Title: The Magician King
Author: Lev Grossman
Publisher: Viking (2011)
Genre(s): Fantasy, Fiction
Length: 400 pages
Synopsis: The sequel to The Magicians, this novel follows the further adventures of Quentin Coldwater and his fellow magicians. Or rather, as Quentin feels, the lack of adventure. Happily ever after is really quite dull, he realizes, even when one is a king of a fairy-tale realm. Even a tax-collecting trip to a far flung island sounds like a regular quest, and Quentin volunteers quite eagerly. Before he knows it, however, the not-quite-a-quest has turned into a regular adventure with Quentin and his friends at the center and their very way of life at stake. Quentin's got all the excitement he could ever have bargained for, but he's soon reminded that the life of a hero is never a bargain.
My Rating: 5 Stars
My Opinion:
This book, and its prequel, The Magicians, make plenty of nods to the staples of fantasy: Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia. It plays quite neatly into the fantasy of every reader; what if all these wonderful worlds were real? As fantastical a reality as Grossman's created, there's nothing sweet about these books. In fact, they're rather bitter, almost cynical at times, but this serves to set them apart from the general fantasy fare rather than making them dark and unappealing. What would happen, Grossman asks, if our wildest dreams came true? What would we do with a happily-ever-after? How can such a thing exist, even in a fairy-tale world, when ever-imperfect humans are involved? So, no, these books aren't your typical fantasy. They're the reality of fantasy, the grim truths we'd rather not think about when we dream of getting our letters from Hogwarts or finding a magic ring. In Grossman's world, we might very well flunk out of wizard school, or become the Gollum of the story rather than the hero. There is always a price to be paid, whether the world is magical or ordinary.
It's rather difficult to write reviews for the second book of a pair, since I'd rather not give away much about the first book to those who haven't read it yet, but I will say that I liked this book rather better than the first. The Magicians took me an unusually long time to get through, partially because I was madly busy at the time, and partially because it was, at times, difficult to like a fantasy that seemed so very much like grim reality. By the time I finished, however, I'd come to appreciate the world that Grossman has created, and was looking forward very much to a second visit. This book seems to accept all the qualms readers might have raised in the first, acknowledging that imperfect fantasies are uncomfortable and strange. In a way, that makes it all the more real. Many of the fantasy books I've read leave me with an aching emptiness where their mystical lands ought to be. The Magician King instead leaves me with a sense of satisfaction with my lot. Perhaps the adventures I'll have today are not so different from the adventures I'd have if I lived in those literary worlds.
This book, and its prequel, The Magicians, make plenty of nods to the staples of fantasy: Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia. It plays quite neatly into the fantasy of every reader; what if all these wonderful worlds were real? As fantastical a reality as Grossman's created, there's nothing sweet about these books. In fact, they're rather bitter, almost cynical at times, but this serves to set them apart from the general fantasy fare rather than making them dark and unappealing. What would happen, Grossman asks, if our wildest dreams came true? What would we do with a happily-ever-after? How can such a thing exist, even in a fairy-tale world, when ever-imperfect humans are involved? So, no, these books aren't your typical fantasy. They're the reality of fantasy, the grim truths we'd rather not think about when we dream of getting our letters from Hogwarts or finding a magic ring. In Grossman's world, we might very well flunk out of wizard school, or become the Gollum of the story rather than the hero. There is always a price to be paid, whether the world is magical or ordinary.
It's rather difficult to write reviews for the second book of a pair, since I'd rather not give away much about the first book to those who haven't read it yet, but I will say that I liked this book rather better than the first. The Magicians took me an unusually long time to get through, partially because I was madly busy at the time, and partially because it was, at times, difficult to like a fantasy that seemed so very much like grim reality. By the time I finished, however, I'd come to appreciate the world that Grossman has created, and was looking forward very much to a second visit. This book seems to accept all the qualms readers might have raised in the first, acknowledging that imperfect fantasies are uncomfortable and strange. In a way, that makes it all the more real. Many of the fantasy books I've read leave me with an aching emptiness where their mystical lands ought to be. The Magician King instead leaves me with a sense of satisfaction with my lot. Perhaps the adventures I'll have today are not so different from the adventures I'd have if I lived in those literary worlds.
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