The magicians: a novel
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English
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The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world, now an original series on SYFY“The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea. . . . Hogwarts was never like this.” —George R.R. Martin “Sad, hilarious, beautiful, and essential to anyone who cares about modern fantasy.” —Joe Hill “A very knowing and wonderful take on the wizard school genre.” —John Green “The Magicians may just be the most subversive, gripping and enchanting fantasy novel I’ve read this century.” —Cory Doctorow“This gripping novel draws on the conventions of contemporary and classic fantasy novels in order to upend them . . . an unexpectedly moving coming-of-age story.” —The New Yorker“The best urban fantasy in years.” —A.V. ClubQuentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A high school math genius, he’s secretly fascinated with a series of children’s fantasy novels set in a magical land called Fillory, and real life is disappointing by comparison. When Quentin is unexpectedly admitted to an elite, secret college of magic, it looks like his wildest dreams have come true. But his newfound powers lead him down a rabbit hole of hedonism and disillusionment, and ultimately to the dark secret behind the story of Fillory. The land of his childhood fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he ever could have imagined. . . .The prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician's Land, The Magicians is one of the most daring and inventive works of literary fantasy in years. No one who has escaped into the worlds of Narnia and Harry Potter should miss this breathtaking return to the landscape of the imagination.
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9780452296299
9781101082287
9781415962466
9781101082287
9781415962466
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Similar Series From Novelist
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
The Magician Novels and the Riftwar: Serpentwar Saga feature young magicians whose coming-of-age and magical powers develop through the series. The Magician novels feature parallel worlds in a shorter series, while the epic Riftwar series occurs in a single realm. -- Katherine Johnson
The heroes of these gritty and bleak series are pulled from lives of bitterness and isolation into magical realms and find themselves in positions of great power and responsibility. The stakes are high; they must save the worlds they grow to love. -- Melissa Gray
Partially set at a magical (Magician series) or real-life (Alex Stern) university, these gripping, atmospheric fantasy series explore themes of power and privilege and the gray areas that lie within good versus evil. -- Halle Carlson
The magic-wielding heroes of these compelling and dark series become unwitting instruments for the release of great evil, which they then must defeat. In Magician, a sentient evil strives to control the world, and in Melusine, dark wizards want ultimate power. -- Melissa Gray
These series have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the genre "gateway fantasy"; and the subjects "magic," "wizards," and "good and evil."
These series have the genre "gateway fantasy"; and the subjects "imaginary places," "parallel universes," and "boarding schools."
These series have the appeal factors darkly humorous, offbeat, and world-building, and they have the theme "dark lord"; the genre "gateway fantasy"; and the subjects "magic," "wizards," and "good and evil."
These series have the appeal factors plot-driven, and they have the theme "hidden among us"; the genres "contemporary fantasy" and "urban fantasy"; and the subjects "wizards" and "young women."
These series have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the theme "academies of magic"; the subjects "magic," "schools," and "teenage wizards"; and characters that are "flawed characters."
Similar Titles From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the appeal factors bleak and world-building, and they have the themes "academies of magic" and "dark academia"; and the subjects "teenage wizards," "magic," and "good and evil."
These books have the appeal factors darkly humorous and offbeat, and they have the themes "hidden among us," "academies of magic," and "dark academia"; the genres "contemporary fantasy" and "urban fantasy"; the subjects "teenage wizards," "schools," and "women wizards"; and characters that are "flawed characters."
These books have the themes "hidden among us," "academies of magic," and "dark academia"; the genres "contemporary fantasy" and "urban fantasy"; and the subjects "teenage wizards," "magic," and "universities and colleges."
NoveList recommends "Alex Stern" for fans of "Magician novels (Lev Grossman)". Check out the first book in the series.
In each of these dark fantasy novels, ordinary people are plunged into the world of the extraordinary when they discover that they have unexpected powers. The looping timelines of Middlegame offer a more complex reading experience than the straightforward Magicians. -- Halle Carlson
If you enjoy fantasy that features contemporary teens and young adults who get involved with magical realms, you'll want to try both these compelling, gritty novels. -- Katherine Johnson
Darkly humorous and compelling, these fast-paced novels feature exclusive schools that instruct their pupils in developing unusual and dangerous talents -- but to what end? Although the curriculum differs for each book's brilliant-but-misunderstood anti-hero, both institutions reveal a sinister side. -- NoveList Contributor
Although the choice between a magical and a mundane existence may seem like a no-brainer to the disenchanted, disillusioned protagonists of these fast-paced fantasy novels, their impulsive decisions come at a high cost: returning to "reality" may not be possible. -- NoveList Contributor
The Murdstone trilogy - Peet, Mal
Imaginary worlds prove painfully real in these darkly humorous fantasy novels. Although The Murdstone Trilogy contains more wit than grit, both books explore the lengths to which their characters are willing to go in order to achieve their hearts' desires. -- NoveList Contributor
We recommend A Deadly Education for fans of The Magicians. Both fast-paced dark fantasy novels offer compelling and darkly humorous coming-of-age stories about misfits who attend prestigious (and dangerous) academies of magic. -- NoveList Contributor
Compelling, richly detailed, and darkly humorous, these character-driven fantasy novels re-imagine familiar fictional worlds in a decidedly adult manner, exploring themes of love, loss, and regret. Complex, not always sympathetic protagonists strive to achieve goals that may not bring happiness. -- NoveList Contributor
Though the settings are different -- The Wise Man's Fear conjures late-medieval Europe, while The Magicians mimics Hogwarts -- both novels read like a mature Harry Potter novel: the budding male heroes go to wizarding school and discover enemies, magic, and sex. -- Jessica Zellers
Similar Authors From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Grossman and Morgenstern both write Fantasy fiction that finds key characters coming of age while developing magical abilities. These characters are subject to fate, and the tension in the narrative comes from the unpredictable nature of magic. Imaginative settings and an atmospheric tone enhance the fantastical elements of their work. -- Keeley Murray
Buehlman and Grossman write literary dark fantasy with elements of horror. With captivating prose and masterful storytelling, they create characters who will haunt readers well after the final page. -- Jessica Zellers
These authors' works have the appeal factors bleak, and they have the genre "page to screen"; the subjects "wizards," "quests," and "voyages and travels"; and characters that are "flawed characters" and "brooding characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors darkly humorous and world-building, and they have the subjects "schools," "wizards," and "college students."
These authors' works have the genre "gateway fantasy"; and the subjects "teenage wizards," "imaginary wars and battles," and "wizards."
These authors' works have the appeal factors bleak, violent, and world-building, and they have the genre "epic fantasy"; and the subjects "imaginary wars and battles," "wizards," and "rulers."
These authors' works have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the genre "epic fantasy"; and the subjects "good and evil," "imaginary wars and battles," and "quests."
These authors' works have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the genres "comics and graphic novels" and "fantasy comics"; and the subjects "imaginary wars and battles," "quests," and "imaginary journeys."
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