The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) in DC Public Library

Sep 24, 2010 Craig Laurance rated it really liked it

What engrossed me about this book wasn't so much the plot or the story (clinically depressed overachiever goes to a magic college) as much as it was the smooth, witty and often amazing prose. Grossman's descriptive powers, images and word choices are utterly addictive. Yes, I wanted to know what happened next, but I mostly wanted read more of that stunning wordcraft. Grossman made even the becalmed center of the book (focusing on magical pedagogy) "unputdownable." ...more

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Jan 08, 2010 martha rated it liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, year-2010

It's hard to know how to talk about this without giving too much away. I like the comparison another reviewer made: like The Great Gatsby crossed over with Harry Potter and the Narnia books. So you've got magic school and adventures, but lots of bleak realism -- all of which meant I raced through this, but Quentin's constant ennui and depression kept it from being really satisfying emotionally.

Also: obviously Fillory = Narnia, but for a really hardcore Narnia fan like, uh, me, the subtle allusio ...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Keets rated it it was ok

Interesting moments, but didn't find it especially original. Definitely not a YA book, as it has some explicit moments. ...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Joy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club

I like several parts of it, but overall it was infuriatingly disappointing.

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Feb 22, 2010 Megan Reichelt rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, adult, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. From the back of the book: "Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A high school math genius, he's secretly fascinated with a series of children's fantasy novels set in a magical land called Fillory, and real life is disappointing by comparison. When Quentin is unexpectedly admitted to an elite, secret college of magic, it looks like his wildest dreams may have come true. But his newfound powers lead him down a rabbit hole of hedonism and disillusionment, and ultimately to the dark secret From the back of the book: "Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A high school math genius, he's secretly fascinated with a series of children's fantasy novels set in a magical land called Fillory, and real life is disappointing by comparison. When Quentin is unexpectedly admitted to an elite, secret college of magic, it looks like his wildest dreams may have come true. But his newfound powers lead him down a rabbit hole of hedonism and disillusionment, and ultimately to the dark secret behind the story of Fillory. The land of his childhood fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined..."

This was an excellent book for both die-hard, old school honor and glory fantasy and for the modern urban fantasy cynics. It is stuffed to the gills with winks and nods to Narnia, Harry Potter,and a little sprinkling of the Wizard of Oz. Its both an homage to and a satire of these idyllic fantasy worlds. It examines the real consequences of what would happen if you take a depressed angsty teenager and give him incredible power, and then set him out in the world where there are no epic battles to fight, no quest to follow.

The Brakebills school section is charming and intricate. Magic is hard and complex and yet there is still the college atmosphere of late night drinking with a tight gang of friends, and warm days of doing nothing. There are dark threads that hint at the corrosion and danger to come, but the Brakebills part could be its own separate book.

The post-college section feels like Hemingway, or F. Scott Fitzgerald, about the now-graduated students,a group of young people who have all the power and money in the world but no direction. They inevitably spiral into sex, drugs, and self-loathing.

And then suddenly, out of the blue, one of them discovers their way into Fillory: the magical land of their childhood dreams. Surely it will make all their hurt and meanness melt away, and they will become their better selves in the presence of Ember and Umber, the magical ram gods (Aslan in sheep's clothing). But Fillory is not like the books. Well, it is, but think about the paragraph long description of a battle in the Chronicles of Narnia, and what it is actually like to be there, to kill something, and to watch your friends die. Reading about it is a lot easier than doing it.

In Fillory, Quentin has to go through a crucible of spirit, and in the end, you are not sure if he is truly whole or healed, or even if he is on the right track. But you hope so, and you want to see what happens next.

Luckily, the sequel comes out this summer! ...more

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Aug 20, 2009 Alison rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction

This was a 2.5 for me. The similarities to Harry Potter -- the protagonist is a young wizard who goes to a wizarding school -- beg the comparison between the two, and I don't think this holds up as well. Now, this may be unfair, but it is what it is (and to be fair Grossman throws in some mentions of the series here and there, as something that is part of the characters' pop culture context). In any case, I think the main problem for me was that there was too much action contained in one book, s ...more

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Jul 16, 2013 Maryann J-D rated it really liked it

I'm a sucker for a good book book about modern magic.

This book is sort of like a grown-up Harry Potter, and I mean that in the best way possible. An entertaining read, though there were a couple plot points that could have been given a little more care. That said, it pulled me out of my book slump, and l'm eager to read the next installment. ...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Christina rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2012

Interesting premise -- a mash-up of Harry Potter and the Narnia books featuring snotty, imperfect real teenagers -- but the first half of the book dragged and the main character drove me crazy. I know his flaws and unlikability were kind of the point, but that's a lot of time to spend with a character you just want to yell at. ...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Jess rated it really liked it

I am still surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, the way it plays with the form of the Narnia books and other fantasy novels, dipping in and out of the "rules" for classic YA fantasy and mixing in dark bits of reality. I loved the characters' simultaneous snark, disillusionment but also sense of wonder, and their search for meeting, and actually found some of it thought-provoking. I was also surprised at how much I wanted to smack Quentin for being such a jerk - and that I was able to enjoy ...more

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Sep 27, 2010 Shannon rated it it was ok

A lesser imitator of the Harry Potter and Narnia series. The Magicians had some interesting ideas that never really went anywhere and some distressing ideas that unfortunately did. Add in a whiny, unsympathetic, immature protagonist (I hate Quentin!) and mostly unlikeable characters, (except Alice and Elliot) and this book is a loser. I don't mind books that tread well-worn ground if they have a new twist on the material or something interesting to say. This book has neither. Not recommended. ...more

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