Lev Grossman - The Magician King

Following my enjoyment of Lev Grossman's The Magicians I've pitched in quite quickly to reading the sequels. This, volume two, continues on from where the first book finished with the main protagonist, the insufferable Quentin Coldwater, firmly established as one of the kings of the magical land of Fillory. Quentin is one of the most annoying "heroes" of any fantasy book and his dismissive attitude to anything but his own well-being means that he's excellent monarch material. Ruling alongside him are a couple of other graduates from Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, a school that is hidden from normal people in North America.

Ruling alongside these three is Julia, by far the most interesting character in the book. Julia failed her entrance to Brakebills, but the magic designed to wipe her memory also failed and she manages to teach herself the rudiments of casting spells. From here she finds her way into a secret underground network of magic, hidden from normal society and from the magical authorities. Her skills develop faster and further than any other contemporaries making her a powerful rival. Angry at the world, at the way that Quentin failed to help her with magic and the likes of Brakebills Julia's rise to power means she uses most people around her. Ultimately she finds her way into a grouping of magicians that begin to do very deep, dark and primordial magic.

The story of Julia's past fits around Quentin's contemporary quest, which is to save Fillory from the end of magic. His arrogance and failure to grasp a more nuanced understanding of the world leads to him making a series of errors which dump him out of Fillory and he has to begin a new quest to find himself back in the magical land.

The well rounded characters, the complex back stories and the surreal landscape of Fillory makes this an excellent read. I particularly enjoyed the secret underworld of "alternate" magic, with its traditions and it's naive spell users. I also liked the dragon living in Venice's canals. I look forward to the final volume.

Related Reviews

Grossman - The Magicians
Grossman - The Magician's Land