The Magicians Paperback – Illustrated, 25 May 2010

I'm not going to say much about this - just enough, hopefully, to convince future would-be readers to save their time and money, I hope.Basically, everything my fellow 1 * reviewers said is accurate. For some odd reason that I can't explain, I read all of this and I'd resolved some time ago to go with my gut when I suspect I'm reading dross and stop before wasting any more of my time. The only explanation I can come up with is that the pace does kind of sweep the reader along - the only problem is, it doesn't really sweep you to anywhere. It was like reading a Narnia-set novel for young adults complete with all the unpleasant arrogance, angst and awkward sex, but missing any real action, empathetic characters or dynamic and interesting storyline - a real conundrum, but seriously - leave it - it's dross.

Every lover of fantasy books is looking to immerse themselves in a world rich with imagination, peopled with memorable characters, a plot that satisfyingly balances action with description, and where serious concerns are leavened with a light touch of well observed humour . “The Magicians” series is a superlative fulfillment for those desires.Almost any review of these books will mention that they are derivative. And it’s true that the books could be subtitled “The Famous Five become geeky teenagers, study at Hogworts and then visit Narnia”. But just because something is a remake or a homage, doesn’t make it bad art. Picasso reworked Velazquez’ “Las Meninas” and created a masterpiece. Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins updated “Romeo and Juliet” to 1950’s New York and so created the powerful and enduring musical “West Side Story”. E. L James wrote fan fiction for the Twilight series and, well, created a whole new genre.The references that Grossman makes to other giant works of fiction only underscore one of the key themes – which is the role that beloved works of fiction can play in a reader’s life – from being a source of inspiration to acting as a ever-dependable friend and support in difficult times. The Fillory stories not only provide the central character, Quentin, with entertainment in his youth, but in times of despair he turns to them as a source of comfort, a mental blankie under which he can take refuge against the world. One can only assume that Grossman bases Quentin’s profound love for the Fillory books on his own experience of being transported by similar fantasy works.The premise of the books is “what would happen if a modern urban teenager suddenly entered Hogwarts / Narnia, with all his modern teenage neuroses and limitations”. The internal journey that Quentin undergoes is as important to the plot as the adventures that the characters experience – finding peace with himself and acceptance of his place in the world. The books can be seen as a metaphor for the experience of many real life generation X-ers – the world they find themselves is extraordinary, rich, full of opportunity, and compared with the world of say, 100 years ago, full of magic. The ability to communicate with someone miles away through a small handheld device, to search for information on almost any topic, to hold a video conference call, to find directions to your destination from wherever you are, with accuracy down to scant metres – these technologies are nothing short of magic if one can imagine viewing them through the eyes of a person living 100 years ago. Quentin’s personal difficulties should resonate with everyone who has felt unfulfilled while ostensibly living a comfortable life: even with all the gifts and wonder in the world available to you, why does happiness elude you. Quentin’s complaint that “it wasn’t what thought it would be” may sound frighteningly familiar. As Quentin discovers, blaming external circumstances does not solve the problem. Quentin only truly comes into his power when he accepts things, and himself, for what they are. The message here is that happiness comes from our internal journey and acceptance of ourselves, not our access to external wonders, now matter how magnificent.The subtle genius of this series is that the combination of influences is NOT an obvious one. It just seems that way because of Lev Grossman’s incredible imagination and the strength of his writing. The world he conjures is rich in detail and ideas, which, while riffing off the masterpieces that have gone before, nevertheless transports you to a new and vibrant universe. His writing is so strong that it disappears and allows the reader to fully enter the story without the distraction of poor prose or clunky similes. And what a world! Grossman launches off the base idea of “a school for magic” and “a world of talking creatures” to create a world so inventive and coherent that you have to make an effort to step back to appreciate just how imaginative it is. The plot and pacing are tight, and there is an acerbic humour that works like a slice of lemon in a gin and tonic.

hmmm what to say about this book. I liked it and was interested enough to continue reading. The thing I think I hated most about the book is that it does not flow very well and your left there thinking have I missed a bit? The fact its split up in to different books probably helps it enough to not be a complete disaster.I didn't hate Quentin like I've heard others says, I'm usually depressed and cynical enough to actually understand what he's about. He is also a pretty real character and you don't find that too often I don't think. As are his friends and some of the situations they find themselves in (non magical of course).I like the idea behind the whole story i liked that adult theme of the writing its nice to step away from YA and even some adult fantasy where swearing and sexual references aren't used. I think the writer has that balanced well. Just there was something missing and i can't put my finger on it.I will probably pick the second in series

I bought this book on the strenght of a very good newspaper review, thinking it would feed my enjoyment of magical fantasy. In some ways it is great fun. Some of the magical ideas are fascinating especially the episode in which the pupils become migratory geese. However the whole book reads like a series of scenes loosely linked together and the rather cutesy references to other fictions grate. He also shamelessly pinches ideas from other authors with little adaptation, such as the pools that give access to other worlds taken from the Narnia books. I felt the characters, despite their general self-obsession and immaturity, were not fully realised and at times were so irritating it was hard to remain involved. But if you enjoy this genre it is a light summer read.

If you are watching the current new TV series of this story you'll find the book very different. The book focuses on Quentin with little mention of Julia and the story varies considerably in most areas and is generally much slower than the series. However if you're not into the TV series, it's a fairly enjoyable (if silly) read, and something of a dark mix between Harry Potter and Narnia. Don't expect too much from this as it travels into regions where it becomes increasingly difficult to suspend belief! Having said that, I am considering reading book 2!