I just finished reading the Magicians, or rather Harry Potter/Narnia, don't get me wrong, this has got to be one of the best books I've read. Immersed in fantasy with a modern twist, what more can I ask for? I'm sure some of you can understand the pain I go through to find a book even vaguely comparable to LOTR or even Ender's Game. It's been quite some time since I've found a book that's even in same field as them, until the Magicians.
It starts off rather similar to Harry Potter, although decidedly different.
a) the school is a university
b) our main character is quite loaded in terms of emotional baggage: on the edge, if not toppling over the cliff of depression, and in love with his best friend's girlfriend
c) the dark tone of this book becomes apparent rather quickly, although not explicitly. What am I saying? Finding a dead man is what starts off this entire story! So yes, quite dark.
The beginning of the book is actually quite different than other books, and this darker tone, certainly starts to seep in. In terms of the writing itself, it flows nicely and is more reminiscent of the writings of epic fantasy novelists, as opposed to the modern onslaught of simplistic science fiction. The interesting aspect of this book is this sort of removed feeling, I'm not sure if this was intentional, but I couldn't help feeling I didn't have a grip on everything. Which was actually very interesting and had me addictively reading. It's one of those books that doesn't hand you the story, you need to think a little for yourself. Which is a breath of fresh air, let me tell you.
Once we arrive at Brakebills, some similarities start to appear. Although at this point they are barely noticeable. It is a magical school for magicians so it does sound a little like Harry Potter, but believe me when I tell you it is nothing close to Potter. And sorry Potterheads, I've got to say I like this book a little more. Although I guess this is an unfair comparison, as HP is a kids' book whereas the Magicians is adult fiction (could be young-adult I'm not sure...). I'm currently on a train, so google is not really something I have access to. If you want to look it up, feel free.
So the first part of this book is absolutely fantastic, and you are never quite sure where you'll end up. Let's just say it involves geese.
It's the second part that has me asking questions. Namely when our friends graduate from Brakebills. Where do they go? The fantastical land of Fillory. I still found this second part very well written and an exemplar of story my issue is why did it have to be so similar to Narnia? As an aspiring author myself I understand the tendency to make a patchwork of other writings, however, that doesn't mean you can't mix it up a little.
Narnia: the "king/God" of nation is Aslan, a talking Lion
Fillory: king/God is Ember and Umber, talking sheep or rams or something
Narnia: 2 high kings and 2 high queens of Narnia, who are daughters of Eve and sons of Adam (from the human world)
Fillory: 2 kings and 2 queens of Fillory, who have to be from the human world
These are just some examples of how similar some aspects are. Now, the story itself is still rather different, yet there are some aspects that are so similar, and so unnecessarily similar. The book as a whole was absolutely brilliant and one of my favorites, I'm just wondering why he couldn't have changes up some of these more minor details so it doesn't sound so similar to Narnia that I feel the need to stop reading and ponder his choices
I'd recommend this book to almost anyone. Although keep in mind it is 500isch pages, not too long bit from experience some people find this difficult to manage. Let me tell you though, this book is 100% worth reading. I'm currently reading the second book of the series the Magician King.
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