the futile, external quest for happiness
Quentin, a hyper-competitive, super-intelligent high school student is on his way to a Princeton undergraduate entrance interview when he is diverted and discovers Brakebills, a five-year magical university hidden in upstate New York. Imagine – and if you’ve read anything about this book, you’ve already seen this – Harry Potter for grown-ups. There is also a series of books within The Magicians about a magical land called Fillery, which are clearly an homage to the Narnia books. I’d recommend against reading lots of reviews, as many reveal a key plot twist that doesn’t take place until halfway through the book.
I listened to the unabridged audiobook and had trouble putting down my ipod. From the opening of the first chapter, I loved the prose: smooth, well constructed, a pleasure. Grossman – in his protagonist Quentin – expertly illustrates a teenager and then a man constantly seeking for external sources of happiness with the expected results. I remember a scene that was particularly emotionally resonant, in which one character has betrayed another and slowly, step-by-step, goes from self-justification to admitting (to himself) the gravity of his action. The emotional resonance and the prose surpass the fantasy genre.
Yet relative to the genre, the creativity is wonderful, with a number of ideas (and a twist regarding time) that I haven’t seen before and thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot wait to listen to the sequel, Magician King.
Note on content: The book has a few sex scenes (not graphically detailed for the most part), strong language, and a couple of scenes of graphic violence.
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