The Magicians

I admit I picked up Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" mainly because I had heard it being called the "Harry Potter for adults." In the novel Grossman tells the tale of Quentin, a college hopeful. Disenchanted with the real world he longs for Fillory, the magical world told about in his favorite childhood story series. Extremely smart (by conventional non-magical standards), Quentin is accepted into a magical college, where he quickly learns that magic does not solve all one's problems, and sometimes creates many others.

I had had my eye on this book for quite sometime, and after much deliberation over the hardcover book price, decided it would be a end of the semester indulgence. Let me start by saying this book is not Harry Potter. There is sex, drinking, swearing, and real adult problems. Needless to say that does not mean that Grossman does not interweave some elements often in the form of humorous jabs at the famous boy-wizard. One of the reasons I loved this book was that there was the element of reality - magic does not solve all problems, nor does it ensure one is happy.

In keeping with interweaving fantasy and reality, Grossman does a fantastic job of creating the characters of the book. None are too archetypal and each has his or her own flaws. As a lover of fantasy I found myself drawn to Quentin - whose idolization of the magical is soon staunched by the sharp pangs of reality that so often entrap us as adults (yes at the age of 24 I am using that particular word).

Overall I really enjoyed this book. While I found the dialogue at times to be somewhat stunted, the book generally had a nice flow to it, and I often found myself disappointed at having to put it down. Despite its comparison to another famous magical book series I feel that it can (and perhaps should) be read and appreciated separately. The reality and fantasy mix was refreshing and something I wish could be incorporated in more novels. I recommend picking up this book (or borrowing it from your local library).

(picture from Lev Grossman's website: www.levgrossman.com)