The Magician's Land

A Novel

By: Lev Grossman

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The stunning conclusion to the New York Times best-selling Magicians trilogy.

Quentin Coldwater has been cast out of Fillory, the secret magical land of his childhood dreams. With nothing left to lose he returns to where his story began, the Brakebills Preparatory College of Magic. But he can't hide from his past, and it's not long before it comes looking for him.

Along with Plum, a brilliant young undergraduate with a dark secret of her own, Quentin sets out on a crooked path through a magical demimonde of grey magic and desperate characters. But all roads lead back to Fillory, and his new life takes him to old haunts, like Antarctica and the Netherlands, and buried secrets, and old friends he thought were lost forever. He uncovers the key to a sorcerous masterwork, a spell that could create magical utopia, a new Fillory - but casting it will set in motion a chain of events that will bring Earth and Fillory crashing together. To save them he will have to risk sacrificing everything.

The Magician's Land is an intricate thriller, a fantastical epic and an epic of love and redemption that brings the Magicians trilogy to a magnificent climax, confirming it as one of the great achievements in modern fantasy. It's the story of a boy becoming a man, an apprentice becoming a master, and a broken land finally becoming whole.

©2014 Lev Grossman (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Richly imagined and continually surprising.... The strongest book in Grossman’s series. It not only offers a satisfying conclusion to Quentin Coldwater’s quests, earthly and otherwise, but also considers complex questions about identity and selfhood as profound as they are entertaining.... The Magician’s Land, more than any other book in the trilogy, wrestles with the question of humanity.... This is a gifted writer, and his gifts are at their apex in The Magician’s Land.” (Edan Lepucki, The New York Times Book Review)

“The strength of the trilogy lies...in the characters, whose inner lives and frailties Grossman renders with care and empathy.... Quentin[’s]...magical journey is deeply human.” (The New Yorker)

“Grossman makes it clear in the deepening complexity and widening scope of each volume that he understands the pleasures and perils of stories and believing in them.... The Magician's Land triumphantly answers the essential questions at the heart of the series, about whether magic belongs to childhood alone, whether reality trumps fantasy, even whether we have the power to shape our own lives in an indifferent universe.” (Gwenda Bond, The Los Angeles Times)

riveting enriched with fantasy beyond imagination!

I loved every moment. I found myself unable to put it down. My only regret is that there isn't another sequel.

Ties up the series nicely

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

The book sometimes feels more like a series of interconnected novella than one single narrative thread... but I still like some (not all) of the tangents it goes on.

What did you like best about this story?

A true attempt at character development for all the main characters from the first book to the last book - although a bit uneven and heavy-handed (liked it implied a lot of character change after the fact without actually depicting it). Still, I personally was satisfied.

Would you be willing to try another one of Mark Bramhall’s performances?

Not sure... it was jarring that he decided to completely change two of the characters voices between the first two books and the last.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Some may find this book has a bit of a split personality with its many sections. To that I say the first novel was literally divided into smaller "Books" sections that time jumped years (basically the whole Harry Potter series in the first novel). I found it still interesting because it lead to a lot of character development and interesting back stories. I also like how many things were neatly tied up for me while still leaving a lot of things left unsaid (and unneeded to be).

What an ending!

Nice conclusion to the story. Great character growth. Including the two other books, the whole series is worth reading just to get the full account. Don't give up after book one.

Good ending

It was overall a good wrap up to the trilogy. Like with the other two books it was very long, and not always in a good way. It seems to drag only after the fact when looking back on it. Good premise, good story, but too much detail some how.

One of the best books ever written. Hands down.

I've listened to this book a dozen times because everything else is garbage lately. Lev needs to write more soon.

Magic Doesn’t End

What a wonderful series. I will miss the characters from this book. But I will have to read more of Lev Grossman though, his descriptions are so vivid and almost melodic.

Amazing! Wish there was more. "Let's go further"

Thank You Mr. Grossman. Kept me going through a rough time. Thank you so much.

Great way to end the series

A few reviews said it was a bit slow to start and I tend to agree. However it's needed in order to wrap up the book. Truly wonderful book. Thanks Lev

Simply amazing!

This was a perfect conclusion to an amazing book series! I could not be happier! I would recommend this series to everyone! This book was milder In my opinion than the other two even though there was plenty of action and it all wraps of nicely! Absolutely everything gets resolved even things you forgot about like what ever happened to James. And spoiler; they finally got to see the Cozy Horse! I mean I may be the only weirdo who really wanted them to find that thing! There were times in other books where I was like man they could really use the Cozy Horse right now! I swear they put that in there just for people like me! As I said this was an immensely satisfying book

Enjoyable

This series took hold of me in a way I did not expect and left me wanting more and more. Mark Bramhall did such an amazing job of bringing all the characters to life. Without his narration this series would lack life. The final installment brought a good sense of closure for me.