Confused

I admit, I watched the show first (and I loved it), so I figured the book/s would have to be pretty good as well. Well... it just wasn’t. The characters were not nearly as complex, the dialogue wasn’t as clever, the plot seemed to plod instead of unfold. Not to mention, Q is not only a pathetic character — he’s not even nice. At least in the show, he had some redeeming qualities - charm, humor, values, and even valor. In the book, he’s snotty, privileged, and he never stops complaining (in the show, they follow other plot lines to give the viewer a break, at least). Sure, he’s depressed, but whining doesn’t make for literature, especially if you can’t find new ways to complain about the same thing.

On top of all this, the other characters treat each other like crap — not in an interesting and compelling manner. They’re just petty.

And the cherry on top is the “nice guy” motif. This would’ve played a few years ago, but these days, not so much. Just because you’re awkward doesn’t mean you’re nice. Being a coward doesn’t make you a pacifist, either.

It’d be one thing if Grossman used all this as a means of character development, but instead you’re left with the same soppy, wet towel of a protagonist by the end. Maybe soppier.

The book had its parts. I did finish it after all. It’s just disappointing.

The performance itself was great.

89 people found this helpful

SLOW, MUNDANE AND NEARLY ALL FILLER.

I'm not sure what I was hoping for. at the very least I wanted something not so boring.
instead I got day to day living of a nerd while he studied at very ordinary Hogwarts wanna be.
i was treated to all the minutiae that made up Grossman's take on how magic works.
for me, conflict is when the plot actually starts, and it didn't start for well into the story. only to actually be no conflict at all the grand scheme of it all.. the real story BARELY STARTS WITH 3 HOURS LEFT WHILE FINALLY INSIDE A BOOTLEG NARNIA!
it took me 3 years to finish this book. that's how boring it is. I forced myself to finish it because otherwise it'd be stuck in my library forever mocking me since it was too late to get a refund on it.
then it has the nerve to leave a cliffhanger!! based only on the strength of crappy build up and sub par final scene and equally lame twists in the end (chatwins)?!?!?!
apparently there's a show out on it now. don't waste your time on this.
totally forgot.. the narrator chosen was dry to say the least. his English accent, although nice, have the wrong tone to characters that came from New York and other USA addresses.
I give it 1 star because of the false advertisement also. don't sell me on something that this book is not. instead, a warning that it's more about the inner workings of a boring boy learning/doing magic would've been the red flag I needed to save my credit.

26 people found this helpful

Don't bother

I would never recommend this book to anyone. I'm not sure what the plot was. It was slow.

19 people found this helpful

Not an average book

The thing to know about this book is that it is not a 3.5 star book with a so-so plot and a so-so narrator. It is either a five star book or a two star book, depending on the listener. After reading the reviews, I went into this book with trepidation, but I am so glad that I did! I thought it was a fantastic read. I can't wait for the sequel.

The author does rely heavily on the fact that much of his listening audience will have had exposure to the Chronicles of Narnia as children. I think this is a useful plot device, not stealing nor sneering at Narnia. Without Narnia's influence on the listeners, this book wouldn't work at all. It is because the Chronicles of Narnia are embedded in our psyche that we can understand the main characters and why things go so totally wrong for them.

Fundamentally, this is a dark coming of age story with plenty of humor and a touch of horror. If that does not appeal to you on any level, you will hate this book from start to finish. I think everyone else should give this book a try.

281 people found this helpful

Horrible and nasty!

Hated this book. Take everything profane and horrible and put it in one story with a back story and you have this book! Bleck!!!

17 people found this helpful

Disappointing

What disappointed you about The Magicians?

The main character was thoroughly unpleasant. I suspect he reflects the authors perspective on life. Very sneery. I really was hoping to enjoy the book as there are three of them.

What was most disappointing about Lev Grossman’s story?

There are no polar bears or arctic foxes in Antarctica. Either the author doesn't know or he doesn't care. Even a few sentence to say something like, "There are no polar bears in Antartica but we chose the biggest warmest animals we could think of. We played and watched as the penguins scatter around us."

What aspect of Mark Bramhall’s performance would you have changed?

He did a fine job of reading an unpleasant book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. With a few changes the book could have been good.

14 people found this helpful

A book more about people than magic

Even though this book has the trappings of fantasy fiction, the best gauge of whether or not you will like it has more to do with whether or not you like writers like Michael Chabon. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this novel is what would have happened if Chabon had written the Harry Potter series. Think of it as The Chronicles of Narnia mashed up with The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. Characters screw up, screw around, and generally flounder through messy, complicated lives. Heroes turn out to be losers; losers turn out to be heroes. The gains and losses of trust, love, and faith between the characters is far more important to this book than the details of a magical world.

Even so, the book does have a magical world, along with fantastic creatures and a well-crafted, driving plot. My only complaint along those lines is that the pace sometimes clipped along rather TOO quickly, especially at the beginning. Quentin's whole five-year academic career passes in under 100 pages; those readers looking for something like Harry Potter's quirkily detailed mundane-but-fantastical school days will be disappointed. This is a book about people, not magic.



This is not a book for children; neither is it for escapists. But that doesn't mean it is a depressing or mean-spirited book: the characters' revelations (like those of David Copperfield, Elizabeth Bennett, or T. S. Garp) are hard-won and compromised by the losses they endured to achieve them, but they are genuine revelations, and the book is overall a hopeful one.

135 people found this helpful

Uncaptivating, despite a magical backdrop

I had heard good things about this series so I was eager to give it a read, but the book slogged and seemed to go on far longer than necessary. I don't need to have likable characters to enjoy a book, but this was filled with such drab, familiar characters that it didn't keep my attention.

I thought the world was well-built, but served only as a reminder of the books depressing point: cynical, uninteresting people will be cynical and uninterested wherever they find themselves.

The narration was totally fine, but not memorable. Didn't lose anything by listening to it rather than reading, but didn't gain much either.

62 people found this helpful

Boring, pointless and depressing

I don't want to go into too much detail but don't read this book. Don't listen to this book. I don't recommend this book to well, anyone. If you want to feel like you are superior for reading an adult and please see my air quotes here, Harry Potter then by all means read this book but don't read this book. read happier books, read better books, read books that have a point.

6 people found this helpful

Worst nonsense I’ve ever tried to read.

Obviously there is a market for this, thing. I say that first because maybe you can look past the drugs and sex and poorly designed world building to find a gem. Some have. I have not. Twice attempting to read the book I was put off before a quarter through, bored and disgusted with each character, I decided that maybe I needed a new voice maybe they’re not unlikeable, maybe it is just my inner monologue? No. Trash of the eyes and trash of the ears I cannot recommend this in good faith to anyone. Perhaps I am too old, or perhaps I expect too much. Regardless there is a library of talent here on audible and apparently this is here too.

6 people found this helpful