The Magicians

The Magicians should have been everything I want in a book: a classic fantasy plot, a well-constructed world, a darkly cynical sense of humor, and several layers of slick literary allusions. But it left me feeling cheated, like a kid at a magic show who catches a glimpse of the mirror and the false bottom in the box. The best part of the book is its ambition. Grossman built a fantasy book structured around two very tired narratives—young man goes to school for wizards, and young man finds portal into a magical land that needs his help—and wrestled something new and adult out of it. He let the actual real world have weight in the novel, complete with cursing, sex, drugs, and impudent Harry Potter references. He suppressed both villainy and heroism, and gave us funny, awkward young adults instead. He aimed for gritty, real, clever, and new.

For the full review, please follow the link below to The Other Side of the Rain, my fantasy review blog.