the realisation that not everyone grows up at the same pace (or at all in some cases) – and the scars of bereavement and grief that never completely heal.
Lev Grossman and Lilah Sturges have together managed to write a story anew, bringing something for both existing fans as well as those new to the worlds of The Magicians. Pius Bak has brought to life the characters and worlds in such a way as to radiate their essences.
This graphic novel is published by Boom! Studios. Written by Lev Grossman and Lilah Sturges. Illustrated by Pius Bak. Colour by Dan Jackson. Lettering by Mike Fiorentino.
The Magicians: Alice’s Story will be available from 16th July 2019. (A free digital copy of this book for review purposes was kindly provided by the publisher through Netgalley.)
4 out of 5 stars.
A truly raw novel exploring the deep heartbreak and rough reality of become a teen and then an adult. As someone who grew up with Harry Potter, it was refreshing for an author to explore a fantasy while keeping it real. I'm excited to read the other novels in this series, and I will be recommending this to my students.
This started off strong and then petered out and never managed to recapture the glory. I had such high hopes after Antarctica and that was definitely the pinnacle, alas. The Manhattan interlude was WAY too long and the ending was sooooo disappointing, especially after Alice and then the centaurs. Lots of incredible moments and an interesting premise though, so I'll give book two a chance.
I can't deny that this is an exquisitely well-written book, with a few sentences that I read multiple times because they were so beautiful or poignant. The author has a powerful command of plot, pacing, and setup and payoff.
That being said.
Uggghhh. *shudders* Time for me to go reread all seven Harry Potter books back to back to cleanse the sticky residue of this book from my soul.
This novel virtually swims in its own smug pretentiousness. The main character--I hate to call him a protagonist, let alone a hero--is an angsty, privileged brat who sexualizes and demeans literally every woman he encounters. As the story develops (and the main character fails to), the author breaks down every aspect of glamor or excitement surrounding magic, turning magic into an unspeakably dull academic matter that drains all meaning from the lives of its practitioners. "Look," it's as if the author is trying to say, "I'm a sophisticated adult who doesn't believe in enjoyable stories, or escapism, or heroism! Courage, love, and a sense of wonder at the universe are for kids! Sexism, ableism, and exhaustingly prolonged existential crises are for *real* grownups!"
Give me a break.
This novel embodies all the virtues and flaws of New Yorker-style literary fiction: superbly high-quality writing focused ad nauseum on the banal existences of wealthy and able-bodied straight white men. If this is your idea of sophistication and maturity, give me childishness any day. At least Harry Potter doesn't leave me feeling like the embodiment of white male entitlement just crawled into my chest and died.
That being said.
Uggghhh. *shudders* Time for me to go reread all seven Harry Potter books back to back to cleanse the sticky residue of this book from my soul.
This novel virtually swims in its own smug pretentiousness. The main character--I hate to call him a protagonist, let alone a hero--is an angsty, privileged brat who sexualizes and demeans literally every woman he encounters. As the story develops (and the main character fails to), the author breaks down every aspect of glamor or excitement surrounding magic, turning magic into an unspeakably dull academic matter that drains all meaning from the lives of its practitioners. "Look," it's as if the author is trying to say, "I'm a sophisticated adult who doesn't believe in enjoyable stories, or escapism, or heroism! Courage, love, and a sense of wonder at the universe are for kids! Sexism, ableism, and exhaustingly prolonged existential crises are for *real* grownups!"
Give me a break.
This novel embodies all the virtues and flaws of New Yorker-style literary fiction: superbly high-quality writing focused ad nauseum on the banal existences of wealthy and able-bodied straight white men. If this is your idea of sophistication and maturity, give me childishness any day. At least Harry Potter doesn't leave me feeling like the embodiment of white male entitlement just crawled into my chest and died.
I'm leery of bestsellers because I generally expect too much out of them and end up being unimpressed, and yet again this happened to me. I was ready to wave the white flag when I reached the second part of this book, but I thought maybe just maybe the author was done prattling on about magic, but fifty pages into the second half I gave up. And yes that's right I said prattling on. It was not interesting.....at all. I felt like I was reading a college textbook on how magic works and why. There was no excitment, no rise and falling action, just a single train of magic classes with a few interruptions here and there. Even the relationships fell short and felt flat, like they were being described but not felt. There needed to be more dialogue and less description; give the characters more of a voice so the readers can connect with them, understand them. Sure the main character is going to be easy to understand, you're in his head, but the rest of the characters need more that just what Quentin sees in order to develop meaning to the reader.
There were also parts that confused me, like Quentin randomly jumping into a freezing cold lake with Alice. No explanation why or what happened to them after was provided. What was the point? Their school sport of Welters thoroughly confused me as well. The rules were skimmed over and as the players participated, the rules weren't reinforced. I had no clue why they were making certain moves and casting certain spells. A more in depth analysis of the game was needed in order to make sense to the reader.
Overall I think I would have enjoyed this if the tone was more upbeat and the characters had more depth. I could have dealt with the confusion of some parts if I'd felt more connected.
There were also parts that confused me, like Quentin randomly jumping into a freezing cold lake with Alice. No explanation why or what happened to them after was provided. What was the point? Their school sport of Welters thoroughly confused me as well. The rules were skimmed over and as the players participated, the rules weren't reinforced. I had no clue why they were making certain moves and casting certain spells. A more in depth analysis of the game was needed in order to make sense to the reader.
Overall I think I would have enjoyed this if the tone was more upbeat and the characters had more depth. I could have dealt with the confusion of some parts if I'd felt more connected.
I think this book was hyped up too much, which is why it was slightly disappointing to finish. The first half was really interesting; the second half was a slow deflation. It was a good book, but I didn't love it.
3.75 - great adventures, some good humor, just a little long for my taste.
This one of the most unique fantasies I have ever read. I really liked how Grossman kept the fantastical elements, like talking animals, and mixed it with very real, very relatable emotions that people go through while growing up.
I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as the SyFy series. I thought Quentin was ponderous and depressing, and since the book is written from his perspective, it colors the entire story in this way. I couldn't make myself keep reading the next installments in the series..believe me. I tried. I'm disappointed because I really wanted to love this book!