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)

Loved it!

Was wonderful, an lovely, and got many through many rough commutes. The book gave me one to many mood swings an kept me wanting.

Really wanted to like it!

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

Meh, I don't want to demand the time back from life, but with hindsight I would have chosen a different book.

What was most disappointing about Lev Grossman’s story?

Unoriginality

What does Mark Bramhall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He was actually pretty good at conveying the emotion in the book, however, he seemed to have to spit out any of the cursing.

Do you think The Magicians needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. I know it does, but I don't have an interest in reading it. The book ends one way and although it's not perfect it seems to follow the overall story expectation. Then in the last few minutes there is a complete plot twist and different ending. It's like the author forgot he wanted a sequel and then tagged something on.

Any additional comments?

I wouldn't read it again, but I'm not entirely discouraging anyone to try it. I had two major problems I couldn't get over. One was the story was pretty unoriginal in that it pulled from two different existing books. It was a clash of Harry Potter & Narnia. The only difference was the adult themes that went along with this. The second was the 'downer' attitude of the main character. He learned magic, had a good relationship, friends, visited his childhood dream, and couldn't be happy. I realize this happens in real life, but I prefer my fantasy to be more upbeat or come with a lesson in lieu of that particular tempo.

Ending of the book was not so satisfying

ending was not as happy as I would have liked. but a great book filled with tons of suspense

Awesome Book but Slow Start

The book was very compelling and interesting, but it started out a little slow. The characters are easy to connect with and the story itself is a very interesting take on magic. Overall a great read! AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Brilliant...just brilliant

Loved the book the characters, the narrator. I watched Season 1 and loved it so much that I had to read the book. The book and show split a lot but I still love it. I look forward to book 2 and 3.

Wonderful book!!!

The voices the reader made didn't seem to match the characters. But overall, this was a wonderful book to listen to👌👌👌

Greatness for generation X

My expectations were pretty low because I haven't had a good book in years. But this book was a great story which borrowed ideas from other great books:-). Yay.

I don't have one most memorable moment. I have many. There are many fun things to think about when you are in the magical land of lev grossman.

This narrator was pretty amazing! He did all kinds of voices and accents (even if some of them were off), but there were nuances that really allowed you to know who was saying which dialogue, which can be confusing in an audiobook!

Great Listen!

This book is rich and complex as it navigates the coming of age of an unusual cast of characters. They struggle through schooling, love, hate, betrayal and along the way learn compassion. The lead character crashes through much that he could have finessed and he doesn't ever learn impulse control or does he? A good read, colorful and imaginative.

More adult than the TV show

Happy to have a more adult version of a great TV series based on these books!

very entertaining

A fun world to step into - I'm looking forward to book two! I love books about magic but the dark style of these characters makes this even more entertaining. 😈