The Magician King, by Lev Grossman
I’ve been briskly cruising through this adventure for the past week.
I had a copy of The Magicians for a while, but stalled out a bit until I was reminded that SyFy will soon have a live-action adaptation of it. I’m a bit hopeful since their adaptation of The Exspanse seems good so far.
Anyways, on to this book. If you’ve not read The Magicians yet, I recommend it. My take on it, so far, is that it’s a bit of Harry Potter, a bit of Narnia, and lots more angst and cynicism.
The main character is not an orphan, nor a legend, but he, Quentin, did dream of a world more extraordinary than our own. He wanted to visit the land he’s read about since he was a kid, the fantastical kingdom of Fillory. He sort of got his wish in The Magicians, attending, and graduating from the magician school, hidden in the state of New York, Brakebills, and The Magician King is the continuing adventures of Quentin, but he’s not alone.
I feel like I relate more to Quentin than Harry, or even the Pevensie siblings. He had the misfortune of angsty teenage years, unrequited love, a fantastic turn of events, and a coming of age in the magical world. Turns out that his initial love interest didn’t share the same journey, but he’s been reunited, and this story see’s Quentin trying to learn more about her, while still trying to find himself, even as the adult he is.
Inspired by: Friday Reads | L Jones Edition