The Magicians

So. Storytime. In my country, children are separated into different high schools at twelve years old, based on academical aptitude. At the highest level, there are two types of school, gymnasium and atheneum, with the only difference being that at a gymnasium they also teach Greek and Latin. That's the one I went to (not bragging, I was a very mediocre student). As you might imagine, the type of twelve-year old that chooses to go to a gymnasium usually isn't just smart, but also very driven to prove themselves academically. Many of us staked a lot of our self-esteem on our intelligence, especially if we didn't have a lot else going on, like also being athletic or socially gifted. We were all kind of used to being the smartest kid in the room, and then suddenly we weren't. Worse, there were always a couple of stand out, near genius level students who were really only in that school because there wasn't anywhere higher for them to go to. So, what you get, is an entire school full of teenagers all simultaneously realising that the one trait they thought gave them value isn't actually all that special, while also dealing with the hormonal hell that is puberty.

Basically, what I'm saying is, I knew a lot of Quentins. Quite frankly, I was Quentin at times. I related very heavily to his character and really empathized with his struggles. Not because I thought his self-absorption, entitlement and disgust with mundanity were justified, but because I so deeply understood the insecurities those traits all stemmed from. I've been there, man.

And then I went online and found out that many readers absolutely hated his character and his personality ruined the books for them.

Well.

Always good to get an outside perspective.

But yeah, I really loved this book. Most of the characters are all kind of assholes with few redeeming traits (they get better in the sequels!) and magic isn't the fun escapism it usually is. It's an excellent deconstruction of both the worlds Hogwarts and Narnia present, which I honestly think is worthwhile for all fantasy fans to kind of ruminate on. Why do we so badly want to be whisked away to a school for special people with special powers that they very pointedly do not share with the rest of the world? Why do we want to live in a parallel world where we get to be kings and queens, and close personal friends with Jesus? We're not bad people for having these fantasies of being special and amazing, they're pretty much universal. But they're also something you need to let go of at a certain point in order to be happy as what you most likely are; an ordinary person with just as much of a right to rule a kingdom as anyone else. Taken as a whole, the series is a manifesto on the necessity of finding value in the life that exists when the adventure is over, to be happy with stability and mundanity, because nothing is so special you don't ultimately get used to it, and you can't find life satisfaction in continuing to chase the next big thrill. Satisfaction is not about getting everything you ever wanted, but about how to stop wanting when you have enough, which is what takes so long for Quentin to fully understand.

I hearby dub Grossman: "King of Crappy Endings". Codex was worse, but seriously man! What was otherwise a pretty good book had to drop off and crash at the end. Being that the story isn't actually over, I guess he had a chance to redeem himself.

Could not read more after the first chapter. Maybe it gets better, I hope it does, but it was difficult for me to read about this entitled privileged teen who felt so superior to everyone and yet pitied himself so much. His attitudes were not relatable and took the joy out of the story. The "depressingly ordinary suburban screen door" really, dude? It's a screen door.
The part that bothered me the most was his creepy attitude towards women. "Un pretty women were so much easier to deal with in some ways--you didn't have to face the pain of their probable unattainability."

I imagine that it gets better and that at some point the story draws you in, but I just don't have it in me to struggle against the current of disgust of the main character to keep reading.

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.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman, would love to like it, but couldn't digest the talking animals - one Narnia is enough!