The Books of Magic
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
add to my books

The Books of Magic (The Books of Magic (Graphic Novels) 0)

by
3.99 of 5 stars 3.99  ·  rating details  ·  3,457 ratings  ·  150 reviews
A quartet of fallen mystics dubbed the "TrenchCoat Brigade "is introduced in this first collection of the adventures of Timothy Hunter. John Constanine, the Phantom Stranger, Dr. Occult and Mister E take Hunter on a tour of the magical realms. Along the way he's introduced to Vertigo's greatest practitioners of magic and must choose whether or not to join their r...more
Paperback, 196 pages
Published April 14th 1993 by Vertigo (first published March 1st 1993)
more details... edit details
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
Watchmen by Alan MooreThe Complete Maus by Art SpiegelmanThe Sandman, Vol. 1 by Neil GaimanV for Vendetta by Alan MooreThe Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Best Graphic Novels
145th out of 1,190 books — 1,992 voters
Neverwhere by Neil GaimanThe Graveyard Book by Neil GaimanAmerican Gods by Neil GaimanStardust by Neil GaimanCoraline by Neil Gaiman
Best of Neil Gaiman
18th out of 34 books — 157 voters


More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 4,874)
filter  |  sort: default (?)  |  rating details
mark monday
mark monday rated it 2 of 5 stars
Shelves: graphikon
the artwork in The Books of Magic is splendid, a real treat. John Bolton, Scott Hampton, and Paul Johnson create shadowy, smearily impressionistic, layered, slowly shifting, ambiguously dream-like imagery that throws everything into question, including the narrative itself. classic fairy tale illustrator Charles Vess brings his own unique and enchanting style to his piece; the results are quite different (reminscent of the stylized, now-retro illustrations in old children's books like The Wizard...more
Phoebe
Phoebe rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: loved-it
My wonderful husband bought me all of the many volumes of this series for Valentines Day--with a note inside that said that the best things about my writing remind him of The Books of Magic.

Aw.

He did warn me, though, that this first volume is closer to standard Gaiman fare than the rest of the series--where Tim's story transforms into the sort of YA fantasy that he knows I love.

He was right--which isn't to say that I didn't enjoy this first volume regardless. ...more
Josh
Josh rated it 5 of 5 stars
NOTE: This is best read AFTER you've read the Sandman series.

A great tale from my favorite part of the DCU - the magic, generally undead world (the one I lump Sandman, Swamp Thing, Spectre, Deadman, Constantine, the Demon Etrigan, etc), with some great characters that don't get a lot of facetime in other books. The art is phenomenal, and I got that great magical feeling I got reading books 3 & 4 of Sandman (my 2 faves). So if you liked that series, and want a little more, check t...more
Nigel
Nigel rated it 4 of 5 stars
This whistle-stop tour through a subset of the DC Comics universe is where Neil Gaiman is in his element, where he can be interpreted by a visual artist. I greatly enjoyed the movie Mirrormask but I'm not a fan of Gaiman's novels. This work shines partly because the artwork is so excellent. Perhaps he writes in a cinematic way, perhaps his writing lends itself to the storyboard/comic strip format. I guess I'll never know because I've never seen the scripts he puts together before they reach the ...more
Scott Lee
Despite being a constant comic and fantasy reader for most of the past three decades I am a newcomer to Neil Gaiman's work. This is a very intriguing comic, and certainly punches harder beyond plot than one generally expects from comics set in one of the two mainstream universes.

This exploration of magic in the world of the DCU is fascinating, and I encountered any number of characters I'd only brushed up against in the mainstream books. Being a fan of fantasy and comics I do love whe...more
Michael Poteet
A little disappointing, having heard so much hype about it from longer-term comic fans (not to mention grumblings about J.K. Rowling having ripped it off -- bogus claims, for sure). I did enjoy what I grasped of it. This is my recurring frustration with Gaiman's work: I start off really getting it and enjoying it, and then, about 3/4ths of the way through, it goes off into a weird place I just can't follow. Same here.

I really loved the tour of human storytelling that Timothy takes in t...more
English
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Ea Solinas
Long before J.K. Rowling ever wrote about Harry Potter, there was another owl-toting, bespectacled young wizard with a destiny.

And somehow it doesn't surprise me that Neil Gaiman was responsible for that wizard's creation in "The Books of Magic." This brilliant four-part graphic novel is full of shadowy art, strange happenings and wild magic -- and while it was intended to be a story highlighting the more magical DC characters, it ended up taking a life of its own.
...more
Kellee
Just like the first book of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, I was utterly confused during some parts of this graphic novel which probably means it is truly brilliant. Of course it was well written, it is Gaiman, and beautifully illustrated (very Sandmand-esque as well). The book takes you on an adventure through time, space and different worlds, even taking us to the dream land where most of Sandman takes place. I did find, though, that this graphic novel lacked in characterization. I hardly kno...more
Raj
Raj rated it 4 of 5 stars
Four mysterious men argue amongst themselves on what to do about Timothy Hunter, a young boy who has the potential to become the greatest magician of his age. They eventually decide to show him the realms of magic and let him choose his own future.

At first glance this graphic novel of a young boy with glasses being introduced to a world of magic (even with his own owl) might look a bit familiar, but The Books of Magic was published many years before J. K. Rowling's bespectacled wi...more
Lauren
WOW.

This is the first work I have read by Neil Gaiman, and I was completely impressed. The graphic novel was published in 1993 and stars a young British boy who is told that he can be the most powerful magician in the world. Four older men who are fully involved in the magic world take him through the past, present, future, and other worlds to show him the power of magic. The boy Tim ultimately has the option to choose a life of magic or lead a completely normal existence.

...more
D.M.
D.M. rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: young fantasy fans
I first read this series with some excitement when it came out in prestige format issues way back when. The combination of a favourite authour with favourite artists Scott Hampton & John Bolton would have been enough to get me going, but the addition of the remarkable Charles Vess and surprising Paul Johnson showed considerable promise as well. Having said all that, Books of Magic always disappoints me.
I'm not sure if it's the utterly lame final panel that lets me down, or maybe it's the s...more
Skipper Ritchotte
A totally biased five-star. I'll never get to read The Sandman for the first time again, but I was thrilled to find so much Sandman-type flavor here, yet it's really more American Gods meets the DC universe meets Harry Potter (mind, this came out BEFORE Harry Potter), and it equals awesome. This first volume is apparently the only part of the series penned by Gaiman, sadly, and I haven't yet read the rest. Each of the four parts was drawn by a different artist, which makes the experience that mu...more
aidan
It was because of this work that I came to hear about Neil Gaiman, but not because I read it at the time. It was the early oughties and Harry Potter was BIG. A friend of mine raged against this fad, claiming it was simply a (deficient) rip off of The Books of Magic. Then he lent me the whole Sandman series and (seeing how AWESOME that was), I vowed to never, ever read Harry Potter given such a grave injustice The Best Fantasy Writer Ever, Neil Gaiman.

Well, eventually I broke down and r...more
Laura
Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: graphic-novels
I once read a breathless and poorly written article about how this book totally ripped off Harry Potter. I mean, PLEASE: bespectacled English kid who can do magic? DUH. (That was the general gist of the article; it also pointed the plagiarism finger at Diana Wynne Jones for her Chrestomanci series. It's just a shame that online articles can't be physically ripped into tiny pieces and stomped upon.) Clearly, anything about bespectacled English kids who can do magic has to be stolen from Harr...more
Kris
Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: own-it
I didn't even know this book existed until I saw it on the shelf at my local comic book shop. Having fallen in love with Gaiman's writing and devouring everything of his I could find, it was quite surprising to see it there!

Alas, this book didn't seem to me to quite live up to his usual brilliance. It may be that many of the characters were from other comic books and I wasn't familiar with them, so I didn't get the depth some who was familiar with them might have.

Don't get m...more
Mevlud Cukovic
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Purplycookie
I gave a laugh at this disclaimer: "This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any real people (living, dead, or stolen by fairies), or to any real animals, gods, witches, countries and events (magical or otherwise), is just blind luck, or so we hope"

The heart of the story, which served to launch the ongoing "The Books of Magic" series and its various mini-series spinoffs, is the realization by the mightiest of the occult powers that Timothy Hunter is destined ...more
Mike Ehlers
I was a bit disappointed with this collection. The art was fine, and generally contributed to the tale. And Gaiman has a good way of telling a story. But Gaiman has done better. And the story of the young hero's call has been done better. Still, it's fun to follow Gaiman into his fantasy worlds.

I had trouble deciding what to rate this. On one hand, there was Gaiman's fascinating worlds and the intriguing guides. On the other, there was an almost endless parade of comic book oc...more
Sarah Sammis
Despite my geekiness, I'm a relatively new reader of graphic novels and manga. This means I missed most of Neil Gaiman's early works and I'm only now catching up. I've read a few reviews of The Books of Magic that suggest reading the Sandman series first but I didn't and that choice didn't seem to inhibit my enjoyment of this four part miniseries.

The Books of Magic is a four part miniseries all written by Neil Gaiman with each volume illustrated by a different artist. They are a tour...more
Amy Strickland
I'm finding a common theme in Neil Gaiman books. Aside from the fact that I think this ties Stardust, Interworld, and Sandman into the same canon, I'm finding that Anansi Boys, American Gods, etc, all tie in to the idea that Dumbledore expresses in Deathly Hallows-- who cares if it's all in your head? Does that make it less real? Gaiman believes-- and I agree-- that myth and fantasy, despite not being concrete, are real because of the power they hold over the human mind. Zeus may not have been a...more
Sue
Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars
It makes me sad to only give this book 3 stars, but really, I had higher hopes. The dude at the comic book store said that this character was the one that Harry Potter was based on, which was what made me pick it up - how fabulous! One of the great contemporary stories by one of the best contemporary storytellers! Couldn't get invested in the main character though, and I think that there was an expectation of a fair amount of prior knowledge of the characters. So many things happened in the book...more
Emily
Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars
This is the first in a short series, the rest of which I haven't read yet, which probably explains why this graphic novel felt very much like a background introduction more than an engaging story in its own right. I love much of Gaiman's writing but this wasn't anything to compare tithe Sandman graphic novels. The main character spends the entire time just being led around by the other characters and never really expresses a personality, and most of the book seems like a tribute tour through oth...more
Sam
Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars
More Neil Gaiman magic! Another reviewer recommends reading The Sandman series first, and I would have to agree. Certain characters from that series appear in this that give you the kind of goose bumps that only a true nerd can feel.

Otherwise, this is kind of like a darker Harry Potter (pardon the oversimplification). A boy learns from a group of four mystics that he is destined to become the most powerful magician of his age and is shown the "basics" of the world of mag...more
Nithin
Nithin rated it 3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for: DC Vertigo Comics readers
A sparkling introduction to a magical universe, where 3 famed characters (I could only recognize John Constantine - from the movies - I havn't read Hellblazer yet) introduce 12 year old Timothy Hunter into a world of magic. Have to say, I loved it - but not extremely, but that's because I wasn't familiar with the famed characters. I'm sure this book might have been a favorite, had I known any of the characters shown beforehand, as I loved the way it proceeded. Since I didn't know anyone, I could...more
Jacquel Chrissy Pattinson
Long before we had the dreaded "Harry Potter", there was one boy who was destined to become the greatest magician who ever existed on the face of the earth...

This is the story about a young boy named Tim Hunter, and he is taken by the "Trenchcoat Brigade" (a.k.a. John Constanine, the Phantom Stranger, Dr. Occult and Mister E) and they take him through history and different realms in an attempt to educate him about the magical world and his place in it. He meets m...more
Mara
Mara rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: magic, graphic
I was absolutely taken w/the artwork in this series, although as far as I can tell, they did not give the illustrators credit for their specific volumes, which is frustrating to me. In the story, Gaiman revisits his traditional themes: the intersection of worlds, in particular the magical and the mundane, the blurring of good and evil, and mythical imageries. Although I was not particularly charmed by any of the main characters, I was very intrigued by all of them; they work well as an ensemble ...more
Jean-Pierre Vidrine
Meet Timothy Hunter, a young boy with great potential for magical abilities who has no idea about it. Enter: the Trenchcoat Brigade, four scary guys in raincoats who know too much about different areas of DC Comics magical worlds. In each chapter, young Timothy is given a dangerous tour of these realms and repeatedly told that he has a choice. He can choose a life of magic; exciting yet potentially dangerous and even deadly. Or, he can choose the life he's known all along; mundane but relat...more
Jean Grace
I have picked up a few unsatisfying comics lately. This was one. While I generally love Gaiman, this book (4 comics collected in one volume) is a tough read. The plot is an excuse to bring together magical characters from DC Comics, ostensibly to launch the education of Timothy Hunter, a bespectacled 12-year-old English boy who is under appreciated in his daily life and destined for great magical achievement. If a reader is really familiar with the DC Comics universe, reading this book might...more
Tita
(written Dec 9th, 2004)

Akhirnya, keluar juga The Books of Magic versi paperback. Gambar pada cover depannya: seorang anak laki2 biasa, berkacamata, sedang bermain skateboard, ditemani seekor burung hantu yg terbang di dekatnya - akan langsung mengingatkan pada tokoh utama sebuah novel yg belakangan ini terkenal lewat film2nya. Benar: Harry Potter.
Tunggu dulu. Harry Potter jilid pertama keluar sekitar th 1998(?), sedangkan seri pertama dari The Books of Magic ini terbit th 1990....more
« previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 162 163
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
The Books Of Magic (Paperback)
Los Libros de la Magia: Libro 0 (Libros de la Magia #0, Colección Vertigo #198)
The Books of Magic
Księgi magii (The Books of Magic)
Los Libros de la Magia  (Hardcover)

Readers Also Enjoyed

American Gods The Graveyard Book Coraline Neverwhere Stardust

Share This Book

Your website
Pin It
“There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like this are worlds of the human imagination: their reality, or lack of reality, is not important. What is important is that they are there. these worlds provide an alternative. Provide an escape. Provide a threat. Provide a dream, and power; provide refuge, and pain. They give your world meaning. They do not exist; and thus they are all that matters. ” 344 people liked it
More quotes…

500 Essential Graphic Novels
500 Essential Graphic Novels
209 members
last activity Jan 22, 2012 09:41am
shelf: read