Sunday, September 13, 2015
Review of Lev Grossman's "The Magicians"
I started reading this book, The Magicians by Lev Grossman-- a new-to-me author-- upon a suggestion by a good friend from high school with whom I share a lot of common (nerdy) interests. I'm always a bit skeptical when I start a new book with a new author and this was no exception. I work in a library and I had seen this book going in and out somewhat infrequently, so I had some reservations about it. Once I started it, however, I realized that it was truly an incredible find.
The story revolves around Quentin, an awkward college student who's in love with his best friend's girl. A man Quentin is supposed to meet with to discuss further education is found dead by Quentin and his friend, James. Shortly after, Quentin heads home and becomes lost, finding himself in a quasi-Hogwarts style boarding school of magic that exists in up-state New York.
The book is very fast-paced and easy to read. The characters are captivating and well-developed. There are many allusions to other similar magical-based texts and it's refreshing to see a bit of fourth wall tampering. The creation of new and unique worlds is fun because it's always a challenge to learn a new lexicon for a novel's universe and imagine it for the first time.
This novel is well written and has a mesmerizing effect for the reader. I found myself taking a break from it because I had gotten so emotionally involved in the characters in the novel and when a certain character did something that I didn't think they'd be capable of, I became very upset with that character and had to put the book down for a week in order to deal with that emotional upheaval.
If you enjoy fantasy, magic, coming-of-age drama, and mystery, this novel is a must-read. It is continued by two other books, The Magician's Land and The Magician's King. Be sure to visit your local library and check it out!
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I am interested in your mention of "4th wall tampering". What does this mean? Where in the book does this happen? Can you think of other books or authors that do this? What is the intended effect of such a strategy? Others should feel free to chime in here as well.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, there are several parts where characters will talk about "like in those books about learning magic" or "other magical lands" that are direct references to the Harry Potter books and The Chronicles of Narnia, respectively, in the context they're used in the characters' dialogue. To me, this implies that they're touching the 4th wall because, in most works of fiction, they exist in a universe that has no cultural indications of other such things existing. (Similar to how, in the Walking Dead tv show, none of the characters mention the word "zombie" because they're actually existing in a universe that has never had a zombie movie, book, or historical account of a living corpse hence the initial ignorance of a head-shot being a killing blow.)
ReplyDeleteGarrett,
ReplyDeleteThis book isn't something I usually read but about a year ago I decided to take a whack at it and fell in love completely. It's interesting, and oddly realistic for its genre. I found myself thinking a lot about other related books, but finding this one to be the most identifiable. The way you reviewed it was on point and, considering I have actually read it, made me want to go back and re-read it. I was mesmerized by a lot of the language and plot twists and I feel you captured that well.