The Magicians

by Grossman, Lev
ISBN: 9780399576645
4.5 (11)
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Overview

The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world, now an original series on SYFY

"The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea. . . . Hogwarts was never like this."
--George R.R. Martin

"Sad, hilarious, beautiful, and essential to anyone who cares about modern fantasy."
--Joe Hill

"A very knowing and wonderful take on the wizard school genre."
--John Green

"The Magicians may just be the most subversive, gripping and enchanting fantasy novel I've read this century."
--Cory Doctorow

"This gripping novel draws on the conventions of contemporary and classic fantasy novels in order to upend them . . . an unexpectedly moving coming-of-age story."
--The New Yorker

"The best urban fantasy in years."
--A.V. Club

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 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 ever could have imagined. . . .

The prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician's Land, The Magicians is one of the most daring and inventive works of literary fantasy in years. No one who has escaped into the worlds of Narnia and Harry Potter should miss this breathtaking return to the landscape of the imagination.

  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Grossman, Lev
  • ISBN: 9780399576645
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 8.30 x 1.00
  • Number Of Pages: 432
  • Publication Year: 2015

Customer Reviews

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5 ★   73%
4 ★   9%
3 ★   9%
2 ★   9%
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4.5
11 Ratings

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  • Harry Potter amped up, more intense, and definitely for adults.

    David R. - 8 months ago

    Magical worlds meet real life relatable characters in this book one of Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy. It has a bit of a coming of age story to start but quickly fades as real life hits a young man striving to believe that magic is real. If you liked Harry Potter but wanted more believable settings and characters this is the book for you.

    HPB Staff Review

  • Still waiting for your letter to Hogwarts? Try Brakebills Academy instead...

    Keri C. - 1 year 10 months ago

    Though touted as "Harry Potter for grown-ups," The Magicians by Lev Grossman is Harry Potter-like in really just one way: a young man discovers a world of magic previously unknown to him. And it's a good thing that this is where the similarities end because it allows The Magicians (and its sequels) to stand alone as their own spin on the what-if world of magic. Quentin Coldwater longs for the world of magic that he's read about in his 'Fillory' books (based heavily on Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia"), and he passes the time with the closest thing to real magic in his world: the sleight-of-hand variety. Things change, though, when he stumbles onto the campus of Brakebills Academy, one of the premiere magical schools in the world. Here, Quentin discovers that magic isn't just wand-waving and made-up Latin, but that it comes from within the magician and can have serious, Earth-moving consequences. And not only does Quentin discover that his dreams of magic have finally come true, but also that his dreams of Fillory might not be that farfetched either. For readers who've read enough "good vs. evil" fantasy and who instead just want to be swept away to a world where magic and its outcomes are the be-all, end-all goal, Grossman's 'The Magicians' plunks the fantasy novel on its side and explores one of the basest dreams fans of these novels have: what would YOU do if you were capable of magic?

    HPB Staff Review

  • Harry Potter meet the Chronicles of Narnia for Adults

    Adrian G. - 2 years 6 months ago

    I greatly enjoy when a novel takes a unique and original world and reinvents it for a new audience. Let me introduce to you 'The Magicians' by Lev Grossman. This title is the first of three novels. As the novels progress, Grossman illustrates a unique world that is both familiar and new. One of the best ways to describe this novel is Harry Potter for adults. Grossman does not hold back for the reader. His characters curse, are violent, dabble in recreational drugs, and aren't afraid to explore their feelings of sexuality. Although his novels may parallel J.K. Rowlings works. He reshapes the magical tropes to suit the world of Brakebills Academy. The best part about Grossman's novel is his lead protagonist, Quentin. The reader will find themselves rooting for Quentin in the beginning and loathing him near the end of the novel. Quentin is a young boy who never felt he fit in well with the world. He was a good student, his parents loved him, and he was surrounded by close friends. Yet, something was missing. Even when he becomes a student at Brakebills, he is a bit of a social outcast. On the surface, Quentin is very boring. However, Grossman surrounds him with a wide array of characters (Everything from an amourous best friend to a skilled punkish magician). Despite the novel appealing to the Harry Potter crowd, this book will be a great read for anyone looking to read fantasy, adventure, horror, or the adolescent coming of age tale.

    HPB Staff Review

  • Magic is much more complex and dangerous than imagined.

    Danielle P. - 2 years 7 months ago

    This first novel in the Magicians Trilogy follows the character of Quentin Coldwater, a young man who prefers the fantasy of his own beloved childhood stories of the land of Fillory, as well as mastering magic tricks, to the dullness of his daily life. Quentin's entire perception of the world is shattered, however, when he suddenly finds himself as a student in the very secret Brakebills Academy where Quentin faces the trials of love, friendship, and - of course - mastering unearthly spells. Quentin and his friends soon find out that the world of magic is much more complex and dangerous than could ever be imagined, and find themselves in an adventure beyond expectation.

    HPB Staff Review

  • Harry Potter-esque Fantasy novel

    Chelsea H. - 3 years 3 months ago

    This book was recommended to me based on my love for the Harry Potter series in my youth. While The Magicians does feature a young wizard-figure entering an educational facility dealing with the control and manipulation of magic, there were also many adult themes and language that may shock Harry Potter purists. The story is a perfect blend of Harry Potter, Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, and a snarky wit that will make you snort into the pages in laughter. Grossman doesn't take himself too seriously, with nods to other fantasy greats like Tolkien, Lewis, as well as Rowling herself. If you are looking for an intellectual fantasy novel to add to your repertoire, The Magicians fits the bill.

    HPB Staff Review