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)

amazing

Watched the show first. love how similar yet different they are. wish there was a fourth book

My god I love it

It's beautifully dark. A bit annoyingly whiny and sad by about the middle. But the wording is so nice, the philosophy and ideas are so raw and real and exploratory. It's more of a drama than fantasy. It feels very Gatsby to me, or maybe something from Hemmingway or even Bukowski, but not quite. In any case, I found the last few chapters so engrossing I, at one point, was gripping the paper of my paperback copy so tightly that I left a hand impression in it. It's certainly not for everyone, but I think if you love deep literature and not just fancy fun kids stuff with dark satire, unapologetic honesty, and that sort of thing, you'll at least like The Magicians, whether you like fantasy or not.

Apathetic characters and their Narnia knockoff

unsure of there was really any plot for the first 1/2-1/3 of the book just following the protagonist at magic college. where all of the unlikeable characters spend 5 years learning magic, but come out still being incompetence at it. Throw in some random homoerotic encounters, moping, an imploding relationship, and by the end I'm not sure I could stomach finishing the rest of the series. maybe I'll go in for the cliff notes version or just watch the TV show. Perhaps pick this up on sale. Though I did and now cannot exchanged it for anything worth while yet.

Gritty

As if J.D. Salinger and F.Scott Fitzgerald wrote abook about a jaded, moody Harry Potter LARPing through Narnia.

You either love it or you hate it

I'm sure a ton of listeners have come here from the TV show based on this series... I actually read these books first, then watched the show afterwards. I read the reviews and was in shock with how many people did not enjoy this until looking further into it. This series is very relateable in the ways of struggles with mental health, dealing with traumatic events, and escape from reality. It is very slow going. Lots of character and plot development compared to action sequences. This is what I personally prefer in a book. Characters that feel real living out a life many of us wish we had, but they're thrown into a much more cruel and unforgiving version of the magical world many of us like to escape to. If you enjoy reading a book that focuses more on it's characters development and takes its time to explain in great detail the events they go through, this is the book for you. But if you prefer a fast-paced action/fantasy novel, you may not like your time here.

this is my favorite series

being my favorite book out of the series it was great hearing it voice acted and preformed so well.
anyone who loves a modern style fantasy should check this book out

good book

I had seen the series, so was worried. I like to read the book before the movie. but the changes made since. I like the book even now than the series

The Magicians

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

The Magicians

Too much angst and self loathing followed by destructive behavior coupled with irrational misplacement of anger, for my tastes anyway.

Book versus show

I enjoyed both, but I LOVED the show and only Liked the book. I would recommend trying both for yourself ~.