As much as I enjoyed the Harry Potter novels. I always struggled understanding why Harry was a rather slack student. He loves magic, yet never seem to enjoy school. Sure school sucks, but at least he had magic.
In Lev Grossman’s book The Magicians he creates a fantasy world that feels more real and rewarding by combining popcorn fantasy and the mundane. It’s like someone wrote a book about all the boring procedural things that make life boring and wrapped it in a layer of magic . Like Law and Order but more interesting because they would solve crimes with magic.
The Magicians is heavily inspired by the Narnia series, with a dash of Harry Potter and a gooey Tolkien centre. The story centre around Quentin and a bunch of kids who attend a college designed to teach them how to use magic, and who later visit a magical world populated by talking animals. The biggest difference is that Grossman treats his magical world very seriously.
More than anything, it’s about the revelation that even a world containing magic is a cold, harsh place, where true love doesn’t always conquer all. Being noble doesn't mean you’ll defeat the big bad. Found that is one of the few fantasy books I’ve read that really ponder the psychology of its world.
Really loved Magicians episodic nature. Gives the book a brisk pace that leaves you wanting more. Felt it gave the character and you the reader some space to reflect on the protagonist journey. Each character was given more depth than just your usually cookie cutter archetypes, the young man raised by non-magical parents who discovers a world of wonder, a smart girl whose super smart yet socially awkward, and a sidekick .
Eventually these characters are fleshed out to include a self-loathing alcoholic, a drama queen and assorted of others personality flaws. Their connections are tenuous but real, the hurt they deal to each other stings, and there’s no Dumbledore to help save the day. Everyone in The Magicians is capable of great damage and great kindness, but not everyone realizes it.
After years of watching and reading about fantasy character that go on amazing journeys, it was refreshing to read one that brought the world of fantasy crashing down to reality.
3.5 out of 5 alcoholic Dumbledore riding a self-loathing Aslan
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