Lev Grossman - The Magicians

The story of a young man discovering he has magical powers and finding out there's a secret magic school that he can attend to develop his skills and enter the hidden world of magic naturally draws parallels with JK Rowling's books. However Lev Grossman's The Magicians is a much more rewarding novel which draws on much older traditions of fantasy. The majority of the book deals with Quentin Coldwater's entry into Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy. Here he learns about magic and the wider magical world. Quentin is also a huge fan of a series of intriguing novels set in the world of Fillory. These are enormously popular and are heavily modelled on CS Lewis' Narnia books. Eventually Quentin and his friends make their way into Fillory, the story of which forms the latter half of the book.

What makes the book most interesting is that it deals with issues that are far more complex than many fantasy books are willing to take up. Death, sex, violence are some of the themes. But perhaps more importantly is the way the book looks at how the world of magic turns out to be at odds with the fantasy's of the naive young outsiders who first discover it. Quentin's still thinking in terms of the fantastical magical lands of Fillory even as the reality of those lands leads to death and destruction among him. The wizards who graduate Brakebills don't worry about poverty or work - they're too busy using their powers to live lives of luxury and relaxation.

It's an intriguing story which Lev Grossman writes very well and I look forward to the sequels.

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Grossman - The Magician's Land
Grossman - The Magician King