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The Magicians (The Magicians, #1)

Lev Grossman

Start date: June 19, 2011

Finish date: July 14, 2011

Discussion: bcpl

Why we're reading this: Expertly written, well paced, and an exciting fantasy story still very much grounded in reality. This is …more
[close] Expertly written, well paced, and an exciting fantasy story still very much grounded in reality. This is a MUST-read.

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Nov 04, 2009 Doug Beatty rated it really liked it

On the whole, I enjoyed this one. It is like a Harry Potter for adults, the main characters are in a magical college, not a high school, and there is some drinking and sex and commitment issues. Quentin spends his life dreaming of a magical fictional world called Filory that works on the Chronicles of Narnia principle that children crawl into a clock and wind up in a magical place run by Umber and Ember, two Gods in the forms of rams. After high school he is invited to take an odd entrance exam On the whole, I enjoyed this one. It is like a Harry Potter for adults, the main characters are in a magical college, not a high school, and there is some drinking and sex and commitment issues. Quentin spends his life dreaming of a magical fictional world called Filory that works on the Chronicles of Narnia principle that children crawl into a clock and wind up in a magical place run by Umber and Ember, two Gods in the forms of rams. After high school he is invited to take an odd entrance exam that has some very dubious questions and finds himself accepted to Breakbills college of magic. He makes friends and eventually starts a relationship with the mousy Alice and spends his time learning magic. But unlike Harry Potter, magic is much harder to master and much more complicated and often the tasks are grueling. And in once instance, he tries to pull a prank on a teacher and invites a beast into the school and the beast kills a student. Eventually we discover that Filory may in fact be real, and is nothing like the amazing fun adventures that are found in childrens tales.

I really did like the book. It is engrossing and there are shout outs to many famous fantasy writers that you grow up with. Some readers found this to be a detriment, but I rather enjoyed it. There is a good plot structure and enough action to keep the pages turning. I also liked some of the secondary characters like Penny and Elliot (speaking of Elliot, it was nice to see a gay character play a good role in a fantasy novel!)

The only problem I had with the novel is that Quentin is wishy washy and depressed almost through the entire novel. This is part of the plot and it is explained throughout the novel, but it is a long novel and it becomes rather wearing at times. You really just want to smack him or shake him. And sometimes you think he is going to realize something abouit himself and change, but he never does, and proceeds to whine even more. I would have liked him to have had some kind of epiphany halfway through the novel and become a character that I would have enjoyed spending more time with. I definitely could NOT hang out with him in real life.. he would bring me and everyone around me down!

But if you like fantasy, or a well written story, try this. ...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Melissa rated it it was ok

Shelves: audiobooks, magic

This is one of those rare instances where I actually much preferred the TV version over the book. I read this book way back when it came out and I remember struggling with it then, but after watching and thoroughly enjoying the TV show this spring, I thought I would give it another go. Alas, I still struggled.

1) I found Book Quentin to be insufferable (and I honestly didn't understand why he was the main character instead of Penny or Alice who had much better stories to tell), Penny to be so mys This is one of those rare instances where I actually much preferred the TV version over the book. I read this book way back when it came out and I remember struggling with it then, but after watching and thoroughly enjoying the TV show this spring, I thought I would give it another go. Alas, I still struggled.

1) I found Book Quentin to be insufferable (and I honestly didn't understand why he was the main character instead of Penny or Alice who had much better stories to tell), Penny to be so mysterious as to be not understandable as a character, Alice to be weirdly depressing, and Elliott and Janet pushed so far in the background we barely know them - but the TV characters were much more likable and relatable all around.

2) This book was chock-full of pointless characters who pop in and out of existence (there was a whole chapter devoted to Quentin and Alice moping around Breakbills after Elliott and Janet graduated, saying they needed to make more friends with their own classmates, they decide who to make friends with, accidentally make friends with someone else - whom I don't even remember at this point because they were never mentioned again!), full of pointless characters who add nothing to the story even though they're in most scenes (did Josh ever do anything that couldn't have been ascribed to someone else?? why were there 5 Chatwin siblings when only 2 matter to the story?), and full of characters who could be quite important but also pop in and out of existence (like how Julia only shows up three times in the whole book and is never explained, or how Penny does nothing of importance in the beginning, disappears for the entire middle, and shows up at the end as arguably the most important character to the plot!). The TV show deleted everyone superfluous, and gave us fantastic plotlines for the likes of Penny and Julia that made much more sense than in the book.

3) What was the point of making Breakbills a 5-year program when (view spoiler) And while we're on the subject, what did they even do while they were there? We only get to see one class, and that wasn't even a typical class as that's when the disastrous Beast first appears.

4) The pacing was terrible. It covered four years at Breakbills and then their after-graduation adventure to Fillory but skipped over months at a time with no explanation and even the school years were insufficiently covered (let's go back to that question about what did they even do while at school?). The TV show made it seem everything packed into a single school year which made much more sense and let the timing flow better.

5) The reveals were terrible in the book too. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that the TV show allowed the characters to figure out the important revelations on their own over the course of the story - while the book comes to its conclusion and then just tells Quentin what he never realized. Ugh.

5) The only thing I can say in favor of the book was that the trip to Fillory and ensuing boss fight was much more epic and detailed in the book. I get that TV shows are limited by time and money, and I was perfectly pleased with how the season ended, but the nod goes to the book on this point alone.

tldr; All in all, the TV show took the best characters and plot points, and expanded on them to really tie it all together in a way the book was lacking.

For the sake of better appreciating the show's future seasons, I think I shall go ahead and slog through the next two books, but my expectations are none too high. ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Sam O'Heren rated it liked it

I read this awhile ago, and when I read it I did not like it much; however, I also could not stop reading it. Now that the sequel is out, I find I am remembering it in a better light. It has been called "Harry Potter for grown-ups" since it follows students of magic at a secret school. It is definitely an adult book though. ...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Noël Swain rated it liked it

I'm still not sure how I felt about this book. I really disliked the main character and am still upset over the ending. Reading the second one, regardless. ...more

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