Top Retellings of Classic Tales
Melinda Borie
Melinda Borie asked Lev Grossman:

I typically describe The Magicians as a fantasy epic for nihilists-- Harry Potter or Narnia without the meaningfulness, direction, hope or the (fulfilled) sense of a grand adventure. It’s not a great answer to “what’s it about?” What would you say, if you were trying to explain it to someone who has never heard of it?

Lev Grossman I'm very, very bad at describing The Magicians. This is why I employ a team of publicists to do it for me. I think your description is pretty good. Sometimes I say, it's Harry Potter and Narnia the way it would really happen, in the real world -- but that sounds kind of patronizing to HP and Narnia. Sometimes I make an analogy w/ Watchmen -- like it's the Watchmen version of Narnia -- but that only works if the person has read Watchmen. Mostly I just leave it to the professionals.
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More Answered Questions

Sima
Sima asked Lev Grossman:

This question contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

Diane
Diane asked Lev Grossman:

I could see an entire additional book all about Plum's adventures after the end of The Magician's Land. She's a fantastic character, perhaps less flawed than the others, but with a fierceness that will get her into all kinds of adventures. Any thoughts on a "spin-off" to the trilogy focused on her?

Ben
Ben asked Lev Grossman:

Hi Lev! Do you have a set routine for writing a book in terms of number of drafts, and time taken to do each draft? At what point does an editor/copy editor have input?

All answers from Lev Grossman…
Lev Grossman
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