First you thing you notice into chapter one of this book– this is literally nothing like Harry Potter. According to the Michael Aggerny of the NY Times, this book will “remind readers of Hogwarts, though with more illicit fondling.” Everywhere you look, this book is compared to Harry Potter except as an adult version. In my opinion there’s no resemblance, because it’s not like this book is just a Harry-like wizard doing drugs. This book is also set in a time where all of the characters are 18 years or older, and it takes place at Brakebills, which is a magic creepy college place, that doesn’t even have the same seasons or time as the real world.

My first impression of this book was that the main character (Quentin) is like the Ron of this trio and it’s that’s nice the main character is the lonely sad dweeb. After the man Quentin and his two buddies go to visit dies (I’m omitting spoilers), Quentin gets dropped down the metaphorical magic hole that is Brakebills. There aren’t any Houses, but there’s sections that you’re placed in based on your abilities, like a club. There’s a lot of drinking and some recreational drug use, but I really dig how they talk about religions in a world with magic, such as Satanism and Paganism and Buddhism and how it all relates back to their version of magic. In this universe, magic usage isn’t as simple as just a flick of your wand, it’s hard cold practice and repetition along with born talent that gets you places. Quentin and other characters had to work really hard at it if they wanted to keep up.

Another thing about this book- they don’t avoid talking about certain things. I mean, Quentin always thought Alice, who’s basically his only true friend at Brakebills, was pretty hot, but they don’t even talk about a relationship until they get turned into foxes and mess around. It was pretty weird, and I was like “whaaaaat.” but at least it’s honest. Quentin is pretty pessimistic and annoying throughout this book, but Alice, aforementioned love interest and magic protegy introvert, is definitely my favorite character, and also is the only one who doesn’t go overboard with the alcohol.

By the time you reach the second half of this book it’s been around 200 pages, and you’re a little sick of everything that’s going on, but you still can’t put it down. At this point, Quentin and Alice have just graduated and go to live in NY with their other graduated upperclassmen. I saw the next part of the book coming due to the massive build up, but I had no idea where the book was going with it, so it really pulled me back in from the mundane droll it was beginning to take. The entire book, ever since the beginning, has talked about Fillory, which is basically IRL Narnia, and how the in-book book series around Fillory was never finished. I don’t want to spoil the ending, so I’ll cut it off here, but I will mention that when they go to Fillory it doesn’t go down how you would expect, so don’t start thinking it’ll turn into a boring happy fantasy. When you think about it, would you really want to go to Narnia? Aslan is skinned in that children’s book. That’s kind of what I’m talking about here, it’s not all skipping down yellow roads singing with your new tin can friend.

Overall even though I did trash the book a little, it’s the first book in a long time that’s been truthful and actually kept me wondering what’s going to happen next (I did not see the geese coming at all). The scenery was great, and Alice cracks me up. Even with all the drugs, this book does talk about real life emotional issues  teenagers struggle with and existential crises in a relatable way. Quentin is very cynical and if that’s your type of humor you’ll probably enjoy this. Reading about Quentin discovering “friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom,” (goodreads.com) was at least amusing in all of the parts that maybe are a little too raunchy. The price of $10.39 a paperback is nothing once you get into this weird book that’s a part of a trilogy. According to Eugene Volokh from the Washington Post, Quentin “grows through the books,” so at least if you continue on this magic roller coaster Quentin will finally grow up. I rate this book a solid 8.5/10 and implore everyone who reads this, please, for the sake of all things you consider holy, don’t go into it comparing it Harry Potter if you want the most of this reading experience.

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/08/11/lev-grossmans-the-magicians-trilogy/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6101718-the-magicians