Lev Grossman's The Magicians

In an unplanned sequence of events, I bought this book almost as soon as it came out in paperback. I came across the book at a freestanding Waldenbooks, which are clearly the rarest of breeds these days. I took special delight in finding out from the friendly Waldenbooks salesperson that it is also the last Waldenbooks in the state of Arizona. (It is located on Bell and 3rd Street in Phoenix if you would like to pay them a visit.).

Now, onto the book. Have you ever read a book that is hard to get excited about? Maybe it takes you a few chapters to warm up to the protagonist? Perhaps it takes you 50 pages or so to get invested in the plot? Well, this is not one of those kinds of books. The Magicians is the type of book that had me completely engaged from the beginning, made me stay up far too late reading, and had me reconsidering why I do anything but read books. (Shameless plug: I must do things other than read because I have bills to pay, so if anyone would like to pay me to read, please contact me immediately.)

As you are all savvy readers, I am sure you have gleaned from the title that the book indeed involves magic. One could say that Grossman's prose borders on magic, but the true magic is, literally and figuratively, the plot, which includes magicians and all the magical problems they encounter. Almost immediately, the reader finds references to the mythical, magical land of Fillory. Fillory is an only slightly veiled allusion to Narnia of C.S. Lewis and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe fame. The main character, Quentin Coldwater, grew up reading novels about Fillory (much like I grew up reading novels about Narnia), and he earnestly wishes that magic were real (much like I think it would be awesome to have a magic wand and do spells). SPOILER ALERT: He got his wish. (I did not.) In Harry Potter-esque fashion, Quentin finds himself at a school of magicians and adventure ensues. The remarkable thing about the story is that the adventures are quite gritty, complete with sex, jealousy, guilt, and a bunch of other non-magical things. Through Quentin, Grossman explores the existence of someone with the magic of a post-Hogwarts Harry Potter and the cynicism of Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.

As readers, we do not often consider the disenchanted, sexualized wizard searching for a life purpose. Upon entering Narnia or Hogwarts, the Pevensie children and Potter have an obvious opponent: some manifestation of the forces of evil. For Quentin and his magical cohort, the forces of evil are not as obvious, and are more internal: egoism, arrogance, the torture of guilt, and uncensored magical abilities. The true story within The Magicians is how Quentin copes with the non-magical.

RECOMMENDED: Definitely

NEXT READ: Kate Jacobs' Friday Night Knitting Club

REREAD: C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia

Grossman, Lev. The Magicians. New York: Plume-Penguin, 2009.