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)

My favorite series

I am a HUGE fan of both the show and the books. This book and the whole series is wonderfully written, and in my opinion, gives readers the same escape that Fillory offers Quentin. The narrator also really does this series justice! Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys sci-fi/fantasy books. It’s my absolute favorite.

Disjointed

This book was ok but the story was very choppy. Several times, there were major occurances that the author went nowhere with. I kept waiting for them to be tied back into the novel but it didn't happen.
I felt like this book got pushed through the publishing system at this level of editing because the author is the book reviewer for Time Magazine and no one was willing to be harsh enough with him. It really does need a good edit and more continuity.

First time the show has a thicker plot than the book

This book starts off slow, has moments of great writing but refuses to take off with it.

I feel like Grossman keeps telling us how brilliant these characters are and expects us (the readers) to believe it without a shred of evidence in the story.

The characters go through the riggers of the plot and don't show any signs of growth.

I enjoyed the audio version, it was well read. Bramhall has a soothing and consistent voice throughout. I would only argue his voice for "Josh" doesn't match the character in the story.

My new favorite series and narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. This is phenomenal storytelling, true-to-life, and an overall enriching experience, especially when considered with the sequel. The characters are dynamic, the conflicts exciting, the resolutions unexpected and satisfying, and the villain absolutely brilliant and terrifying. I hope to see much, much more from this author.

What did you like best about this story?

Getting right down to it, basic sentence structure, word-choice, and flow of narration. It is expertly done. I also loved how human the heroes are, being completely relatable instead of thinly-drawn paragons that we see too often in fantasy series. This is as much a growing-experience for the characters as to the reader/listener.

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

Bramhall is perfect. It is hard to pick a favorite, but his Eliot was particularly good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It is impossible to describe why without spoilers, but the final act is incredibly moving and satisfying.

Any additional comments?

I am utterly baffled by the criticisms that come in some variation of "this isn't Harry Potter." I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan, but come on people, that is like criticizing The Notebook because it wasn't as scary as The Exorcist. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The Magicians is fantasy literature at its best and is meant for a mature, intelligent audience. If you are truly unsatisfied with the ending, which I found to be quite happy actually, I hope you give the second book a chance, because it is leaps and bounds better than the first, which I dearly love anyway.

The only criticism I would level against this book is that the pacing seemed a bit too fast in the school section. I would have enjoyed that as its own book.

its pretty good , its not great

This is the second book I listened to because GRRM recommended it. I also got one based on a Neil Gaiman recommend and one on a Stephen King recommend. The lesson here is that just because u tend to like a writer doesnt mean u will like everything or even ANYTHING else that they like.

Having said that I really don't understand the negativity level of many of the reviews. This is a decent read. Its a little heavy on the coming of age angst to be sure, but the story is pretty solidly engaging. Comparison with Harry Potter may have been too misleading for the audience

These are outcast misfit angry highschoolers who get to go to magic college, true enough - but if you know anything about unhappy teens you must know that they are not generally capable of the kind of wonder that younger children can produce. Child- wonder tended to severely mitigate the really sad themes that were in Potter.

The ending is a weakness in my view. I just didnt like it. The story is very angsty and then suddenly something silly gets introduced when you cant possibly appreciate silly as anything other than dumb.

I bought this more than a year ago. I think I have listened x3. I almost always have to listen twice to really get the whole thing what with life going on and all. So neither a fave nor a failure.

The performance is excellent. I havent gotten the sequel yet but I probably will. It might be good and I do love a good story

Good almost to the end

Would you ever listen to anything by Lev Grossman again?

The book was interesting, witty, and entertaining right up almost until the end... about 2 hours from the end the story turns in to a train crash. It appears as though it's going to recover: masterfully, artfully, beautifully. And then it doesn't. The way he ties it up the loose, frayed, burnt ends makes me never want to experience anything by this author ever, ever again.

Would not recommend.

Not as good as TV show

If you've seen the TV show this will not do it any justice. There are plenty of missed plot lines that don't translate. The good thing is that it's a different story and a different ending. If you haven't seen the show you will probably enjoy.

Did Not Work For Me

Be aware that this is very different from Harry Potter (despite the fact that a wizarding school is involved) and Narnia (despite the fact that another parallel world is involved) read a few chapters first before deciding whether it is for you or not.

The reader was good.

The Magicians - A fantasy pulled out of a hat

Woefully slow at first, but purposeful. Story developes, takes off and is woven together tightly. Very enjoyable. Felt for the characters. Learned, tragic, NY realistic, then fantasy and Nymphs. Voice charaterization well done - took a bit to engage, then took off. Pace of the book has purpose and intent - albeit a bit sluggish with a strange ending. Worth another listen down the road. A nice story told.

Anti-escape reading. Grim, Fun, Thought Provoking

This is a very good audio-book. I almost didn't buy it because of the description in the "Blurb" of "Penny, the Punk Rocker." Since I resemble that remark, I usually avoid writers that use Punk Rock characters in non-music related situations. Penny passed my "suspension of disbelief" test and didn't jerk me back into the real world. I don't like cartoon or stereotypical character used in a group of protagonists unless it is on purpose or intended as comedy. For example, some of Christopher Moore's supporting characters. He does a wonderful job of making me laugh. ********* "The Magicians" has just enough jokes about Harry Potter and Tolkien (and a few more obscure ones) to make points and give the reader a sense of the story taking place in the real modern everyday world. There is one very subtle reference near the end, a paraphrase from “The Silmarillion,” that made me actually stop and laugh but will probably go over a lot of people’s heads. That I mention this at all shows my involvement with the story and plot. This book hit home with me pretty hard. I omit one obvious parallel with fantasy novels because I don't want to give the plot away. The reader will figure it out or they won't, either way the book is well worth reading. I agree that it would appeal to both fantasy fans and non-fantasy fans. It is also somewhat grim at times and often thought provoking. The characters’ growing problems with alcohol were unpleasant to me but vital. This is not "Bored of the Rings," or a parody. It reminded me of a strange blend of Niven/Barnes’ “Dream Park” and Andre Dubus III’s “House of Sand and Fog.“ I'm looking forward to the second book.