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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
This is a hard book to rate.
I actually watched the first season of the show before being inspired to read the book. Many of the best elements of the show are present and even more prominent in the book. Both mediums successfully convey Grossman's most impressive accomplishment, which is taking the, by now, tried and true genre of magical education and turning it on its head. Just as GRRM did with high fantasy, Grossman (albeit on a far smaller scale) subverted some of the most staid tropes of the genre.
His characters are all varying degrees of unlikable, though never to the point where you can't root for them. They have foibles, sins, and unappealing traits a plenty. Magic in this world is dangerous, unpredictable, and often seems not worth the risk. Every spell, incantation or ritual seems fraught with the unpredictably of failure, or sometimes even worse... success.
The novelty of the story never really wears off, even as the novel itself suffers from serious plot difficulties. These issues, in the end, threaten to derail the entire momentum and pacing of the novel, and probably would if the book were any longer. An example of this is the fact that the entire experience at the magical school, Breakbills, is condensed to roughly the first half of the novel, even though there is so much content that it could easily fill a book by itself. Five years runs by too quickly, and characters who deserve much more development, like Alice, Penny, or Martin and Jane Chadwick, are relegated to moderate roles.
The show clearly understands these problems, and attempts, to a degree of success to fix them. That's why Alice and Penny are main characters in the first season of the show. The show's decision to make Julia a main character in the show is absolutely neceessary, but doesn't (perhaps) reflect a corresponding fault with the book, which features her only briefly, and allows her backstory to be developed more in the sequel.
With proper writing and plot construction, the Magicians could be a five star novel. The originality and setting certainly are top notch. However, among other issues, the poor plot pacing means it barely earns four stars. That being said, I am excited to read the second novel, the Magicians King.
I actually watched the first season of the show before being inspired to read the book. Many of the best elements of the show are present and even more prominent in the book. Both mediums successfully convey Grossman's most impressive accomplishment, which is taking the, by now, tried and true genre of magical education and turning it on its head. Just as GRRM did with high fantasy, Grossman (albeit on a far smaller scale) subverted some of the most staid tropes of the genre.
His characters are all varying degrees of unlikable, though never to the point where you can't root for them. They have foibles, sins, and unappealing traits a plenty. Magic in this world is dangerous, unpredictable, and often seems not worth the risk. Every spell, incantation or ritual seems fraught with the unpredictably of failure, or sometimes even worse... success.
The novelty of the story never really wears off, even as the novel itself suffers from serious plot difficulties. These issues, in the end, threaten to derail the entire momentum and pacing of the novel, and probably would if the book were any longer. An example of this is the fact that the entire experience at the magical school, Breakbills, is condensed to roughly the first half of the novel, even though there is so much content that it could easily fill a book by itself. Five years runs by too quickly, and characters who deserve much more development, like Alice, Penny, or Martin and Jane Chadwick, are relegated to moderate roles.
The show clearly understands these problems, and attempts, to a degree of success to fix them. That's why Alice and Penny are main characters in the first season of the show. The show's decision to make Julia a main character in the show is absolutely neceessary, but doesn't (perhaps) reflect a corresponding fault with the book, which features her only briefly, and allows her backstory to be developed more in the sequel.
With proper writing and plot construction, the Magicians could be a five star novel. The originality and setting certainly are top notch. However, among other issues, the poor plot pacing means it barely earns four stars. That being said, I am excited to read the second novel, the Magicians King.
I was in search for an adult book with a complex magical system, and I landed with a recommendation for the magicians. So here I am.
My first thought while reading was that Quentin is deeply unlikable. It was genuinely hard for me to get through the opening section before Brakebills. It lessened a bit with reading onward, but I'm not sure if that's because Quentin became more likable or I was distracted with everything else going on in the book. I'm still not overly fond of Quentin.
To begin with criticism, I honestly wish there were more details on the mechanics of the magic. I also wish that more time was spent on the universe in general, as I feel like there were a billion sub-plots that could've lead to some better character development for the physical kids or any of the other characters. I find myself wanting for more Elliot character development, which it seems will be present in the next book. Brakebills could've used some expounding upon too. The comments about how getting your dreams can result in unintended and unforeseen consequences felt a little overdone and very "I'm 14 and this is deep" sometimes. It's fine though, didn't get mentioned that often. Fillory felt rushed. Overall, I think there was two books of plot in this one book, and more time could've been spent developing characters and the universe.
For positives, though, all of the major loose threads were tied up. At least from what I remember (I read the book over a longer period than usual, I might be missing some details from earlier). The magical universe was interesting, at least from what we saw. The punishments and their severity for mishandling magic are clearly demonstrated and absolutely horrifying. Reading Alice becoming a niffin and the devastation of the fight personally hurt my soul. Also the breakbills south story was harrowing.
Overall, I think this is a likable entry in adult fantasy. I feel like there was roughly two books worth of plot stuffed into one, and characters could've been developed better if it was slowed down in some places, but overall it's a strong entry with interesting magic, (some) likable characters, and an interesting universe. I will be reading the next book, and hope to get a better picture of fillory's universe.
The worst book I’ve read in a long time: pessimistic, crass for no reason, and the main character reminds you what it is to be depressed. I thought the premise of reshaping Lewis and Rowling’s plots was going to be fun, but it was very much not.
I found this book to be quite enjoyable. This isn't a book to read if you are uncomfortable with characters who aren't always entirely capable. I think I specifically liked dark aspects of this book. I can understand, especially after reading some of the other reviews, why some people didn't really enjoy this book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really tried on this one. It does feel like a more adult Harry Potter but the descriptions were long and wordy. I would get lost and bored
Collegiate Harry Potter sans the enchantment and intrigue. I loved the premise, oft looked about for the plot, and detested the cold, embittered narrative.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes