A review by charles_dunham
The Magician King by Lev Grossman

4.0

I wish 4.5 stars was an option for this worthy sequel to "The Magicians. I'm making an effort to be more stingy with my praise so my favorite books can be distinguished from my almost favorite. This book both subverts and enjoys the notion of a classic quest as Quentin accedes to the demands of talking animals and attempts to save a magical kingdom from collapse. Witty and thoughful, this would be story enough, but the dark elements from the prequel come through in the parallel back-story of Julia, who never had Quentin's cozy experience at Brakebills school of magic, who instead took a more tragic route before rejoining Quentin in Fillory. Any adult who enjoys both Harry Potter and David Sedaris is likely to appreciate both books in the series and hunger for more.