What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell?
If you've read other books in this same genre, how does this one compare?
The novel, The Magicians, portrays a 17 year old Quentin who is a born magician. Written by Lev Grossman, this book comments on real life issues. Quentin, like many, is always wanting what he cannot have. Humans are never content with what they have, and this could be what helps us excel and what causes us misery at the same time. Also, I've read many books like this one. the genre is unclear. It is a fantasy in everyday, average life. It is like magic that can happen, but we are unaware of. Other books like this, include Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Harry Potter.
Grossman wrote this book to show that people should reflect on their life and realize how good they have it and not seek for more. He shows this through telling the failed life of Quentin. He was a really smart, and liked by everyone, but he didn't have the girl he liked so he was "miserable". Next, at Brakebills, the college for magicians, he was completely content when he got there, but after a while, he began to get bored and felt not content. He yearned to get out, and when he did get to the real world, he partied and drank and did drugs all day and night. During this time, her ignored hsi girlfriend and ended up cheating on her. He soon regrets it and realizes what a great girlfriend he had (they got back together later). He was still no content with life and went seeking for more. He then entered Fillory, the place he fantasized of visiting his whole life (the alternate world of adventure. a utopia). Here is where everything feel apart. the fun adventure they thought they were going on turned out to be a mad competition for survival. His thirst for fulfilling his life (which was already complete, with all the greatest things ever) lead to the death of his beloved girlfriend. He then realized how much he already had before, and that he should have never looked for anything more because he had magical powers, people who loved him, and all the money he could dream of. He didn't need anything else, but he was just being selfish.
Grossman sums up all of this in this quote: "You just go from one thing to the next, don't you, and you think it's going to make you happy. Brakebills didn't. I didn't..."(255) here, it shows that Quentin is unsatisfied by small things and tries to move onto the next thing. he tries to move on and make himself feel better. Grossman shows this wrong and that you should look at all the great things that you have in your life because in the end, Quentin lost everything. I think this is true. Some people take things for granted, and they must realize how good they have it.
In this story, magic is real, and instead of attendingPrinceton , Quentin attends a college for magicians called Brakebills for five years instead of four. There, they learn basic magic. Normally, they are placed into their "disciplines", something like a major, and they get placed into their specific housing area. For some strange reason, Quentin didn't place in any of the Disciplines. Then in their fourth year, they go on a trip to prove who is fit to become a first class magician. They set off on a trip to Antarctica , and there, they make a five hundred mile run to the South Pole, without any clothes on or food. Only Alice
If you've read other books in this same genre, how does this one compare?
Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth
The novel, The Magicians, portrays a 17 year old Quentin who is a born magician. Written by Lev Grossman, this book comments on real life issues. Quentin, like many, is always wanting what he cannot have. Humans are never content with what they have, and this could be what helps us excel and what causes us misery at the same time. Also, I've read many books like this one. the genre is unclear. It is a fantasy in everyday, average life. It is like magic that can happen, but we are unaware of. Other books like this, include Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Harry Potter.
Grossman wrote this book to show that people should reflect on their life and realize how good they have it and not seek for more. He shows this through telling the failed life of Quentin. He was a really smart, and liked by everyone, but he didn't have the girl he liked so he was "miserable". Next, at Brakebills, the college for magicians, he was completely content when he got there, but after a while, he began to get bored and felt not content. He yearned to get out, and when he did get to the real world, he partied and drank and did drugs all day and night. During this time, her ignored hsi girlfriend and ended up cheating on her. He soon regrets it and realizes what a great girlfriend he had (they got back together later). He was still no content with life and went seeking for more. He then entered Fillory, the place he fantasized of visiting his whole life (the alternate world of adventure. a utopia). Here is where everything feel apart. the fun adventure they thought they were going on turned out to be a mad competition for survival. His thirst for fulfilling his life (which was already complete, with all the greatest things ever) lead to the death of his beloved girlfriend. He then realized how much he already had before, and that he should have never looked for anything more because he had magical powers, people who loved him, and all the money he could dream of. He didn't need anything else, but he was just being selfish.
Grossman sums up all of this in this quote: "You just go from one thing to the next, don't you, and you think it's going to make you happy. Brakebills didn't. I didn't..."(255) here, it shows that Quentin is unsatisfied by small things and tries to move onto the next thing. he tries to move on and make himself feel better. Grossman shows this wrong and that you should look at all the great things that you have in your life because in the end, Quentin lost everything. I think this is true. Some people take things for granted, and they must realize how good they have it.
In this story, magic is real, and instead of attending
It reminds me of Harry Potter because it is about magicians going to a concealed, mystical school. There are some major differences though. They use hand gestures to cast spells, instead of wands. I really liked how Grossman referenced the Harry Potter series in his book because throughout reading it, I always thought to myself, “this reminds me of Harry Potter”. He reference how the magic in each story is difference:
“He’d look at the kids with an obvious flawed feature… and wondered why they didn’t get somebody to fix them up, like Hermione with her teeth in Harry Potter. But in reality it always ended in a disaster.”(page 188)
This was interesting to hear a reference to my favorite series in what seems like my new favorite book. This book also reminds me of the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, in the fact that there is a whole new world living right in front of our eyes, but we don’t notice it. I like these types because I feel like it can actually happen to me. It can turn my boring life into a life of adventure and excitement.
throughout this thrilling novel, Grossman layers on the importance of loving what you have in front of you, and not wishing for crazy, unattainable things. He also portrays Quentin as a strong, perfect hero, but then in the middle, he takes him down. Grossman writes about how a hero bounces back from being down on his knees. This exhilarating story is recommended for anyone over the age of 15 because it has crude language and drug and alcohol suggestions, but it is a great book. It is exciting, and fun for anyone looking to indulge themselfs into a world of fantasy and magic.
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