The Magicians
The Magicians, Book 1
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The Magicians
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Narrated by:
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Mark Bramhall
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By:
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Lev Grossman
Summary
In a secret world of forbidden knowledge, power comes at a terrible price....
Quentin Coldwater's life is changed forever by an apparently chance encounter: when he turns up for his entrance interview to Princeton, he finds his interviewer dead - but a strange envelope bearing Quentin's name leads him down a path very different from any he'd ever imagined.
The envelope, and the mysterious manuscript it contains, leads to a secret world of obsession and privilege, a world of freedom and power; and, for a while, it's a world that seems to answer all Quentin's desires. But the idyll cannot last - and when it's finally shattered, Quentin is drawn into something darker and far more dangerous than anything he could ever have expected....
©2016 Lev Grossman (P)2016 Penguin AudioContinue the series
Where does The Magicians, Book 1 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This story was certainly entertaining. I would suggest that if you grew up with Harry Potter and found that you were never invited to Hogwarts, then your sense of disillusion with the world can be sorted out with this original, if not ground-breaking tale. I liked the concept and the characters were quite well formed, although as the story progressed it got a little bit too referential - Narnia "Magician's Nephew". However, I do like books that refer back to the earlier genre works, and Grossman has certainly wrought something new from children's fantasy fiction. When the next one comes out on audio (only available currently in the US audible site) I shall probably download it and continue listening, but I wasn't left with a desperation to continue to the story. The protagonist, Quentin, was that rather in vogue mixture of brilliance tinged with flaws and issues. I have to say though, that I was increasingly unsympathetic towards him, which could arguably be Grossman's plan with the whole 'disillusionment' thing. Mark Bramhall was a brilliant reader, well paced with good characterisation.Narnia and Harry Potter combination for adults
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This post modern flurry into fantasy is an enjoyable, if not a cynical look at what would happen if Narnia was invaded by this current depraved generation. Of course they never use the name, for legal reasons I expect, however anyone who is even remotely familiar with Lewis' fantasy saga will see the parallels. The protagonist, Quentin Coldwater, owes more than a little to Holden Caufield and it has the same dry, broken view of this world that Salinger so vividly created.
There are some truly wonderful sequences. The reader spends almost a full chapter as a goose and it is delicious. There is also some fantasy fulfillment in the Narnia like world that bring a grotesque and gritty version of the Lewis stories most of us have imagined at some point in our lives.
On my first reading I struggled to connect to the characters, I am not as cynical as they, however this has become one of my favorite series and Quentin lives in a deep place in my heart
The love child of Lewis and Salinger
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Not for me
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Any additional comments?
don't bother (the book itself is great) but there's no point when the rest of the series can't be purchased duo to licensing rights so you can't get it in the UKdon't bother
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gripping but depressing
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