Quentin Coldwater is a moody brainiac slumping along with his friends as they finish their last year of high school, begin applying to colleges and embark on life as full-fledged adults. But Quentin isn't interested in any of it; he pines for the adventures and magic of the world behind a childhood book series called Fillory and Further. If only it were real he'd be truly happy. An invitation to attend Brakebills, a magical school, gives him that chance.
Maybe it was the intentional gray backdrop of the novel's beginning but I drug my feet reading the first 200 pages. Looking back I realize it was somewhat essential to the plot, but it was almost depressing for the sake of being depressing. I am extremely glad I pushed through the thick fog that surrounded Quentin and his friends. The second half of the novel was far more interesting, and the writing was overall far better than it's previous chapters.
References to the beloved worlds of C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, and other cherished stories abound making for clever breaks in the intense plot, but they also felt oddly creepy like the author is secretly watching behind your shoulder; waiting to make sure you catch every reference. Be your own story for goodness sake! I love to think about the magical worlds I've previously, and still am, enchanted with but I had trouble getting completely lost in Fillory because of it's similarities to classic tales already told. That being said it is difficult to be completely original, and what The Magicians lacks in pure creativity is made up for with its hearkening for what most of its readers are already searching for in a story.
The Magicians covers the adult end of the "Harry Potter for adults" summation quite well. Quentin is a realistic, and flawed -almost unlikable - character, as are his friends and the activities they take part in. Solutions to drown their sorrows include the typical usage of drugs, alcohol and hooking up that are prevalent in depictions of college life. We are complicated and depressed lets be stupid. I get it. I wasn't interested in that. I was far more intrigued by the Fillory books themselves; the lore and creatures are what got me excited!
I think the fact that other reviews have given this book such high praise and authors have plugged if further to an easily taken audience the novel isn't as jaw-dropping as made out to seem. While I believe the wool might have been pulled over the rest of the world's eyes, and that fantasy readers have been convinced, rather than deciding for themselves, that they like this novel I still am interested in reading the next installment. I just hope The Magician King is comparable to the high urban fantasy that was uncovered in the end of this novel and that the trilogy realizes its potential to stand on its own. 3/5 stars
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