Series
Publication
Penguin Books (2012), Edition: Reprint, 432 pages
Description
Quentin and his friends are now the kings and queens of Fillory, but the days and nights of royal luxury are starting to pall. After a morning hunt takes a sinister turn, Quentin and his old friend Julia charter a magical sailing ship and set out on an errand to the wild outer reaches of their kingdom. Their pleasure cruise becomes an adventure when the two are unceremoniously dumped back into the last place Quentin ever wants to see: his parent's house in Chesterton, Massachusetts. And only the black, twisted magic that Julia learned on the streets can save them.
Similar in this library
Media reviews
“Everybody wanted to be the hero of their own story,” Quentin declares, framing the novel’s theme in neat miniature. But by the end of “The Magician King,” he comes to realize that he just might not be. It’s a harsh lesson, and one that, in keeping with the preoccupations and
Show More
innovations of this serious, heartfelt novel, turns the machinery of fantasy inside out. Show Less
...a spellbinding stereograph, a literary adventure novel that is also about privilege, power and the limits of being human. The Magician King is a triumphant sequel, surpassing, I think, the original. I can't wait for the next one.
Echoes from The Chronicles of Narnia [...] continue to reverberate, but Grossman’s psychologically complex characters and grim reckoning with tragic sacrifice far surpass anything in C.S. Lewis’ pat Christian allegory.
User reviews
LibraryThing member wiremonkey
Does this ever happen to you? You're reading a book and it is holding your interest, but nothing too mind shattering. Until you get deeper into it and you feel something in yourself slowly changing. Call it a metamorphosis. Or a door opening. Or a blooming in a hitherto unfruitful garden in the
Imagine my surprise when I experienced this very thing yesterday when I finished Lev Grossman's second installment (I am desperately hoping there will be a third at this point, though I am not sure if I can take another emotional blow- but more about that anon. I love saying anon.) in the Magicians series? Or is it called the Fillory series? I can't find it easily on his blog (which I almost got stuck in right now).
Anyway.
I wrote about the first book in the series, The Magicians, in a previous post. I liked it well enough though no earth shattering, emotionally turbulent revelations. It was the perfect book to read on an absurdly long trek of our massive train ride last summer, but that's about it.
So. Thinking the sequel would be as suitable for Christmas vacation as its predecessor was for the summer one, I decided to kick off my vacation reading with it. And it was totally delivering. Quentin was back with Eliot and the irascible Janet (though she doesn't get much play in the second book). And Julia. Julia, of the left behind.
Julia. Even saying her name makes my heart ache.
But I don't want to spoil anything by going into too much plot details. Suffice it to say, when the book begins, the above quartet are the Kings and Queens of Fillory, just like Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan were in Narnia. However, Quentin is once again dissatisfied with his lot and seeks something else, bless him. Fortunately for him, or unfortunately for him, depending on how you look at it, he gets his wish.
Intertwined with their new quest, are chapters that tell Julia's back story and everything she went through and gave up for magic.
And that is where the big stone in my stomach began to form, the realisation that at the end of the day, that we can only judge ourselves by what our stories have left behind. Or let me be more clear. Quests, or what we like to call in the real world, life, strips us bare little by little. As we continue along our path it takes things away: people, things, perceptions of ourself, our grand illusions of possibility. What is left is the kind of hero we are (I mean this in the sense of hero of our own story). Are we still standing? Can we live with the loss? Are we bitter or grateful? Can we deal with our own mistakes and flaws with humility or is our dragon pride eating us up bit by bit?
The character of Quentin and his perennial dissatisfaction with his lot is predicated on the all too common feeling that reality will never live up to the adventure and fantasies of our childhood stories. Having grown up with my nose in a book, you would think I would relate. In fact, I know many of my adult friends who recognised themselves a little too much in Quentin.
However, I've never felt the need to go to Narnia nor have I ever grieved my Muggle status. It was never the adventures that I wanted to have. I wanted to be me, but better. I wanted to have the characteristics that make it possible for adventures to happen. Courage. Intelligence (the envy I feel for the ferocious intelligence of Julia and Quentin is palpable). And let's face it- a type of storybook beauty, though this wasn't as important as the intelligence thing. I wanted (and if I'm honest with myself) want to be better than I am.
So at the end of the book, when the heroes have to pay the price of being the hero and are left stripped bare, what is left? Is your infrastructure stronger? Or are you a shanty town made out of corrugated cardboard self-delusions?
This book is the most coming of age book I have ever read, although not the traditional kind that depicts that painful metamorphosis from childhood to adolescence. Grossman chooses to sketch another coming of age (and I believe there are many in our life), the one where we are indoctrinated into the world of adulthood with all of its loss, its flaying of childhood self-delusions and hopefully with the revelation of a stronger core.
And like any other metamorphosis, it is extremely painful but also beautiful.
So I grieve. I grieve for Grossman's characters because as the god of his world, he doesn't pull any punches. And because I am scared that at the end of the day, my infrastructure will be found wanting; that I am not living up to my adventure with the necessary grace and panache.
Hmm. Perhaps that should be my one and only new year's resolution...
Show More
mind.Imagine my surprise when I experienced this very thing yesterday when I finished Lev Grossman's second installment (I am desperately hoping there will be a third at this point, though I am not sure if I can take another emotional blow- but more about that anon. I love saying anon.) in the Magicians series? Or is it called the Fillory series? I can't find it easily on his blog (which I almost got stuck in right now).
Anyway.
I wrote about the first book in the series, The Magicians, in a previous post. I liked it well enough though no earth shattering, emotionally turbulent revelations. It was the perfect book to read on an absurdly long trek of our massive train ride last summer, but that's about it.
So. Thinking the sequel would be as suitable for Christmas vacation as its predecessor was for the summer one, I decided to kick off my vacation reading with it. And it was totally delivering. Quentin was back with Eliot and the irascible Janet (though she doesn't get much play in the second book). And Julia. Julia, of the left behind.
Julia. Even saying her name makes my heart ache.
But I don't want to spoil anything by going into too much plot details. Suffice it to say, when the book begins, the above quartet are the Kings and Queens of Fillory, just like Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan were in Narnia. However, Quentin is once again dissatisfied with his lot and seeks something else, bless him. Fortunately for him, or unfortunately for him, depending on how you look at it, he gets his wish.
Intertwined with their new quest, are chapters that tell Julia's back story and everything she went through and gave up for magic.
And that is where the big stone in my stomach began to form, the realisation that at the end of the day, that we can only judge ourselves by what our stories have left behind. Or let me be more clear. Quests, or what we like to call in the real world, life, strips us bare little by little. As we continue along our path it takes things away: people, things, perceptions of ourself, our grand illusions of possibility. What is left is the kind of hero we are (I mean this in the sense of hero of our own story). Are we still standing? Can we live with the loss? Are we bitter or grateful? Can we deal with our own mistakes and flaws with humility or is our dragon pride eating us up bit by bit?
The character of Quentin and his perennial dissatisfaction with his lot is predicated on the all too common feeling that reality will never live up to the adventure and fantasies of our childhood stories. Having grown up with my nose in a book, you would think I would relate. In fact, I know many of my adult friends who recognised themselves a little too much in Quentin.
However, I've never felt the need to go to Narnia nor have I ever grieved my Muggle status. It was never the adventures that I wanted to have. I wanted to be me, but better. I wanted to have the characteristics that make it possible for adventures to happen. Courage. Intelligence (the envy I feel for the ferocious intelligence of Julia and Quentin is palpable). And let's face it- a type of storybook beauty, though this wasn't as important as the intelligence thing. I wanted (and if I'm honest with myself) want to be better than I am.
So at the end of the book, when the heroes have to pay the price of being the hero and are left stripped bare, what is left? Is your infrastructure stronger? Or are you a shanty town made out of corrugated cardboard self-delusions?
This book is the most coming of age book I have ever read, although not the traditional kind that depicts that painful metamorphosis from childhood to adolescence. Grossman chooses to sketch another coming of age (and I believe there are many in our life), the one where we are indoctrinated into the world of adulthood with all of its loss, its flaying of childhood self-delusions and hopefully with the revelation of a stronger core.
And like any other metamorphosis, it is extremely painful but also beautiful.
So I grieve. I grieve for Grossman's characters because as the god of his world, he doesn't pull any punches. And because I am scared that at the end of the day, my infrastructure will be found wanting; that I am not living up to my adventure with the necessary grace and panache.
Hmm. Perhaps that should be my one and only new year's resolution...
Show Less
LibraryThing member timothyl33
Similar to how the first book paralleled "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", "The Magician King" seems to parallel C.S. Lewis's "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". However, almost half of the book is devoted to the story of what happened to Julia between the time Quentin last saw her at the
Similar to the Dawn Treader, there is a quest of sorts, but it all seems to be one big maguffin that is used as an excuse to propel the characters from one event after another. Most of any true development seems to occur within the Julia half of the story.
Overall, a pretty satisfactory story that is good for killing time, but the ending might leave some wanting.
Show More
ending and the time before that. In some ways, the book might as well have been called "The Magician Queen."Similar to the Dawn Treader, there is a quest of sorts, but it all seems to be one big maguffin that is used as an excuse to propel the characters from one event after another. Most of any true development seems to occur within the Julia half of the story.
Overall, a pretty satisfactory story that is good for killing time, but the ending might leave some wanting.
Show Less
LibraryThing member suetu
After the “Ever After”
Can it possibly be only two years since I read Lev Grossman’s The Magicians? If you asked me about that novel, I would immediately tell you that I loved it. Apparently, that’s about all I could tell you. Having just read Grossman’s engaging follow-up, I regret not
Nonetheless, my inexact memory did not keep me from enjoying the latest adventures of Quentin Coldwater et al. Even I recalled that at the end of The Magicians Quentin, Julia, Elliott, and Janet had left our world to become the co-queens and kings of the magical (and not fictional after all) land of Fillory. The end. I thought that was the end. It was a good ending, and I didn’t expect any more. As we catch up with Quentin and co., they are living their “happy ever after.” It’s glorious. It’s perfect. It’s boring. To some degree, this has ever been the issue of life in a magical world.
Quentin is itching for a quest, but this is countered by the perfectly reasonable fear of screwing up a perfect life. When a safe-looking mini-quest comes along, Quentin goes for it—and screws up his perfect life. The mini-quest evolves into a major-quest with the highest of stakes. While this primary drama is unfolding, there is a second story being told in reflection. The Magicians recounted the education and coming of age of Quentin, Elliott, and Janet. Finally we learn what “hedgewitch” Julia was doing all of those years, and how she learned her craft. It would be an understatement to say that she took a different path. It’s a fascinating counterpoint. Along the way of these twin narratives, we meet many new characters and revisit old ones.
I’ve now read three of Mr. Grossman’s four novels, and I’ve enjoyed all of them. If I had to pick out the one thing that sets his work apart, the word that comes to mind is “unpredictability.” When you read as much as I do, a lot of storytelling becomes formulaic. This isn’t always a bad thing. Formula can expedite storytelling or give shape to a narrative. In any case, I think most avid readers begin to get a feel for where a story is likely to go. But not with Mr. Grossman. I never know. I don’t have a clue. I just know that he’s going to pull something different and unexpected out of his magician’s hat.
Additionally, it’s always a pleasure to read his prose. And he’s a champion at world-building. I adore the world he’s created in Fillory, and the dozens and dozens of pop culture references found throughout the text increase the fun and anchor that world to the reality of our own. It’s not merely Rowling and Lewis and Tolkien. It’s Die Hard and Star Trek and D & D. It’s Elmer Fudd, Dr. Suess, and GEB. It’s Disney, Dr. Who, and Discworld—and too many more to ever list.
I’ve rated this novel down one star only because I didn’t love it quite as much as its predecessor. I had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Grossman briefly at BEA. Expressing surprise at the sequel, I asked if there would be more books in the series. He told me that he thinks there will be a third, making it a trilogy. This second book comes to a shocking and unresolved conclusion. So, to Lev Grossman I say, “Damn straight there will be a third book!” It can’t end like this. And while clearly I have NO idea where the tale will go, I WILL be along for the ride.
Can it possibly be only two years since I read Lev Grossman’s The Magicians? If you asked me about that novel, I would immediately tell you that I loved it. Apparently, that’s about all I could tell you. Having just read Grossman’s engaging follow-up, I regret not
Show More
having reread, or at least brushed up on, the first novel. References to prior events were plentiful, and rather than jog my memory, they highlighted just how fallible it is. Hopefully yours is better, or you will take the steps I didn’t prior to reading the sequel. Oh, and it goes without saying that if you haven’t read the first novel, don’t start with this one.Nonetheless, my inexact memory did not keep me from enjoying the latest adventures of Quentin Coldwater et al. Even I recalled that at the end of The Magicians Quentin, Julia, Elliott, and Janet had left our world to become the co-queens and kings of the magical (and not fictional after all) land of Fillory. The end. I thought that was the end. It was a good ending, and I didn’t expect any more. As we catch up with Quentin and co., they are living their “happy ever after.” It’s glorious. It’s perfect. It’s boring. To some degree, this has ever been the issue of life in a magical world.
Quentin is itching for a quest, but this is countered by the perfectly reasonable fear of screwing up a perfect life. When a safe-looking mini-quest comes along, Quentin goes for it—and screws up his perfect life. The mini-quest evolves into a major-quest with the highest of stakes. While this primary drama is unfolding, there is a second story being told in reflection. The Magicians recounted the education and coming of age of Quentin, Elliott, and Janet. Finally we learn what “hedgewitch” Julia was doing all of those years, and how she learned her craft. It would be an understatement to say that she took a different path. It’s a fascinating counterpoint. Along the way of these twin narratives, we meet many new characters and revisit old ones.
I’ve now read three of Mr. Grossman’s four novels, and I’ve enjoyed all of them. If I had to pick out the one thing that sets his work apart, the word that comes to mind is “unpredictability.” When you read as much as I do, a lot of storytelling becomes formulaic. This isn’t always a bad thing. Formula can expedite storytelling or give shape to a narrative. In any case, I think most avid readers begin to get a feel for where a story is likely to go. But not with Mr. Grossman. I never know. I don’t have a clue. I just know that he’s going to pull something different and unexpected out of his magician’s hat.
Additionally, it’s always a pleasure to read his prose. And he’s a champion at world-building. I adore the world he’s created in Fillory, and the dozens and dozens of pop culture references found throughout the text increase the fun and anchor that world to the reality of our own. It’s not merely Rowling and Lewis and Tolkien. It’s Die Hard and Star Trek and D & D. It’s Elmer Fudd, Dr. Suess, and GEB. It’s Disney, Dr. Who, and Discworld—and too many more to ever list.
I’ve rated this novel down one star only because I didn’t love it quite as much as its predecessor. I had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Grossman briefly at BEA. Expressing surprise at the sequel, I asked if there would be more books in the series. He told me that he thinks there will be a third, making it a trilogy. This second book comes to a shocking and unresolved conclusion. So, to Lev Grossman I say, “Damn straight there will be a third book!” It can’t end like this. And while clearly I have NO idea where the tale will go, I WILL be along for the ride.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Widsith
I had really enjoyed The Magicians but I was a little confused about its intentions – was it a deconstruction of, and comment on, the fantasy genre; or did it want to be taken seriously as a work of fantasy in its own right? There was a sense of Grossman trying to have his cake and eat it too,
Anyway, so the sequel would, I thought, be more of a declaration of intent. The slightly twee rubbishness of Fillory in the first book made sense as a way of discussing the limitations of fantasy utopias, but as a setting for a real attempt at world-building and epic drama it didn't seem very promising. To my irritation but also my grudging admiration, Grossman continues to try to push both angles at once in this middle book, writing a standard quest narrative whose participants are self-aware enough to make it kind-of-sort-of-just-about work as a commentary on quest narratives too.
The jumping-off point is essentially where a book like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ends – with four kids from Earth ensconced as kings and queens of a fantasy realm, and it attempts to consider what this would actually be like. What would you do all day? How would you run a magical kingdom? Is there admin? Would it be mind-numbingly boring? Running alongside this is an episodic, analeptic retracing of what Julia was up to during the events of the first book – her story does a lot to flesh out Grossman's world and his idea of magic, and her narrative offers a very welcome counterpoint to Quentin's point of view (though he, too, has noticeably matured from the adolescent d*ck he was in book one). Julia's story is gritty and goes to some very dark places, but it's nice to see that she's just as fucked-up as he is, if not more so.
What I like about these books is the narrative tone, the slangy conversational awareness, the snappy one-liners about other fantasy reference-points, the allusions to D&D, Gauntlet, Dr Who. I can understand why dedicated fantasy fanboys find Grossman's approach disrespectful or overly cynical, but for me, as someone who grew up loving the genre but who now finds its earnestness hard to escape into, the register is perfectly pitched. A sequence where our heroes go back to the original home of the CS-Lewis-like author of the books-within-a-book, and discover a yuppie estate with a precocious child who ‘could have been cloned from Christopher Robin's toenail clippings’, is a set-piece that encapsulates all of Grossman's meta-generic playfulness (as well as some of the problems with his plotting and pacing).
The incorporation of religion with magic in this book was particularly interesting – at first it made me angry, and, like Julia, I found myself needing to suppress my ‘intellectual gag reflex’. Eventually it occurred to me that this irritation was not exactly commensurate with suspending disbelief in a world with talking sloths and magic haberdashery. If magic is real – a part of the real world that we know – then where does that leave religion, exactly? This turned out to be more interesting than I realised and I was wondering about the implications for much longer than I expected to – one of the many ways this series can annoy and intrigue you all at once.
I'm not sure how to call it. There are a couple of characters whose fates appear to have been ignored – we'll see if he comes back to them in the final book. If he does sort out some of those loose ends, and manages to keep the writing fun without succumbing to the temptation to make everything all serious and important for the big finish, then he'll be forgiven for quite a lot I reckon. One of the tonally weirdest series I can remember reading for some time….
Show More
and although the results had an inherent tension that I found very rewarding, it also somehow fell between two stools. Have you got that – a half-eaten cake between two stools? Right, we're on the same page. If the cake and stools are also on a page. Let's move on.Anyway, so the sequel would, I thought, be more of a declaration of intent. The slightly twee rubbishness of Fillory in the first book made sense as a way of discussing the limitations of fantasy utopias, but as a setting for a real attempt at world-building and epic drama it didn't seem very promising. To my irritation but also my grudging admiration, Grossman continues to try to push both angles at once in this middle book, writing a standard quest narrative whose participants are self-aware enough to make it kind-of-sort-of-just-about work as a commentary on quest narratives too.
The jumping-off point is essentially where a book like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ends – with four kids from Earth ensconced as kings and queens of a fantasy realm, and it attempts to consider what this would actually be like. What would you do all day? How would you run a magical kingdom? Is there admin? Would it be mind-numbingly boring? Running alongside this is an episodic, analeptic retracing of what Julia was up to during the events of the first book – her story does a lot to flesh out Grossman's world and his idea of magic, and her narrative offers a very welcome counterpoint to Quentin's point of view (though he, too, has noticeably matured from the adolescent d*ck he was in book one). Julia's story is gritty and goes to some very dark places, but it's nice to see that she's just as fucked-up as he is, if not more so.
What I like about these books is the narrative tone, the slangy conversational awareness, the snappy one-liners about other fantasy reference-points, the allusions to D&D, Gauntlet, Dr Who. I can understand why dedicated fantasy fanboys find Grossman's approach disrespectful or overly cynical, but for me, as someone who grew up loving the genre but who now finds its earnestness hard to escape into, the register is perfectly pitched. A sequence where our heroes go back to the original home of the CS-Lewis-like author of the books-within-a-book, and discover a yuppie estate with a precocious child who ‘could have been cloned from Christopher Robin's toenail clippings’, is a set-piece that encapsulates all of Grossman's meta-generic playfulness (as well as some of the problems with his plotting and pacing).
The incorporation of religion with magic in this book was particularly interesting – at first it made me angry, and, like Julia, I found myself needing to suppress my ‘intellectual gag reflex’. Eventually it occurred to me that this irritation was not exactly commensurate with suspending disbelief in a world with talking sloths and magic haberdashery. If magic is real – a part of the real world that we know – then where does that leave religion, exactly? This turned out to be more interesting than I realised and I was wondering about the implications for much longer than I expected to – one of the many ways this series can annoy and intrigue you all at once.
I'm not sure how to call it. There are a couple of characters whose fates appear to have been ignored – we'll see if he comes back to them in the final book. If he does sort out some of those loose ends, and manages to keep the writing fun without succumbing to the temptation to make everything all serious and important for the big finish, then he'll be forgiven for quite a lot I reckon. One of the tonally weirdest series I can remember reading for some time….
Show Less
LibraryThing member madeux
Far better than the previous book in the series. Many things get explained while character development is taken to a new level. I struggled to get through the first book, and kept going just because of the great potential I could see. Afterwords, I had a hard time deciding if I liked it, if it was
Show More
worth reading. This book answered that question about the first book (Yes, it's worth reading), but there was no question with this one. A really good book as long as you're not looking for a warm fuzzing feeling. Show Less
LibraryThing member hairball
I don't recall the first book all that well, except that I think I was rather disappointed in it--the main characters got on my nerves. Less so this time around, but the novel is terribly, terribly twee...and I don't know if having all of its "lessons" shoved down my throat by making them so
Show More
explicit is supposed to be some sort of wink nudge thing or not. An amusing read, but not one for the ages. Show Less
LibraryThing member brooks
The Magician King was certainly more even than The Magicians, but I think it was lacking in over-all character development. Sure, we get a much better understanding of how Julia got to be the way she is, but it still felt like something was missing from her character. Quentin seems to just stay on
Despite my issues with character development, I generally enjoyed The Magician King. The story was compelling and Grossman does some good work filling out the edges of the world he's created. The Julia story was enjoyable, but as I said before, I thought he played fast and loose with character development or at least making his second-tier characters more three-dimensional.
What I really love about The Magician King (and The Magicians) was Grossman's voice as a writer. He's a different kind of fantasy writer. He has a more casual writing style that feels more conversational or more playful. It may not work for everybody but I certainly like it.
As a follow-up to The Magicians, it's pretty good. I think it suffers from a kind of sophomore-slump, but it's still definitely worth reading if you enjoyed the first book.
Show More
the same path he'd been on the entire time and the core characters from the first book seem like they're just there as scenery.Despite my issues with character development, I generally enjoyed The Magician King. The story was compelling and Grossman does some good work filling out the edges of the world he's created. The Julia story was enjoyable, but as I said before, I thought he played fast and loose with character development or at least making his second-tier characters more three-dimensional.
What I really love about The Magician King (and The Magicians) was Grossman's voice as a writer. He's a different kind of fantasy writer. He has a more casual writing style that feels more conversational or more playful. It may not work for everybody but I certainly like it.
As a follow-up to The Magicians, it's pretty good. I think it suffers from a kind of sophomore-slump, but it's still definitely worth reading if you enjoyed the first book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ufjunkie
Picture the characters from a Brett Easten Ellis novel attending Hogwarts, and you'll have some idea of how Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" rolls.
"The Magicians" tells the story of Quentin Coldwater, an ordinary seventeen-year-old New Yorker who gets the opportunity of a lifetime: to attend a
The novel is gritty, and the characters are self-absorbed and completely without charm, yet the book has heart. For one thing, it's funny. It pokes fun at Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia, but in doing so mocks itself as well. The humor is light-hearted enough to not offend die-hard fans of fantasy fiction.
For another, the book asks deep questions about the nature of divinity and the corruptness of humanity. It wonders aloud whether such places as Narnia and Middle Earth could exist as places of harmony, or are human beings (and other sentient creatures) simply too broken to create a world without violence and grief.
On the one hand, this book would speak to anyone who grew up with notions of visiting Aslan or attending Hogwarts. Yet, its ultimate disillusionment with such fantasies may not make it everyone's favorite book.
"The Magicians" tells the story of Quentin Coldwater, an ordinary seventeen-year-old New Yorker who gets the opportunity of a lifetime: to attend a
Show More
secret, magical college called Brakebills. But if you think you've read this story before, think again. Quentin and his friends are the pampered, bored products of the modern age. They use magic like they use drugs, alcohol, and sex - as another way to try to bring meaning into their empty lives. Even a visit to the mythical country of Fillory (think 'Narnia' only with a ram instead of a lion) isn't able to break through their cynicism and ennui.The novel is gritty, and the characters are self-absorbed and completely without charm, yet the book has heart. For one thing, it's funny. It pokes fun at Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia, but in doing so mocks itself as well. The humor is light-hearted enough to not offend die-hard fans of fantasy fiction.
For another, the book asks deep questions about the nature of divinity and the corruptness of humanity. It wonders aloud whether such places as Narnia and Middle Earth could exist as places of harmony, or are human beings (and other sentient creatures) simply too broken to create a world without violence and grief.
On the one hand, this book would speak to anyone who grew up with notions of visiting Aslan or attending Hogwarts. Yet, its ultimate disillusionment with such fantasies may not make it everyone's favorite book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TheAmpersand
I really, really enjoyed Lev Grossman's "The Magicians," and it seems that I wasn't the only one. Since I've never really been drawn to the whole swords-and-sorcery thing, it feels a bit odd to admit that I saw a lot of myself in that book's characters, but -- the whole slightly knowing Harry
I guess the best thing about "The Magician King," then, is that it's a worthy successor to the book that preceded it. If some of the novelty, for both readers and characters, is gone, Grossman still hasn't lost his sense of humor or his talent for describing fantasy worlds with perspectives imported from the real one. Quentin Coldwater, our protagonist, is still sensitive, still undone by the women in his life, and still searching for something more. Grossman surprised me a little, though, by delving into the experiences of Julia, Quentin's one-time love interest, who found herself on the wrong side of the magician/muggle class divide and missed out on a proper magical education. The scene in "The Magicians" in which she clumsily executed a minor spell for Quentin in order to prove magical bonafides that she obviously didn't possess was one of that book's more heart-rending scenes, and I feel almost relieved when she was brought back here as a powerful, if still unschooled, spellworker. Also, I should note that while "The Magicians" seemed most concerned with class and privilege -- transposed, of course, to a slightly corny version of Narnia -- "The Magician King" seems most concerned with what might be called the awful inevitability of plot. Quentin and his friends are royals, but even royals need quests, and even heroes can be forced to make hard choices and accept necessary sacrifices. Of course, the fact that Grossman's characters are exponentially more self-aware than real-deal fantasy characters who face similar situations is what makes these novels interesting to a wider literary audience. Readers who are allergic to irony and like to take their fantasy neat should still avoid these books. Even so, Grossman includes enough genuinely beautiful imagery and enough potentially involving -- and well-organized -- fantasy elements that I wonder if he might make a good "traditional" fantasy author yet. Best among these, I think, is the book's ending, which takes Quentin and Company to the literal end of the world aboard a magical ship. It's a haunting scene, and a finale as beautiful as any that's been written since Thomas Mann stuck the last few pages of "Death in Venice." The fact that it comes at the end of a book full of wizards and magical beasts only seems to make it more poignant. I'll be sure to pick up the third -- and presumably last -- book in this series, which is supposed to be released later this year. I'm happy to say that "The Magician King" has convinced me that I can cast my reservations aside and just dive right into it.
Show More
Potter thing aside -- their post-collegiate ennui and the things they gained and lost as their stories progressed really seemed to resonate. Actually, I liked "The Magicians" so much that even though I pre-ordered "The Magician King," I hesitated to actually begin reading it. After all, what inferior sequels made me forget what I liked so much about the original? Heck, I haven't picked up the Neutral Milk Hotel's "On Avery Island" for roughly the same reason. Sometimes it's best to leave more than good enough alone, right?I guess the best thing about "The Magician King," then, is that it's a worthy successor to the book that preceded it. If some of the novelty, for both readers and characters, is gone, Grossman still hasn't lost his sense of humor or his talent for describing fantasy worlds with perspectives imported from the real one. Quentin Coldwater, our protagonist, is still sensitive, still undone by the women in his life, and still searching for something more. Grossman surprised me a little, though, by delving into the experiences of Julia, Quentin's one-time love interest, who found herself on the wrong side of the magician/muggle class divide and missed out on a proper magical education. The scene in "The Magicians" in which she clumsily executed a minor spell for Quentin in order to prove magical bonafides that she obviously didn't possess was one of that book's more heart-rending scenes, and I feel almost relieved when she was brought back here as a powerful, if still unschooled, spellworker. Also, I should note that while "The Magicians" seemed most concerned with class and privilege -- transposed, of course, to a slightly corny version of Narnia -- "The Magician King" seems most concerned with what might be called the awful inevitability of plot. Quentin and his friends are royals, but even royals need quests, and even heroes can be forced to make hard choices and accept necessary sacrifices. Of course, the fact that Grossman's characters are exponentially more self-aware than real-deal fantasy characters who face similar situations is what makes these novels interesting to a wider literary audience. Readers who are allergic to irony and like to take their fantasy neat should still avoid these books. Even so, Grossman includes enough genuinely beautiful imagery and enough potentially involving -- and well-organized -- fantasy elements that I wonder if he might make a good "traditional" fantasy author yet. Best among these, I think, is the book's ending, which takes Quentin and Company to the literal end of the world aboard a magical ship. It's a haunting scene, and a finale as beautiful as any that's been written since Thomas Mann stuck the last few pages of "Death in Venice." The fact that it comes at the end of a book full of wizards and magical beasts only seems to make it more poignant. I'll be sure to pick up the third -- and presumably last -- book in this series, which is supposed to be released later this year. I'm happy to say that "The Magician King" has convinced me that I can cast my reservations aside and just dive right into it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe
The challenge of a sequel to an innovative novel is whether the author can continue to innovate whilst still holding the reader’s interest. In The Magician King, Lev Grossman makes a good run at it. Almost inevitably, I suppose, in order to keep the pages turning he relies once again on adventure
Much of the novel concerns the back story of Julia, Quentin’s childhood friend, who took an entirely different path to magic than Quentin. Hers was the school of hard knocks, some very hard indeed. She’s a mathematical genius, naturally, but she and her friends arrive at the conclusion that only an invocation to the gods, the old gods, will help them reach the next level in their magical development. It all gets rather Gaimanesque at that point, which may not be something you can merely dabble with.
In many respects this novel is both more and less than its predecessor. It is more traditional and thus more predictable. It is less random (seemingly) in its trajectory, but also less surprising, and for me at least, less interesting. Fun enough, I suppose, but unlikely to generate street cred for the reader.
Show More
story tropes. The quest, this time, is for seven magical keys needed to preserve magic in Fillory and worlds beyond. Quentin Coldwater is once again at the centre of this quest, with the rest of the gang from The Magicians filling various supporting roles as well as the addition of a few new central characters.Much of the novel concerns the back story of Julia, Quentin’s childhood friend, who took an entirely different path to magic than Quentin. Hers was the school of hard knocks, some very hard indeed. She’s a mathematical genius, naturally, but she and her friends arrive at the conclusion that only an invocation to the gods, the old gods, will help them reach the next level in their magical development. It all gets rather Gaimanesque at that point, which may not be something you can merely dabble with.
In many respects this novel is both more and less than its predecessor. It is more traditional and thus more predictable. It is less random (seemingly) in its trajectory, but also less surprising, and for me at least, less interesting. Fun enough, I suppose, but unlikely to generate street cred for the reader.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mikewick
In the much-anticipated followup to "The Magicians" we're along for another melancholy ride through the doldrums of Quentin's life. See, things aren't that much fun in Fillory anymore; the four magician kings have proven that too much of a good thing is what's needed to drive the fun out of life.
While "The Magicians" was billed as Harry Potter for grown-ups, I'd argue that "The Magician King" is a more grown-up book than the first due to the interspersed tale of Julia's development from Brakebills-reject to hedge witch. Hers is a very similar story to Quentin's, filled with longing, disappointment, and a void that can't be filled by anything but the fantastic power of magic. It differs, however, in the fallout--Quentin is still a child, and reacts as such to the setbacks he encounters. This dichotomy between the two characters takes the series to a new level; I certainly feel that if we were just left with another tale of Quentin it wouldn't have been half the book it turned out to be. Certainly a great sequel and one that leaves me with hope of a third.
Show More
Fear not, however, for magical realities are the stuff that adventuring is made of and soon enough Quentin is off on a quest that will put the fun back in life with Lev Grossman's (and many fables') characteristic method--by making the main character pay for it through a variety of painful repercussions. While "The Magicians" was billed as Harry Potter for grown-ups, I'd argue that "The Magician King" is a more grown-up book than the first due to the interspersed tale of Julia's development from Brakebills-reject to hedge witch. Hers is a very similar story to Quentin's, filled with longing, disappointment, and a void that can't be filled by anything but the fantastic power of magic. It differs, however, in the fallout--Quentin is still a child, and reacts as such to the setbacks he encounters. This dichotomy between the two characters takes the series to a new level; I certainly feel that if we were just left with another tale of Quentin it wouldn't have been half the book it turned out to be. Certainly a great sequel and one that leaves me with hope of a third.
Show Less
LibraryThing member edgeworth
The Magicians is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year – a thoughtful and realistic take on the childhood fantasies of Harry Potter and Narnia which manages to simultaneously deconstruct and celebrate those legends. One of the only things I didn’t like about it was its ending,
I can’t quite agree with ending the first novel that way (especially knowing that Grossman didn’t intend to write a sequel at the time) but The Magician King delivers a more than satisfactory continuation of Quentin Coldwater’s tale, not only returning to its old themes and ideas, but building on them and exploring new ones. (Spoilers for The Magicians from here on in.)
The Magicians finished with Quentin’s adventures in Fillory leaving him not only unsatisfied and unfulfilled, but also mourning the death of his girlfriend Alice. It then took a sharp twist when his old friends Eliot, Janet and Julia showed up to take him back to Fillory to reign as king. And so The Magician King begins after Quentin has been reigning over Fillory for some time, gradually beginning to feel his listless ennui set in once again. A minor voyage to visit an outlying island, to see why they haven’t been paying taxes, seems in order. (There’s more than a touch of Voyage of the Dawn Treader here.) The book really begins to kick off after Quentin and Julia arrive at that island and finds themselves thrust into a deeper quest.
Intertwined with this quest is Julia’s backstory. In The Magicians, she was a background character, a failed Brakebills entrant stuck with fragments of memory about what she failed to achieve, who confronted Quentin when he came home for summer holidays and begged him to get her into Brakebills. By the novel’s end she has inexplicably become a magician; The Magician King explains how. While Quentin’s story in The Magicians was one of achieving a dream and ultimately being dissatisfied with it, Julia’s story is one of glimpsing a dream and then having the door cruelly slammed shut. What would have happened to Harry Potter if he had met Hagrid and gone to Diagon Alley, but then been unable to cross through Platform 9 3/4s? What would have happened if he’d been forced to return to Privet Drive in London’s suburbs? What would he have been willing to do to get back into that magical world?
Both my housemates read the book before me, and hated it for Julia’s backstory. I had no issue with it, apart from a few cringey chapters where she gets involved with an online forum (and meets its denizens in real life later… where they’re still referred to by their online usernames). There is a slight issue in the fact that her story is juxtaposed against Quentin’s adventures, which are totally awesome, and I while I was never bored reading Julia’s story I was never exactly enthralled either – at least until its horrifying climax, which is excellent, although both my housemates separately spoiled it for me.
And Quentin’s story is fantastic. It’s full of neat little events, like when he wakes up in the morning on an island, wanders away from his sleeping companions to take a leak, and ends up getting drawn into an unexpected adventure. Just as in The Magicians, Grossman is riffing on the fantasy genre while also revelling in it; it’s a rare novel that manages to do this so well. I love the meta-awareness Grossman imbues in all his characters, who aren’t so much aware that they’re in a story as much as they’re comparing their lives to stories, or imagining how other people see what they’re doing:
“All due respect to your being king here, but Julia and I are king and queen of Fillory, and we have to get back there. For all intents and purposes we are on a f*ck*ng quest here. You are now on the quest team too. I am deputising you. We have to get back to Fillory, and we don’t know how we’re going to do it. That’s the problem.”
Or:
The old wood of Josh’s dining table felt cool against Quentin’s forehead. In a few more seconds he’d sit up again.That’s how long it would take to roll his brain back to the state it was in before it thought that their troubles were over. Until then Quentin would just enjoy the cool solidity of the table for one second more. He let the despair wash over him. The button was gone. He thought about banging his head a few times, just lightly, but that would have been overdoing it.
Another aspect that impressed me was the direction in which Grossman takes the novel. I read a review at some point, which I can’t find anymore, which said something along the lines of “Grossman seems to have forgotten the reason he wrote The Magicians in the first place.” This made me worry that he would write a fantasy adventure which ignored Quentin’s crushing ennui, from which he perpetually suffers despite living in an amazing fantasy world (because problems are on the inside, kids!) Fortunately, this doesn’t happen at all. Quentin’s issues are still very much a part of the book, but Grossman moves forward with them and Quentin actually grows as a character. The Magicians was a concept novel in which the characters were serving the conceit. The Magician King, on the other hand, is Grossman taking the characters and developing them into something more; by the novel’s ending, Quentin is a much more mature, likeable and even selfless character than he was in The Magicians. The ending could also be considered a f*ck*ng bummer, but I found it quite uplifting and hopeful, which I’m pretty sure is the correct interpretation.
Ultimately I think The Magicians is the stronger novel, simply for its originality, the fresh take it gave the childhood fantasy mythos. The Magician King falters at times, and is held together by a less coherent theme. But it’s still fun, funny, exciting and compulsively readable, with a bunch of great fantasy set-pieces and genuinely surprising character development. I greatly recommend this novel and its predecessor to fantasy fans, and I hope Grossman gives us a third one.
Show More
which flipped the story on its head and would have ruined the book if not for the fact that I knew there was a sequel.I can’t quite agree with ending the first novel that way (especially knowing that Grossman didn’t intend to write a sequel at the time) but The Magician King delivers a more than satisfactory continuation of Quentin Coldwater’s tale, not only returning to its old themes and ideas, but building on them and exploring new ones. (Spoilers for The Magicians from here on in.)
The Magicians finished with Quentin’s adventures in Fillory leaving him not only unsatisfied and unfulfilled, but also mourning the death of his girlfriend Alice. It then took a sharp twist when his old friends Eliot, Janet and Julia showed up to take him back to Fillory to reign as king. And so The Magician King begins after Quentin has been reigning over Fillory for some time, gradually beginning to feel his listless ennui set in once again. A minor voyage to visit an outlying island, to see why they haven’t been paying taxes, seems in order. (There’s more than a touch of Voyage of the Dawn Treader here.) The book really begins to kick off after Quentin and Julia arrive at that island and finds themselves thrust into a deeper quest.
Intertwined with this quest is Julia’s backstory. In The Magicians, she was a background character, a failed Brakebills entrant stuck with fragments of memory about what she failed to achieve, who confronted Quentin when he came home for summer holidays and begged him to get her into Brakebills. By the novel’s end she has inexplicably become a magician; The Magician King explains how. While Quentin’s story in The Magicians was one of achieving a dream and ultimately being dissatisfied with it, Julia’s story is one of glimpsing a dream and then having the door cruelly slammed shut. What would have happened to Harry Potter if he had met Hagrid and gone to Diagon Alley, but then been unable to cross through Platform 9 3/4s? What would have happened if he’d been forced to return to Privet Drive in London’s suburbs? What would he have been willing to do to get back into that magical world?
Both my housemates read the book before me, and hated it for Julia’s backstory. I had no issue with it, apart from a few cringey chapters where she gets involved with an online forum (and meets its denizens in real life later… where they’re still referred to by their online usernames). There is a slight issue in the fact that her story is juxtaposed against Quentin’s adventures, which are totally awesome, and I while I was never bored reading Julia’s story I was never exactly enthralled either – at least until its horrifying climax, which is excellent, although both my housemates separately spoiled it for me.
And Quentin’s story is fantastic. It’s full of neat little events, like when he wakes up in the morning on an island, wanders away from his sleeping companions to take a leak, and ends up getting drawn into an unexpected adventure. Just as in The Magicians, Grossman is riffing on the fantasy genre while also revelling in it; it’s a rare novel that manages to do this so well. I love the meta-awareness Grossman imbues in all his characters, who aren’t so much aware that they’re in a story as much as they’re comparing their lives to stories, or imagining how other people see what they’re doing:
“All due respect to your being king here, but Julia and I are king and queen of Fillory, and we have to get back there. For all intents and purposes we are on a f*ck*ng quest here. You are now on the quest team too. I am deputising you. We have to get back to Fillory, and we don’t know how we’re going to do it. That’s the problem.”
Or:
The old wood of Josh’s dining table felt cool against Quentin’s forehead. In a few more seconds he’d sit up again.That’s how long it would take to roll his brain back to the state it was in before it thought that their troubles were over. Until then Quentin would just enjoy the cool solidity of the table for one second more. He let the despair wash over him. The button was gone. He thought about banging his head a few times, just lightly, but that would have been overdoing it.
Another aspect that impressed me was the direction in which Grossman takes the novel. I read a review at some point, which I can’t find anymore, which said something along the lines of “Grossman seems to have forgotten the reason he wrote The Magicians in the first place.” This made me worry that he would write a fantasy adventure which ignored Quentin’s crushing ennui, from which he perpetually suffers despite living in an amazing fantasy world (because problems are on the inside, kids!) Fortunately, this doesn’t happen at all. Quentin’s issues are still very much a part of the book, but Grossman moves forward with them and Quentin actually grows as a character. The Magicians was a concept novel in which the characters were serving the conceit. The Magician King, on the other hand, is Grossman taking the characters and developing them into something more; by the novel’s ending, Quentin is a much more mature, likeable and even selfless character than he was in The Magicians. The ending could also be considered a f*ck*ng bummer, but I found it quite uplifting and hopeful, which I’m pretty sure is the correct interpretation.
Ultimately I think The Magicians is the stronger novel, simply for its originality, the fresh take it gave the childhood fantasy mythos. The Magician King falters at times, and is held together by a less coherent theme. But it’s still fun, funny, exciting and compulsively readable, with a bunch of great fantasy set-pieces and genuinely surprising character development. I greatly recommend this novel and its predecessor to fantasy fans, and I hope Grossman gives us a third one.
Show Less
LibraryThing member drachenbraut23
Finishing this book, it somewhat left me with an unsatisfied feeling. Both books were not bad, but not brilliant either. I thought it was interesting that we had the inter winding of the modern and the "Narnia" type of world, although nothing new there. The author obviously attempted with his dark
Show More
and gloomy atmosphere, and at times tedious events and references a funny note in regards to regular fantasy stories. I am sorry it did not work for me. The way the books were written took me some time to get used to and I never was quite sure what to make of the characters. Thinking about Quentin the only thing I could spare for him at times was "What a pathetic being". He just made me crinch at times. Every time the plots were getting an interesting turn, these events very quickly turned boring again. At the end Quentin gets the quest he wanted all along, but not the outcome he expected. By the time I finished the book I wasn't quite sure what the purpose of all that was in regards to Quentins development. Show Less
LibraryThing member gmehn
I really really want to like Grossman. I love his reviews. He seems intelligent. He is filled with excellent ideas.
But the writing, at the sentence level, falls flat. It kind of worked in The Magicians, but in the sequel it's really doing my head in. Slips from formal to informal. Characters that
The first book is being made into a telly series; maybe it'll work better there. I don't know.
But I really want to like the books. The ideas are there - it just feels like there's something missing, edit-wise.
But the writing, at the sentence level, falls flat. It kind of worked in The Magicians, but in the sequel it's really doing my head in. Slips from formal to informal. Characters that
Show More
you neither love nor hate, but are mostly just annoyed with. Slang from different ages that doesn't quite match up. No one ever learning anything. The first book is being made into a telly series; maybe it'll work better there. I don't know.
But I really want to like the books. The ideas are there - it just feels like there's something missing, edit-wise.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jannes
Would it make sense if I wrote that The Magician King is better written, but not quite as good as The Magicians?
It's the old "curse of the sequel" story, of course: almost everything is more polished, but nothing is new anymore. The writing is tighter and more controlled, plot stays on track for
The Magician King also has this really strong middle-of-the-triology-vibe to it. Wether that is a good or bad thing I cannot say with certainty yet.
Bottom line: good, but I wished for more. Well worth the time.
It's the old "curse of the sequel" story, of course: almost everything is more polished, but nothing is new anymore. The writing is tighter and more controlled, plot stays on track for
Show More
most of the time, and there's less fluffy distractions - but the initial shock-and-awe "holy sh*t, this book is about me"-feeling thet really hooked the fantasy nerd in me on the first book is also missing, or have at least faded into the background. The meta-fantasy elements are there of couse - the nature of the quest, longing for adventure,the need for conflict in the narrative, etc - but it feels less urgent even if it is very well done. Grossman should get credit for actually carying these themes on from the first book rather than taking the easy route and dropping them in favor for a straight standard-fantasy sequel, but I can't shake the feeling that it is all a bit thin in that department when compared to the original. A comparison that might be a bit unfair, but still unavoidable.The Magician King also has this really strong middle-of-the-triology-vibe to it. Wether that is a good or bad thing I cannot say with certainty yet.
Bottom line: good, but I wished for more. Well worth the time.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BenjaminHahn
A fine sequel to the "The Magicians", but somewhat different in tone. We are really hearing two stories here and Julia's is far more interesting. Not to say that I dismiss Quentin's final lesson on "heroism". I am always a sucker for Campbellesque "hero" irony. Julia's journey kept me interested
There were still a few "laugh out loud" moments for me when I least expected it. Overall, a good read and conclusion to the first book.
Show More
because it answered a lot of questions I had about Grossman's magical world while reading the first book. Julia's climatic scene near the end of the book though was a little surprising in its details. I felt both good and bad for her. There were still a few "laugh out loud" moments for me when I least expected it. Overall, a good read and conclusion to the first book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member humouress
This is the sequel to "The Magicians", which I actually thought was a one-off; but I spotted this in the library, so I picked it up. If "The Magicians" was the equivalent of the Narnia book "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", then this would correspond to "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", in
Quentin and his friends from the first book now rule in the magical / mythical land of Fillory; but life is too easy, and they wish for adventure. Adventure they get, and it takes Quentin through multiple universes on a quest to save magic. Threaded through the book is Julia's side of the first story, which took place in the 'real' world and explains how she learned her magic outside the aegis of Brakebills, the magic school that Quentin got into but she didn't, and how she became the way she is now.
On a personal note, how ever much it adds to the 'gritty realism' of the story, I wish there had been less swearing, and I could have done without the violence that occurs towards the end. The violence itself is not gratuitous, in that it does make a point. On the other hand, the book could have also worked without that scene, and maybe it is just there for shock value. (I'm not a fan of violence; it tends to haunt me, especially when it blindsides me as it did here.)
The book is well written apart from that one aspect that jarred; the plot works well and the prose . For the first time, I'm wondering if I should rate a book higher than my personal enjoyment of it.
On balance, I think I will give it four stars.
Show More
that much of the adventure takes place on board a ship out at sea.Quentin and his friends from the first book now rule in the magical / mythical land of Fillory; but life is too easy, and they wish for adventure. Adventure they get, and it takes Quentin through multiple universes on a quest to save magic. Threaded through the book is Julia's side of the first story, which took place in the 'real' world and explains how she learned her magic outside the aegis of Brakebills, the magic school that Quentin got into but she didn't, and how she became the way she is now.
On a personal note, how ever much it adds to the 'gritty realism' of the story, I wish there had been less swearing, and I could have done without the violence that occurs towards the end. The violence itself is not gratuitous, in that it does make a point. On the other hand, the book could have also worked without that scene, and maybe it is just there for shock value. (I'm not a fan of violence; it tends to haunt me, especially when it blindsides me as it did here.)
The book is well written apart from that one aspect that jarred; the plot works well and the prose . For the first time, I'm wondering if I should rate a book higher than my personal enjoyment of it.
On balance, I think I will give it four stars.
Show Less
LibraryThing member randalrh
The Magician King picks up a bit after The Magicians leaves off, but also runs in parallel with it (which can't be explained further without spoilers). The second novel of a fantasy series doesn't usually have to set the foundations of a magical universe the way a first novel does, but the Magician
Show More
King deepens the fundamentals of how things work in a wholly consistent way while moving the story along at a fast pace. Some characters recur, some don't, some are new, but all differentiate themselves even further, so that both the character-level detail and the overall story arc are enjoyable and new. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
Book two in Lev Grossman's Magicians series. I liked this better than the first one; if nothing else, it was a much faster read. But, like the first one, it never felt as if it did for me quite what it should have. I mean, this book has an awful lot going for it. It's well-written. There's some
I think a lot of it is just that the characters are difficult to care much about. (Although this book does have an edge over the first one, there, as half the chapters are about Julia, who is at least somewhat more interesting than our usual protagonist, Quentin.) And part of it is that the plot feels unfocused; we aren't told what the stakes are for any of it until very near the end, meaning that the opportunity to give the whole thing a sense of urgency is almost completely squandered. The ending itself is pretty good, which did help my overall opinion. And I am interested enough to want to finish off the trilogy. But I just keep wishing that most of it had been a little more... something.
Show More
nifty, imaginative world-building. There are some very cool individual scenes. There's a snarky, nerdy sense of humor. And there's a sort of self-reflective, meta-fictional sensibility to it. All that stuff is basically marks a straight line right down the middle of my alley. And yet, for most of the book, it just wasn't grabbing me all that much. It wasn't off-putting or anything. But it wasn't exactly compelling, either. I think a lot of it is just that the characters are difficult to care much about. (Although this book does have an edge over the first one, there, as half the chapters are about Julia, who is at least somewhat more interesting than our usual protagonist, Quentin.) And part of it is that the plot feels unfocused; we aren't told what the stakes are for any of it until very near the end, meaning that the opportunity to give the whole thing a sense of urgency is almost completely squandered. The ending itself is pretty good, which did help my overall opinion. And I am interested enough to want to finish off the trilogy. But I just keep wishing that most of it had been a little more... something.
Show Less
LibraryThing member callmecayce
I liked The Magicians, but I thought The Magician King was a far better novel. The characters had grown and changed (not always for the better) and Grossman tied up quite a few loose ends (though I do hope there's a third book). One of the things I liked about the book was how much Quentin had
Show More
changed -- not just from the first book, but within the context of this one. I also liked the alternating chapters where we learn everything about Julia (she transforms twice within this novel and both are painful to read because they're heartbreaking). The end of the novel is actually somewhat sad and happy all at once. The parallels to Narnia are what I picked up on most (including references to religion, though they're dealt with quite differently by Grossman). This is a much more well put together novel, more adult, than the first one and I liked it better. There is a rape scene, near the end of the book and I think that Grossman allows the characters who was raped to deal with it without making her forget what happened. Overall, this was actually a pretty good book and I'm curious to see if he'll write more. I think there could be at least one more story left to tell involving Quentin. Show Less
LibraryThing member kmoellering
Just like with The Magicians, I loved this book. Grossman really is a masterful storyteller. I was amazed at the twists and turns the story took. But also? I thought he told a really interesting story that, in the end, was just about people. I especially liked the way he wrote about depression. I
Show More
think a strong case could be made that mental illness, sadness, despair and depression are really what this book (or the series) is about. Grossman's refelctions on what magic is and what happens when it leaves our lives sounds just like depression to me. I think though, it's really an optimistic book. Take a look at the last lines of the novel! Loved this and would recommend it highly to any lover of fiction, but especially fantasy fiction. It's definitely an interesting and unsual take on the genre! Show Less
LibraryThing member JechtShot
Quentin Coldwater, hero of Fillory returns in the sequel to The Magicians. Julia and Quentin enter the story as King and Queen of Fillory and like all good tales, a quest is afoot. The Fillory royalty set out an adventure to recover the seven keys, which take them across the magical lands of
Rarely is the sequel better than its predecessor, but The Magician King is just that. This novel re-introduces Julia, Quentin's pre-magic love interest who surfaces as a hedge witch. That is, a person who has learned magic outside of the controlled environs of a magical education. The story alternates between Julia's mental break as she subconsciously recalls her failed admission to Brakebills and how she set out to harness magic on her own, and the quest at hand. The story of Julia's personal struggles for magic are actually far more interesting than Quentin's travels through Brakebills and I found myself wanting to skip ahead to better understand Julia. I didn't, but it is worth the wait.
Lev Grossman captured my attention with The Magicians, but the storyline of The Magician King is far more engrossing. The sex and beer fueled first book, though entertaining, felt a bit disconnected at times. Additionally, the comparisons to Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia were a tad underwhelming. This novel has a more coherent storyline and the characters have matured (both chronologically and as written) . If you had mixed feelings about the first book, I would encourage you to give the second book a whirl
Show More
Fillory, to Earth, the Neitherlands and back. Old friends from The Magicians rejoin the party and although the collective cast do not comprehend the true scale of their quest, they eventually will come to terms with the magnitude of the challenge before them.Rarely is the sequel better than its predecessor, but The Magician King is just that. This novel re-introduces Julia, Quentin's pre-magic love interest who surfaces as a hedge witch. That is, a person who has learned magic outside of the controlled environs of a magical education. The story alternates between Julia's mental break as she subconsciously recalls her failed admission to Brakebills and how she set out to harness magic on her own, and the quest at hand. The story of Julia's personal struggles for magic are actually far more interesting than Quentin's travels through Brakebills and I found myself wanting to skip ahead to better understand Julia. I didn't, but it is worth the wait.
Lev Grossman captured my attention with The Magicians, but the storyline of The Magician King is far more engrossing. The sex and beer fueled first book, though entertaining, felt a bit disconnected at times. Additionally, the comparisons to Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia were a tad underwhelming. This novel has a more coherent storyline and the characters have matured (both chronologically and as written) . If you had mixed feelings about the first book, I would encourage you to give the second book a whirl
Show Less
LibraryThing member jeremyfarnumlane
Really, really good, and gets better as it goes along. It improves on Grossman's first in the series (if you can call it a series), which is something. Highly recommended to people who have read fantasy novels all their life long.
LibraryThing member chrisod
A worthy follow-up to its predecessor, The Magicians. I thought was a little less dark than prequel, although it's certainly not happy fun time in the lives of Quentin and Julia. Whereas the main characters were very unsympathetic in the first novel, this time they come off as more likable. A great
Show More
book, and I'm hoping there is at least one more on the way. Show Less
LibraryThing member 06nwingert
The Magician King is the sequel to Lev Grossman's 2009 bestseller, The Magician. In the first book, Quentin learns he's a wizard, attends Breakbills and goes on an adventure with his friends to a magical world, Fillory. The Magicians is a cross between Narnia and Harry Potter, although the
In The Magician King, gritty, hyper-real sex and alcolhol scenes are gone. This book is more Narnia-esque than its predecessor. There are two kings and two queens who reign over Fillory (think of the Pevensie children at Cair Paravel) and references to Fillory- real world time differences (think of Lucy).
What really stood out to me was Julia's story as it intersected with Quentin's. Quentin is also a more developed character in this book, having graduated Breakbills.
Can this book reach the success that it's predecessor did? I'm not sure. Does that mean that The Magician King is bad? Absolutely not. It's a wonderful sequel.
Show More
book contains sex and alcohol, making it mroe gritty and hyper-real.In The Magician King, gritty, hyper-real sex and alcolhol scenes are gone. This book is more Narnia-esque than its predecessor. There are two kings and two queens who reign over Fillory (think of the Pevensie children at Cair Paravel) and references to Fillory- real world time differences (think of Lucy).
What really stood out to me was Julia's story as it intersected with Quentin's. Quentin is also a more developed character in this book, having graduated Breakbills.
Can this book reach the success that it's predecessor did? I'm not sure. Does that mean that The Magician King is bad? Absolutely not. It's a wonderful sequel.
Show Less
ISBN
0452298016 / 9780452298019