Review: The Magicians
Posted by Kate on Monday, November 4, 2013. Filed under: fantasy, fiction, published in 2009, review, reviewed in 2013
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Published by: Viking
Our source: Our local library
What it’s about (from Goodreads):
Quentin Coldwater is brillant but miserable. He's a senior in high school, and a certifiable genius, but he's still secretly obsessed with a series of fantasy novels he read as a kid, about the adventures of five children in a magical land called Fillory. Compared to that, anything in his real life just seems gray and colorless.
Everything changes when Quentin 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 practice of modern sorcery. He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. But something is still missing. Magic doesn't bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he though it would.
Our thoughts:
Everything changes when Quentin 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 practice of modern sorcery. He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. But something is still missing. Magic doesn't bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he though it would.
Our thoughts:
John Green recommended this to fans of Harry Potter. I have to respectfully disagree. For me, the magic of Harry Potter made no appearance. Instead, it had drugs and sex - and also a bit on the creepy side.
I really wanted to like this, but there were so many things that annoyed me. The large time jumps, for one, and the fact that Grossman squeezed at least 5 years into one book. It often felt too broad and over-viewy when I wanted more details.
We would recommend this to:
People who are looking for an edgier Harry Potter
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