The Magicians

A Novel

De: Lev Grossman

Narrado por: Mark Bramhall

Lev Grossman’s new novel THE BRIGHT SWORD is out now!

The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world, now an original series on SYFY

“The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea. . . . Hogwarts was never like this.”
—George R.R. Martin

“Sad, hilarious, beautiful, and essential to anyone who cares about modern fantasy.”
—Joe Hill

“A very knowing and wonderful take on the wizard school genre.”
—John Green

“The Magicians may just be the most subversive, gripping and enchanting fantasy novel I’ve read this century.”
—Cory Doctorow

“This gripping novel draws on the conventions of contemporary and classic fantasy novels in order to upend them . . . an unexpectedly moving coming-of-age story.”
—The New Yorker

“The best urban fantasy in years.”
—A.V. Club

Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A high school math genius, he’s secretly fascinated with a series of children’s fantasy novels set in a magical land called Fillory, and real life is disappointing by comparison. When Quentin is unexpectedly admitted to an elite, secret college of magic, it looks like his wildest dreams have come true. But his newfound powers lead him down a rabbit hole of hedonism and disillusionment, and ultimately to the dark secret behind the story of Fillory. The land of his childhood fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he ever could have imagined. . . .

The prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician's Land, The Magicians is one of the most daring and inventive works of literary fantasy in years. No one who has escaped into the worlds of Narnia and Harry Potter should miss this breathtaking return to the landscape of the imagination.

Wish fullfillment

The Magicians isn't a bad book, in fact it's got the makings of a pretty good book if it weren't for the fact that this book is boring.

Quinten and his friends aren't the best of people, but they are characters with flaws and that's pretty neat to see. However, I can see why lots of reviews say they're bad characters. Granted I don't think they're bad, but I do think they can only be taken in small doses. Powering through this book isn't the best way to listen. At least for me, I could only take so much wallowing in self-pity before I wanted to throw myself out of the car.

Some people say that this is a Harry Potter for adults, but it's not. There's an aspect of it, but it's not even half the book. I thought there were some interesting things that happened there, but it's not the end all be all. The story draws upon some similarities to some popular childhood fiction. For better or worse, I didn't find an issue with it. It did make me chuckle at times, but again, it's not the big part of the story.

I think the story is about growing up and accepting responsibility for your actions and their consequences. I think it also serves as a way for the author to break down popular fantasy and put his own spin on both popular fantasy fiction and say look at some of the tropes here's my take on them. I won't say they all work, but it's a good attempt and it didn't feel lazy.

As I mentioned, it's a boring book. There are events that happen, but it's so few and far between, that it was hard to hold my interest. We're still trying to figure out if we're going to listen to books 2 and 3 in the series. I think we will, but it's not on the top of the list.

An entertaining adult take on classic themes

Overall this book was entertaining, and the story, particularly the first half, was engaging. As previous reviewers have mentioned, there are times when it gets tedious. Also pointed out to some extent is the fact that the characters can be somewhat unsympathetic. I think this is compelling, in that the author is attempting to create a "reality story," fraught with human failings, in a fantasy context; so that there is not a clearly defined hero.

I disagree with those who claim that this book is a collection of stolen ideas. The book is a play on the Narnia concept as a vehicle for a modern day coming of age story, and is far from an allegory. Furthermore, the fact that a major setting is a school for magicians no more makes The Magicians a rip-off of Harry Potter than such presence makes Harry Potter a rip-off of Discworld. I found this story to be quite original and a refreshing departure from the typical fantasy/magician story.

A well-written and VERY predictable story

The performance is great on this book. I really enjoyed Mark Bramhall.

The story is weak. Being a fan of every concept of the book I really really wanted to like this. However, the story is painfully predictable. I was really hoping for some twist or plot device that would make it come alive, however the author does not provide one.

The character development is among the worst I have read. We are following the story of Quentin over the course of what 3 or 4 years from about the age of 18. Teenagers have a tendency to mature after about 5 years and going through college (maybe not a lot, but some). Quentin may be the first teenager who doesn't, perhaps he has a disability. Quentin's character is a self absorbed prattling misogynist. After going through all the struggles during the book the boy he learns absolutely nothing and like a teenager rages like a kid in the conclusion of the epic battle scene. An this is our hero... So let's turn to our supporting characters. Nope ... there is not one likeable character in the entire book.

Every story does not need to be an epic fairytale, however one would like to have at least one character that you hope to succeed. As it stands, I was hoping that every character in this book gets wiped out.

Save your book credits.

SO SO!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The story was confusing and boring at times.

Could you see The Magicians being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No because it would be compared to Harry Potter. Harry Potter would put The Magicians to shame.

harry potter grew up to be a depressive alchoholic

starts out well enough but the constant moaning of the main character really got on my nerves.