Hated it. The protagonists were such awful whiners I spent the entire book wanting to Gibbs smack the magic out of them. Needless to say I did not read any of the subsequent installments.
The first book suffers from its inevitable comparison to HP and Narnia, but the key is to read the trilogy because it really becomes its own story and one I would recommend. The characters are flawed, and as said above, whiny at times, but there’s real progression throughout and it’s worth seeing it through.
I think if you’re going to read The Magicians you should read the whole trilogy. The main character in the first book, Quentin, actually grows and changes and the other books give you the benefit of other character’s perspectives/stories. Yes, it gets compared to Harry Potter & Narnia, but that’s because he’s referencing & critiquing them. I also like that it uses magic to examine depression & anxiety, addiction and privilege. I really enjoyed season 1 of the TV show, but haven’t kept up with it because OMG there are so many good TV shows right now. (I’ll probably get caught up before the end of this season and then finally get caught up on Twin Peaks.) Anyway, I know people always say things like stick with it it’s worth it, but I think it’s true with The Magicians Trilogy.
Part of it I enjoyed but it ultimately felt so derivative of Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia that I didn’t care for it overall.
One of the very few books I couldnt finish…
I loved that book.
I really liked it. I need to re-read it so I can get on to the sequels.
I read all three books and enjoyed them.
Hated it. The protagonists were such awful whiners I spent the entire book wanting to Gibbs smack the magic out of them. Needless to say I did not read any of the subsequent installments.
Wasn’t crazy about the books but I LOVE the TV show.
Couldn’t finish the book..it just dragged on and on for me. However love the tv series.
My wife made me read it and I really enjoyed it. I’m reading book 3 now.
Thank you everyone!
LOVED it – and I actually liked the Netflix adaptation equally.
The first book suffers from its inevitable comparison to HP and Narnia, but the key is to read the trilogy because it really becomes its own story and one I would recommend. The characters are flawed, and as said above, whiny at times, but there’s real progression throughout and it’s worth seeing it through.
I think if you’re going to read The Magicians you should read the whole trilogy. The main character in the first book, Quentin, actually grows and changes and the other books give you the benefit of other character’s perspectives/stories. Yes, it gets compared to Harry Potter & Narnia, but that’s because he’s referencing & critiquing them. I also like that it uses magic to examine depression & anxiety, addiction and privilege. I really enjoyed season 1 of the TV show, but haven’t kept up with it because OMG there are so many good TV shows right now. (I’ll probably get caught up before the end of this season and then finally get caught up on Twin Peaks.) Anyway, I know people always say things like stick with it it’s worth it, but I think it’s true with The Magicians Trilogy.
Also Lev Grossman is a really nice person