Early Review of The Magician King: A Novel(The Magicians #2) by Lev Grossman

• Title: The Magician King: A Novel 
• Category: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Fantasy
  
• Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (August 9, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0670022314
• ISBN-13: 978-0670022311
• Notes: Contains language some may take offense to and violence in the form of rape.

"Everything was easy. Nothing was hard. The dream had become real."

The problem with a perfect world is that things can get boring, and Quentin was bored. Quentin, Eliot, Janet, and Julia had been the crowned Kings and Queens of Fillroy, a magical kingdom, 2 years ago. Everything was peaceful, there really wasn't much for the group to do.  When it is found that Outer Island hasn't paid their taxes for the past two years, Quentin sets out to find out why. He was just that bored. What started out as a simple mission, however, turned out to be the quest of Quentin's life. He'll need to save magic and when it's all over nothing will be ever be the same....

Like 'The Magicians', the Magician King is about Quentin. While he came a long way in the first book, he still has a long way to go. Fillroy and his friends have sort of acted like a crutch these past two years.  I liked seeing Quentin grow as a person and figure out everything is not all about him. He'll become the hero, I believe, he always wished to be, and will need to answer the question that was posed to him early on in the book, "Out there you're just Quentin. Are you sure that's going to be enough?"

This book also tells the story of how Julia ended up gaining her magical know how. Her magic is different from the others, and she is considered a hedge witch and not a Magician. This book fills in the blanks on what happened to Julia while Quentin was at Brakesbills. It will show how she went for a normal functioning teen to the dramatically different person she is at the beginning of this book. Her journey was not a pleasant nor easy one. Her experiences were vastly different from the Brakesbills trio. She took a walk on the darker side of magic, and, just like Quentin, she gave up everything to get it.

I truly enjoyed the second half of this book more than the first. Things seemed to pick up and got a little more interesting. If you love 'The Magicians' you'll probably love this book as well. I gave this one 3 out of 5 roses.  

 


Order to read series:



1. The Magicians: A Novel
2. The Magician King: A Novel - coming August 9, 2011

The Magicians: A Novel (The Magicians #1) by Lev Grossman

• Title: The Magicians: A Novel 
• Classification: Adult Fiction
  
• Genre: Fantasy
  
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Plume; 1st edition (May 25, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0452296293
• ASIN: B003YDXD3G
• Notes:  Talk of group sex and a quick ménage à trois flashback - neither goes into great detail. Also, language used that some may find offensive. 

Quentin Coldwater always felt something was a little off about his life. Felt he wasn't living the life that he was meant to. While following a errant page that was blown away by a gust of wind  he stumbles upon a magical place. Brakesbills, a school for magicians, is magically concealed behind a community garden and he's just found a passage to it. Turns out his finding of the passage way was in no way accidental and so begins Quentin's journey into the world of Magic.

Sort of like an adult version of Harry Potter with a coming of age twist. Quentin enters Brakesbills and learns magic. He gains friends and then needs to deal with the real world upon graduating. With the world pretty much his oyster he realizes magic isn't a cure all. I think this quote sums up the book quite nicely:

"If you will, for just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else. It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it or you're going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever."

I liked the first half of the book the best. That was when Quentin learned how to use magic and what creatures the world contains. When Quentin leaves Brakesbills he travels down a dark road that leads him to some self discovery. Along the way he and his friends enter a magically world named Fillroy which he has fantasized about since he was a boy for it was part of a favorite children's books series. You will notice slight similarities to 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Harry Potter', and even the 'Phantom Tollbooth'. Funny thing is even Grossman makes references to them in his book so he realizes we will see the similarities.  In this book, Quentin has to face the reality that life is what you make of it. If you choose to be miserable you will be. The choice is up to each of us.

I gave this one 3 1/2 out of 4 roses.

Order to read series:



1. The Magicians: A Novel
2. The Magician King: A Novel - coming August 9, 2011