The Magicians

a novel

402 pages

English language

Published July 16, 2009 by Viking Press, Penguin Books, A Plume Book.

ISBN:
978-0-670-02055-3
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
861326772

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4 stars (25 reviews)

"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 very different path to 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."--Publisher description.

6 editions

Review of 'The Magicians' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I kept getting bored with this. Especially towards the end. It's really obvious what's going to happen from a long way away.

Some of the scenes are pretty well done. Like there's a few magic related bits that come across as exciting and engaging. The rest of it, not so much though.

The main character is mopey. Always believing that X just round the corner thing will improve everything, and kinda aloof, talking like he's better than his peers. It makes him very unlikeable.

The story telling style reminds me of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, or maybe the Night Circus. Both of those were better done though, where those slowly built a world that was rich and mysterious and deep, this simply felt slow paced.

Not one I'll be following up the series of.

TL;DR: Main character kinda dick, story slow, read Night Circus/Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell instead.

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Subjects

  • College students
  • Fiction
  • College graduates
  • Magic