Book Review: The Magicians

I do not own this picture, courtesy of Google Images

Congratulations! You, my dear reader, are reading An Introvert's Guide's first ever book review! Like most, but not all, introverts, I am an avid reader and the most recent book I read was the Magicians by Lev Grossman. I found this lovely paperback at the famous Strand book store in New York. Many reviews compared it to Harry Potter and Narnia, so naturally I was drawn to it. Not to mention it has a pretty magical cover.

The setting takes place in modern day Brooklyn with high school student, Quentin Coldwater, a precocious student applying for Princeton university when suddenly, his college interview lands him at the entrance test of a magical university called Brakebills. So the reviews most definitely hold true with the Narnia and Harry Potter parallels but by no means does it hinder your experience of this book. If anything it enhances it.

WARNING! As this was my first adult fiction book, let me be the first one to tell you that this book is not at all like a YA book so expect adult content (not even the PG-13 kind so read at your own risk).

Indeed it was adult in all senses of the word. One thing I wasn't expecting was the dark themes and in a way Grossman kind of kills our childhood fantasies by subverting our preconception of magic. Magic is described as a craft, it's a skill that takes serious honing and major attention, focus, and detail. It's tedious. “Magic, Quentin discovered, wasn’t romantic at all. It was grim and repetitive and deceptive.” Grossman strips it down to a science of sorts, but what I liked about Quentin was that he still earnestly believed in magic, seeing it as something more.

 However; here's where the dark stuff comes in because inevitably Quentin does become jaded, tainted with the "lack-of-purpose" conundrum that evidently many magicians succumb to. With all the magic at your fingertips, you can have anything! So what more do you have to achieve? What purpose could you serve? It was these weary pages of Quentin's inner conflict and turmoil in the plot that made me rather depressed. And when Quentin does find the one thing he desires, he's still not happy. So, the last remaining half of the novel is simply tragic but I have to admit that that was my favorite part. Why? Well, why does anyone like tragedy? I would say the irony of it all. Specifically to the book, it highlights the whole theme of desire and how you can't chase your childhood fantasies. As cliche as it seems, I feel like Quentin just needed to be happy with what he had and maybe he could have avoided the whole angst-y drama bit. But then again, if that were the case the plot would be nonexistent.

On a more technical note, Grossman's writing is neither too detailed or too sparse, so I really got a good feel of the world he was trying to create. The tone felt somber at times but mystical what with all the magical elements. However the plot movement dragged a bit towards the middle for me, and it was during those were the parts were I hated Quentin the most,  but I liked him best towards the end. Alice, his love interest, was probably the best character in the whole book, and I most definitely loved her more than Quentin. She was more intuitive and she, unlike poor Quentin, was never corrupted by magic.

I do not own this picture, courtesy of Google Images

So, when I think of fantasy, my expecation consist of furry fauns and the occasional unicorn (because why not?) but I like how it was juxtaposed against the (sometimes blatant) Narnia and Harry Potter references, because it just made the dark themes that much darker. As morbid as it sounds, I liked how Grossman pretty much killed the childhood fantasy of going to a magical school and escaping reality, because even that can be flawed. I felt like it was an important stepping stone for Quentin to undergo suffering in order to grow (hopefully, as there is a sequel) and it really reinforced the themes of the novel which I really appreciated. Plus there were some aspects of Quentin that I could relate to as well. As sad as it sounds, even I know that I will have to grow up and that I can't always daydream of a Narnia to escape to. That said, I thought it was a good book for me to dip my toes in adult fiction realm, because it did incorporate the fantasy world I was familiar with yet it mostly definitely shook it up.

I Give It: 7 out of 10 

Lots of Love,
Alyssa
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Other Thoughts About the Book
(with Spoilers below)

• Loved Quentin and Eliot's friendship
• Eliot's letter was one my favorite parts
• I like the image of Quentin towards the end with the Albert Einstein hair and the wooden arms and legs, which kind of symbolizes how hollow in the aftermath of the tragedy. 
• Liked how Grossman incorporated Philip Chatwin as the corrupted beast in the end as the cautionary tale 
• I was definitely shocked by Amanda Orloff's death. The end of that chapter actually made me gasp out loud.
• Loved Alice because she was probably the best character in the whole book and she's too good for Quentin, I will miss her dearly. 
• Least Favorite Character(s): Penny and Janet 
• What happened to Julia!? (And then I found out that there was a sequel so...)