The Magicians

A Novel

By: Lev Grossman

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

A thrilling and original coming-of- age novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world.

Quentin 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. His childhood dream becomes a nightmare with a shocking truth at its heart.

At once psychologically piercing and magnificently absorbing, The Magicians boldly moves into uncharted literary territory, imagining magic as practiced by real people, with their capricious desires and volatile emotions. Lev Grossman creates an utterly original world in which good and evil aren't black and white, love and sex aren't simple or innocent, and power comes at a terrible price.

©2009 Lev Grossman (P)2009 Penguin

Critic reviews

"This is a book for grown-up fans of children's fantasy and would appeal to those who loved Donna Tartt's The Secret History. Highly recommended." ( Library Journal)
"Provocative, unput-downable....one of the best fantasies I've read in ages." ( Fantasy & Science Fiction)
" The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea." (George R.R. Martin)

Lev Grossman Reachs New Hieghts in Pure Fantasy.

I have to explain, this is actually a review of two books. You can’t avoid reading The Magician King once you have finished reading The Magicians. Granted, these books are not for everyone. To really appreciate them, the reader needs to be on familiar terms with the land of Mordor and to have shared the joy of flight with Harry Potter.
In the first book, we meet Quentin, an intellectually gifted high school student who lives in Brooklyn. His life changes dramatically when he is offered a scholarship at Breakbills College. During his undergraduate and graduate training, he learns to become a master of the magical arts.
Grossman is superb at developing a strong, imaginative Breakbills student body. The education of a magician is a truly wondrous, yet grueling process. Along with magic, Quentin learns all about loving as well as the pain of rejection.
Upon graduation Quentin and some of his Breakbills acquaintances find their way to the magical land of Fillory, where they become kings and queens, meet a host of marvelous critters and finally set out upon an expedition to virtually save their magical universe.
I loved Lev Grossman’s books. He has created an entire dimension. His book is populated it with never-before visualized characters. These books tell a tale that leaves the reader spellbound by a supersonic flight of the imagination.

strangely satisfying in an unsatisfactory manner

i have to say, the author is some kind of horrible literary genius. i couldn't put the story down, while simultaneously hating the story the whole time, and hung in a perpetual state of constantly waiting for the actual story to happen. which is the very story itself. how on earth the author manages to write a story that compels you to finish it while making you hate it for being so horribly real is beyond me. but i guess that's why I'm not an author and they are.
if ever there were a book about privileged millenials adulting and trying to hack some kind of meaning for their lives as technological offspring, this is probably it.

Fabulous

Can we talk about Mark Bramhall? His narration is amazing. Each character has his/her own voice so it's easier to follow. And definitely not a monotoned drone.

Lev Grossman's detail of Fillory makes you feel like you are really there. I love this book. Starting the Magician King now.

Grown up

I liked the lack of whimsical fantasy and the books real world take on what happens when you've left your magical school after learning to harness incredible power and find out there are no monsters to fight. Quentin is hard to like at times and self obsessed more than a lot but what main character in any real world grounding isn't?

Story Felt Aimless

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story was good, but it felt like a very long Part 1 of 2. It was refreshing to see that it was less kiddie, but i just felt the story didn't have a very linear plot. And i really hate Quinton, I wish we could hear the story from Penny's point of view. I really loved Penny.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes i would watch the movie

Grown up version of Narnia books

What made the experience of listening to The Magicians the most enjoyable?

You are walking and find yourself following a leaf blowing in the wind. Only to really find yourself in a secret place for the magical. The entrance test seems ridiculous, you fluff your way through it, and are then rewarded with the richest experience of your life!

So now that you have a taste of the beginning, this book is a more grown up and fulfilling story than the Narnia story you already love. The characters are college aged, and have real thoughts and real problems. The story is very relatable and you can easily lose yourself in the characters. You will not want it to end!

Well written but uneven

Would you try another book from Lev Grossman and/or Mark Bramhall?

Not sure about Grossman. Bramhall was very good.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Engrossing first part of book then it just seemed to drag on for the middle third. Warmed up again in last 1/3 but somehow disappointing finish. I realize this is meant to be a continued story but just not that interested in what is next.

Which character – as performed by Mark Bramhall – was your favorite?

No favorite.

Was The Magicians worth the listening time?

Parts of it yes.

Any additional comments?

Challenging read but good characters and decent story. Not for kids due to complexity writing and adult themes.

"we all loved it"

Im surprised that more people didn't give this book good reviews. my friends and I loved it.

Alright

I think this might have actually been one of those books I would have preferred to read myself. There is a lot of scene description that I had trouble paying attention too. But also Quentin was a pretty unsympathetic character for me and I didn’t love the dude reading though that could be because I’ve been on a Davina Porter kick and she has the best book voice I’ve ever heard. Nevertheless, the last chapter intrigued me so I will probably continue with this trilogy.

Excellent!

I am usually unable to listen to audio books performed by male narrator's, but the narration by Mark was incredibly enjoyable. I love this book series, so being able to enjoy the audio book was very pleasing.