The Magician King

A Novel

By: Lev Grossman

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Return to Fillory in the riveting sequel to the New York Times bestseller and literary phenomenon, The Magicians, now an original series on Syfy, from the author of the #1 bestselling The Magician’s Land.

Quentin Coldwater should be happy. He escaped a miserable Brooklyn childhood, matriculated at a secret college for magic, and graduated to discover that Fillory—a fictional utopia—was actually real. But even as a Fillorian king, Quentin finds little peace. His old restlessness returns, and he longs for the thrills a heroic quest can bring.

Accompanied by his oldest friend, Julia, Quentin sets off—only to somehow wind up back in the real world and not in Fillory, as they’d hoped. As the pair struggle to find their way back to their lost kingdom, Quentin is forced to rely on Julia’s illicitly learned sorcery as they face a sinister threat in a world very far from the beloved fantasy novels of their youth.

A lot of fun!

I read Lev Grossman's previous book, The Magicians, and decided to listen to this one. I enjoyed both a great deal. They are perhaps a little longer than they could be, but it's so much fun and so interesting that who cares? I think this was my first time listening to Mark Bramhall, who adds a lot of character and humor to his reading. I love the main premise of these books. If you're looking for something fun and absorbing to listen to that also has complexity, go for it. Particularly good for people familiar with fantasy and children's books. Several steps above Harry Potter in my book, and written for adults.

It's good to be king...isn't it?

Like its predecessor, The Magician King follows Quentin Coldwater, now King of the fantastical land of Fillory, as he deals with the existential struggles of being a powerful wizard with a real personality. Subverting your expectations appears to be a favorite pastime of Grossman's two Fillory novels; just when you think you've got the course charted, along comes a fresh gust to blow the story into a strange new direction. This time around, Quentin's friend Julia fills the role of angst-ridden magician in the making, but her story is at once darker and more ultimately uplifting than Quentin's was. The story as a whole feels easier, less fraught, and less self-conscious than the previous book, even though it's arguably a more mature and thoughtful treatment of magic, desire and a person's ability to live with themselves and their choices.

Great Story, Horrible Characters

Where does The Magician King rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 20 - great story

Who was your favorite character and why?

Josh - hes the only character in the book who isnt beyond pretentious and arrogant.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene with the Dragon in the River

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book is quite funny at times and I did laugh out loud on several occasions

Any additional comments?

I cannot stress enough how much I dislike these characters. This book is even worse than book 1 mainly because Julia and FreeTrader Beowolf is in it. Almost all of the characters are beyond arrogant and pretentious, I spent the first and second book waiting for the characters to be put in their place.

Better than the first...

I enjoyed, but didn't love the first book. I'm not sure if this book is better than the first or if I just knew what type of experience to expect from Grossman, but I enjoyed this book even more than the first.

It is a similar experience with a somewhat similar story-arc and similar lesson/internal-conflict for the main characters.

It still had some brutally painful (and in this case disturbing; warning there is a rape scene) moments. But they punctuate the story and are used very purposefully to develop the characters and explain their motivations.

I just bought the next book.

more of the same!

it has very good narrator that uses accents and voice pitch to create full bodied characters.