The Magicians

by Lev Grossman

English language

Published March 26, 2009

ISBN:: 978-0-452-29576-6

(203 reviews)

A thrilling and original coming-of- age novel about a young man practicing magic in the real worldQuentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he’s still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery.He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. Something is missing, though. Magic doesn’t bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he dreamed it would. After graduation he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin’s fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined. His childhood dream becomes a nightmare with a shocking truth at its heart.At once psychologically piercing and magnificently absorbing, The Magicians boldly moves into uncharted literary territory, imagining magic as practiced by real people, with their capricious desires and volatile emotions. Lev Grossman creates an utterly original world in which good and evil aren’t black and white, love and sex aren’t simple or innocent, and power comes at a terrible price.

14 editions

matthewmincher reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Magicians, #1)

Mundane Magic

3 stars

I enjoyed this, but for as much as it's about magic, has magic in the title, and takes copious notes from Narnia and Harry Potter, it didn't have that spark of magic. Don't pick this series up just because of that comparison.

The main character is patently, intentionally, unlikable. It reminded me in a way of the Thomas Covenant books.

I think this book is somehow oddly trapped between a love letter to those series and a parody of them. There were also some questionable scenes that I'm not sure really added much apart from edge.

Some cool ideas though, and the writing was decent enough.

It did take a turn for the better to the end of the book (annoyingly, as I'll probably have to read the next now...)

Elias reviewed The Magicians (The Magicians #1) by Lev Grossman

The Magicians (Goodreads)

3 stars

Content warning General spoilers

Reviewing at like 3am because I want to speak about it while the ending is still fresh.

I was in search for an adult book with a complex magical system, and I landed with a reccomendation for the magicians. So here I am.

My first thought while reading was that Quentin is deeply unlikable. It was genuinely hard for me to get through the opening section before Brakebills. It lessened a bit with reading onward, but I'm not sure if that's because Quentin became more likable or I was distracted with everything else going on in the book. I'm still not overly fond of Quentin.

To begin with criticism, I honestly wish there were more details on the mechanics of the magic. I also wish that more time was spent on the universe in general, as I feel like there were a billion sub-plots that could've lead to some better character development for the physical kids or any of the other characters. I find myself wanting for more Elliot character development, which it seems will be present in the next book. Brakebills could've used some expounding upon too. The comments about how getting your dreams can result in unintended and unforseen consequences felt a little overdone and very "I'm 14 and this is deep" sometimes. It's fine though, didn't get mentioned that often. Fillory felt rushed. Overall, I think there was two books of plot in this one book, and more time could've been spent developing characters and the universe.

For positives, though, all of the major loose threads were tied up. At least from what I remember (I read the book over a longer period than usual, I might be missing some details from earlier). The magical universe was interesting, at least from what we saw. The punishments and their severity for mishandling magic are clearly demonstrated and absolutely horrifying. Reading Alice becoming a niffin and the devastation of the fight personally hurt my soul. Also the breakbills south story was harrowing.

Overall, I think this is a likable entry in adult fantasy. I feel like there was roughly two books worth of plot stuffed into one, and characters could've been developed better if it was slowed down in some places, but overall it's a strong entry with interesting magic, (some) likable characters, and an interesting universe. I will be reading the next book, and hope to get a better picture of fillory's universe.

rechtsstaat reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Harry Potter for adults?

2 stars

Not really, there is no attempt to build up a magical world more consistent in any way, and on the other hand what magic is there does not feel magical. I had trouble relating to all characters because all seem to have a complete lack of drive or motivations.

ProjectAzar reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

An overly angsty urban and high fantasy series that includes characters so exceptionally uninterested in their own stories that I struggle to find why I should be interested as well. There is neat world building and some fun ideas that are constantly interrupted by Quentin whinging about his vague, horny, malaise. He literally has greatness thrust upon him and all he can do is whine.

We are led to believe that Quentin is simultaneously a genius, exceptionally good with his hands, capable of incredible magic when he wants to try, while simultaneously too stupid to know basic geography or chemistry (multiple lines in the book involve Quentin absolutely shocked by basic high school knowledge). He is not unlikable in the sense that he's evil or ignorant. He is unlikable because he is merely an observer in his own life, and bored observer at that.

This review isn't about the poor plot pacing, unnecessary drama found in the last 4th of the book, or the ultimately unsatisfying conclusion of the story. It isn't about the characters who live vibrant lives around Quentin. It is not about the world that raises so many questions, with so many elements of deep, interesting lore implications. No, this review is much like Quentin, uninterested with the interesting parts of the book, and obsessed with the most passive, boring, and terminally ironic centerpiece of the story.

Not worth the read.

Ex dente leonem reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I would have liked to like this book more than I did, but the protagonist and his 'friends' are so toxic that the thought of them contaminating not just Fillory but actual Narnia (or any other of a thousand cherished portal-accessible worlds) with the consequences of their narcissism and emotional pollution puts me on edge. Nevertheless, it is competently written and the worldbuilding (especially that of the Neitherlands, which may or may not be C. S. Lewis's Wood between the Worlds paved over) seems better thought out than that of J. K. Rowling's Potterverse, which this is more or less the grownup version of. I do commend Grossman for exploring the question of what kind of people an elite magical academy would turn out in real life, in an adult setting. That said, adult does not have to mean unlikeable, but then again, given the kind of adults that elite …

Amber Herbert reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

After watching the first season of the Syfy series, I was reluctant to pick this up... but I am so happy that I did. Though it seemed many readers found Quentin annoying and insufferable, I found those characteristics added something to the story that made it different from others with similar plot beats. Grossman did a fantastic job creating a world I could envision and lose myself in, and I always appreciate a few hours of reprieve from my day to day. The characters were human and flawed which is often not the case in an adventure story. I will definitely be reading through the rest of the series.

Kevin B. O'Brien reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The magicians' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This book starts out as a kind of "cousin" to Harry Potter when Quentin Coldwater gets invited to apply to a college for magic. He has done sleight-of-hand stuff for a few years, but this is a place that teaches real magic, and it turns out Quentin can do it. The first half of the book is about his college years, and the people he befriends there. In the second half it becomes a pastiche of Narnia, which is a bit of a change. But while Harry Potter and Narnia makes it sounds like a book for kids, you should know that sex, drugs, and alcoholism all feature in this book, along with some heavy emotional stuff, so use judgement before giving this to a younger reader. One resemblance is that Quentin's emotional mess is somewhat like Harry Potter's. In both cases I wanted to just shake them and tell …

knizer reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Quentin is an absolute wanker. Stalled out at p300. Critiques of this being misogynistic are correct. Glad the text got adapted for TV and branched away from some of the problematic plot points.

ManyRoads reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This was a fun and, dare I say, magical adventure. The characters are interesting and somewhat twisted. The tale winds around itself a couple of times building to an interesting denouement. I class the novel as being in a somewhat more adult Harry Potter 'class'. It will be interesting to see where the Magicians journey goes. Thus far, it has been an entertaining ride. I will most certainly try the second novel in this series.

NightDrake reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I wanted to know more about the actual spells that the kids learned in school. I also wanted to learn more about the land the teens ended up in. This was a pretty good booa all that aside.

M Is For Awesome reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

When I cracked open The Magicians and was introduced to Quentin Coldwater, an extraordinarily privileged white boy who nonetheless felt short shifted and shat upon by the universe because his friend Julia wouldn't sleep with him, I was a little appalled. This was going to be my companion for the next 402 pages? But it was the next book in my Book Club and there was no escaping it. I'd have to read this book if it was the last thing I did.

And I am so glad I did because this might be one of the most satisfying, thoughtful reads of my year. I don't think I've read two books in the past decade where the author invested so much of the plot on such a genuinely flawed character - not romantically flawed, or 'flawed but always stands up as hero in the end' but just a flawed, sometimes unpleasant human who finds themselves at the center of great events.

Lev Grossman's Quentin Coldwater has an incredibly gifted life: well off parents who love him, genius IQ he's never stretched the limits of, friends who care for him, but it is all given to him. His nature isn't self starting and he has no life experience to show him how to get what he wants in those very rare circumstances where it doesn't just fall into his lap. Thus every achievement is accidental and every mistake is someone else's fault/an act of god. He remains adrift, unable to understand why he is happy or sad, and thus unable to understand his role in changing those states.

When drawn into the classic portal fantasy elements of the book, intentionally reminiscent of Narnia and Oz among others, you can't expect the Lucy/Dorothy version. You're getting the Eustace from Voyage of the Dawn Treader version, the Wizard Behind The Curtain version. The point of view of the one who isn't able to unfetter themselves from their issues, who wasn't happy before they came to the magical land and for whom this new world is not a balm but a damaging and painful addiction.

xarvos reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The magicians' on Goodreads

4 stars

The plot is pretty fascinating with various plot twists that I wouldn't have thought of. The book has a good moral as well: you shouldn't live out your dream - magic doesn't solve problems, and even a so-seeming paradise like Fillory can be dangerous as hell. I'm really absorbed by the story. The only thing disappointed me, however, was that I would expect a clearer explanation about what happened to Eliot and Janet (as well as Josh, Richard, and Penny) and how they had met Julia.

xarvos reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The magicians' on 'GoodReads'

4 stars

Marsha Woerner reviewed The Magicians (The Magicians #1) by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians (The Magicians #1)' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

It was really difficult to rate this book. On the one hand, I recognized the reflections of the emotions of the main character, and even of his friends. On the other hand, there was so much intermingling of the concepts introduced in the Harry Potter novels and the Narnia novels, that it was difficult to untangle them and judge this book on its own. The magic in this book was very different than the magic in the Harry Potter, and fortunately, that Christianity mixed with the story was much less a part of this book than of the Narnia books. But I think that the other books handled themselves better for what they were then this book did for what it is. Overall, I vacillated between loving and hating this book – not because of a comparison with any other book, but it being that I am basically a plot …

btuftin reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This book nearly ended up with just three stars for being annoying, but in the end I'm going to give it four stars for being different. That's really all I can say without getting straight into deep spoilering. Well, I can also say that if it annoys you, keep reading anyway. It might in the end be worth it, or possibly not ...