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A review by gracenextdoor
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
5.0
When this book first came out, it was one I repeatedly recommended to my husband, but never saw myself reading. I was afraid of the "Harry Potter for adults" reviews and descriptions of a depressed protagonist obsessed with his favorite childhood books. It seemed a bit...much. When SyFy adapted the books, I watched them with my husband and *loved* it, but still didn't feel compelled to read the source.
Finally, my husband urged me to read them, and I conceded. The Magicians follows Quentin Coldwater, a high school senior, who struggles with finding his path in life. Not-so-secretly in love with his friend's girlfriend and still obsessing about Fillory, the magical land from the beloved children's series of his youth, Quentin is an oddball loner with no ideas about what his future will be. When an interview for Yale takes an unexpected turn, Quentin finds himself at Brakebills, a school for magic. His owl had finally arrived.
If you're here for a "grown up Harry Potter," of course you'll leave disappointed. It's very different. Book 1 does not = year 1. Quentin makes friends, falls in love, but oddly finds that magic doesn't magically fix everything. He's still the same person, with the same insecurities and self-doubt he had before he found out magic was real. He's not an innocent eleven-year-old boy wizard. He's a young adult trying to navigate the world on his own, amidst his depression and strange, violent encounters with an utterly creepy villain.
If you, like me, watched the series first, I want to say how delighted I was to find how closely the characters on screen matched those on the page. TV Quentin IS Quentin. As is Eliot. And Janet/Margo. The tv show might take a lot of artistic license, but the books are there. Out of order with a lot of changes (and fantastic musical numbers), but they're there nonetheless. This book was even more enjoyable to read than it was to watch. And that's saying something.
Finally, my husband urged me to read them, and I conceded. The Magicians follows Quentin Coldwater, a high school senior, who struggles with finding his path in life. Not-so-secretly in love with his friend's girlfriend and still obsessing about Fillory, the magical land from the beloved children's series of his youth, Quentin is an oddball loner with no ideas about what his future will be. When an interview for Yale takes an unexpected turn, Quentin finds himself at Brakebills, a school for magic. His owl had finally arrived.
If you're here for a "grown up Harry Potter," of course you'll leave disappointed. It's very different. Book 1 does not = year 1. Quentin makes friends, falls in love, but oddly finds that magic doesn't magically fix everything. He's still the same person, with the same insecurities and self-doubt he had before he found out magic was real. He's not an innocent eleven-year-old boy wizard. He's a young adult trying to navigate the world on his own, amidst his depression and strange, violent encounters with an utterly creepy villain.
If you, like me, watched the series first, I want to say how delighted I was to find how closely the characters on screen matched those on the page. TV Quentin IS Quentin. As is Eliot. And Janet/Margo. The tv show might take a lot of artistic license, but the books are there. Out of order with a lot of changes (and fantastic musical numbers), but they're there nonetheless. This book was even more enjoyable to read than it was to watch. And that's saying something.