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The Magician’s Land
Lev Grossman
2014, 401 pages
Fiction
Like the first two books in this series – a cross between Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, but with sex and drugs – The Magician’s Land had me hooked from page one. Quentin Coldwater, misunderstood misfit magician king, shows up at a bookstore in a strip mall in New Jersey on a rainy March night, because he received a letter inviting him to do so. From then on it’s a – ahem – spell-binding ride as readers learn what happened to Quentin and his friends, what new characters might help them and how, and what’s happening to Fillory, the land where Quentin is a king.
Grossman’s subject isn’t really magic, or even good versus evil, although that is certainly important in his books. He writes about love, and truth, and growing up, and becoming who you’re meant to be. Everything that makes fiction great, in a fun, smart, thought-provoking, fantastic wrapping. If you’re looking for stories to get lost in this winter, I highly recommend these well-written, entertaining and soulful books, even if you think you don’t like fantasy. Give me The Magicians over any “problem” novel or confessional memoir, any day. Grossman packs as much truth and heartfelt conflict into his stories, with none of the guilt, over- sharing or voyeurism. Plus, he writes about wicked cool magic in contemporary stories which reference traditional fantasy in a very charming way.
