The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) in The Sword and Laser

Nov 08, 2009 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it it was ok

Shelves: read2009, sci-fi-fantasy

I admit to getting this book because I thought the cover was beautiful.

To me this seems like two books, or three, that the author just couldn't decide between writing - one was a grown-up Harry Potter type story, if magic school were at the college level. But he raced through telling that part to get to the magical land part, which to me was even less satisfying than the story about Brakebills College.

I never thought I would say this, because allegedly I hate reading fantasy series, but this wo ...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Tom Merritt added it

Fantastic. Such a wonderful critique and send up of fantasy classics like C.S. Lewis, T.H. White and obviously newer fare like J.K. Rowling. It seems to answer the question of what people today would do if they were confronted with classical magical worlds. This is a modern book by far but e love of lore shows through in every curse word and every disdainful ennui filled sigh of its very modern characters.

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Mar 15, 2011 Eric rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy

It makes me sad that all the reviews of this novel refer to it as "Harry Potter for maturer audiences."

Yes, there are magicians, and yes, they are trained at a magical school. But what saves this from Harry Potter's shadow is a) that it is set in a modern world where the Harry Potter books exist, and the author and the characters are aware of Harry Potter's existence ("Drawn by thestrals." "Where are the broomsticks?"), and b) that this book is far more concerned with a pseudo-Narnia book serie ...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Brittany rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This is clearly a book that splits its audience. I heard from people who loved it and people who loathed it. Having read it, I can see why. I should say right up front that I loved it, but I can understand why people loathed it. It had some flaws, but to me it was a wonderful read.

The main problem seems to be the protagonist, Quentin. He is one of the most miserable, malcontent, mopey people I've ever met, inside of a novel or out. A lot of people who read the book just couldn't stand Quentin. T This is clearly a book that splits its audience. I heard from people who loved it and people who loathed it. Having read it, I can see why. I should say right up front that I loved it, but I can understand why people loathed it. It had some flaws, but to me it was a wonderful read.

The main problem seems to be the protagonist, Quentin. He is one of the most miserable, malcontent, mopey people I've ever met, inside of a novel or out. A lot of people who read the book just couldn't stand Quentin. They hated him. I completely get that. He's not a lot of fun, and he's not even that easy to empathize with. He's whiny, entitled, self-absorbed, arrogant, and egotistical.

But here's the thing: no one hates Quentin more than Quentin hates himself. He knows he's being ridiculous and ungrateful, but he's still not happy. Some part of him is incapable of grasping, and understanding, and feeling grateful for all the very good things in his life. I felt a sort of desperate empathy for him. Happiness, the ability to feel content and grateful, is as much a habit as it is anything else. That sensation of knowing that you should be content, and that inability to catch and keep the feeling of happiness itself, is one of the most frustrating, soul-sucking, depressing circumstances in human life. I was able to tolerate, and enjoy, Quentin as a narrator because I empathized with him, and hope that something might be able to break through his shell and shake his heart free inside him.

Aside from the question of Quentin, I absolutely loved the book. I was surprised because I kept hearing it compared to Harry Potter. It nods to Harry Potter, but Grossman is much more interested in dissecting the Narnia novels. The plot details, the philosophy of questioning the role and value of childhood fantasy novels, and the worlds Grossman created were entirely entrancing. I couldn't put this book down; I read it in less than 24 hours. I loved the way Grossman played with fantasy themes and brought in elements of actual teenage realism. I adored his sense of humor and his wry, witty--and sometimes lyrically beautiful--writing style. I disagree with others who have posited that Quentin, Alice, and Penny were a deliberate riff on Harry, Hermoine, and Ron. While the characters did struggle to emerge from the stereotypical or archetypical, they were three-dimensional enough to keep me engaged and interested. You may not really like any of the characters (with the possible exception of Alice) but they were certainly interesting to read about.

This book has been accused of being heartless and grim. I can understand where those people were coming from, but to me, it was a book searching for its heart, and one struggling with the grimness. That struggle gave it a life and a vibrancy that resonated for me.

The twists Grossman threw in, the way he explored the similarities between the magical world and the real one, and his obvious affection for the tropes of fantasy he was subverting and embroidering, made this a wonderfully readable, absorbing, thought-provoking book. ...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Clarice rated it really liked it

Shelves: at-the-library, 2010

This was a <24 hour read apparently. I completely understand wanting to smack the main character in the head regularly, and I totally get why most liked the first half of the story best. The main character is majorly flawed in a lot of ways, and behaves in the childish ways that he does because... well... he's still a child in a lot of ways. I appreciated the issues that the author attempted to address and felt that there weren't easy ways to handle them other than by creating a character that e ...more

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May 25, 2012 Steve Coughlan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

At the beginning, this seems to be a version of Harry Potter set in a very real/modern NY, and perhaps suitable for older young adults. But the maturity level elevates, so it's not appropriate for young teens, and the action and stakes are more realistic and terrifying than any Harry Potter book. But, like Harry, we see a young man who is unaware of his magical abilities swept into a hidden world of magic, gain friends, develop his abilities, and have magical adventures. Romance, betrayal, adven ...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Pamela rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 19, 2010 Lydia Presley rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2010, dark-fiction, fantasy, fiction

I wanted to love this book and frantically send out recommendations for people to read it. I still will do the latter, but .. perhaps not as frantically and not to as many people as I thought I might.

Kari from Through a Glass, Darkly (who is awesome and you should totally read her blog) recommended an article here . In it, John Granger says, " The Magicians isn’t ‘Harry Potter for Grown-Ups..." and I completely agree. While it shares similarities (in addition to sharing similarities to several ...more

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Apr 13, 2012 taeli rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, audible

finished 9/12/14

Most reviews of this book tend to compare it to Harry Potter but other than the fact that the characters go to a school for magic, there's not much Harry Potter-like to this story. It's a lot more Narnia, (especially the Fillory stuff) than Hogwarts. That said, I expected Fillory to come up much earlier in the book than it did. The audiobook is 17+ hours long and Fillory doesn't come into play until nearly 5 hours to the end of the book.

I liked the book but wasn't as bowled over ...more

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