A thrilling and original coming-of-age novel for adults 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.
Narrators: Mark Bramhall
My Rating: 3.5/5?
Goodreads Rating: 3.53?
Storygraph Rating: 3.35?Length: 17hrs 24mins / 402pgs
Fantasy | Dark Academia
Pacing: Medium
Spice: Some
Gore: Medium
This was like two books in one and I felt pretty strongly about each half in different ways. The main character Quinten is a highly intelligent young man who has always struggled to find happiness in any aspect of his life. He might start out with a sense of achievement but he always falls into a state of apathy at best and depression at worst. His only reprieve when he’s spiralled into depression is a favourite childhood book series called Fillory which is a magical land full of creatures and wonder. On the way to an intake interview he discovers a secret college for Magicians and he hopes this will be the thing that will FINALLY bring him happiness and contentment. This is not a fluffy school for baby wizards, this is a Magician school and requires dedicated study and sacrifice in order to achieve any true success. His classmates are all highly intelligent individuals and the environment is incredibly competitive to be the best. You’ll follow Quinten and a bunch of friends as they navigate the next 5 years together. The classes are at times dark, intense and often unique. I was really impressed as I’ve read quite a bit of academia settings and found this one really unusual.
The second half of the book follows the students’ post graduation and to be honest… they all end being such toxic and insufferable individuals I found it difficult staying invested. I do believe this was a plot point and highlighting alcohol abuse and mental health in those who can get whatever they want with minimal effort BUT for me it felt over the top. Quentin discovering that the life of a Magician hasn’t brought him the happiness he had so desperately yearned for then discovers upon the truth that could be the answer… Fillory is real. But, it’s not what he expected. The Fillory plotline was very strange and bizarre, which is probably to be expected from a fictional children’s book world. It was such a weird and abrupt change for the academia setting it was a bit jarring. There are some interesting magical creatures, but they felt like cardboard cutouts to me – just there to prove Quentin was in a different world.
For me, this book would have been better split in half. The first half was easily 4? for me but the second half was a struggle. As I said above, I found the characters unlikable and I don’t have issues with hateful characters as a rule but this felt different. It is the first book of a trilogy so I’m sure that the next two books will provide character development and interesting plot points but I’m undecided at this stage if I’m going to continue. I do recommend this book for the first half at least as it was such an unusual magical school.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene