The Magicians

Paperback, 496 pages

English language

Published Dec. 24, 2009 by Arrow.

ISBN:
978-0-09-953444-0
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OCLC Number:
861326772

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3 stars (5 reviews)

A thrilling and original coming-of- age novel about a young man practicing magic in the real worldQuentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he’s still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery.He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. Something is missing, though. Magic doesn’t bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he dreamed it would. After graduation he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin’s fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined. …

15 editions

reviewed The magicians by Lev Grossman (Book one of the Magicians trilogy)

or, "The Incels of Narnia"

1 star

I am determined to finish at least the first book, even though I hate it. Actually, maybe it's because I hate it. I don't like to rate or review books I haven't finished, but I feel compelled to talk about how terrible this book is. The author is a frequent offender on r/menwritingwomen, and for good reason. He claims all the misogyny (among other things) is intentional, because the story is "filtered through the mind & eyes of a 17 year old boy". That's a pretty dubious claim on its face, and it doesn't really explain why all the other characters do and say what they do. Maybe I'll flesh this out more when I finish it.

On the other hand, generally the writing itself is decent enough, even if it gets a little purple prose at times. Just watch the show, it's 1000% better than the source material.

EDIT: …

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rated it

4 stars
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rated it

4 stars
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rated it

3 stars

Subjects

  • Fiction, psychological
  • Fiction, fantasy, paranormal
  • Fiction, coming of age