The Magicians by Lev Grossman was one of the best books I read last year. It may be too early to tell but I am going to go out on a limb and say that The Magician King is probably one of the best books I will have read this year. I was apprehensive at first. The Magicians beat all my expectations. It deserved a sequel, but I wasn't necessarily sure that it warranted one. Sometimes a great story should just be left alone, rather than run the risk of diluting the memory with sequels. At first I had trouble immersing myself in The Magician King but before long my expectations were blown away again and I was tearing through the pages at breakneck speed.
The Magician King picks up some while after The Magicians ended, with Quentin and friends installed as the monarchy of Fillory. A king's life is good and it seems as though Quentin is finally content. That is, until a mysterious run in with a mystical beast sets in motion a whole new adventure that will span from Fillory to Earth and back again. This time around Quentin is joined by Julia, a pre-Brakebills friend who learned magic in a less traditional sense and has the scars to show for it. Along the way Quentin has run ins with friends new and old and readers get a deeper look behind magic and the metaphysical universe.
The main advantage to The Magician King over The Magicians is that this is essentially a quest novel. Of course there was adventure to be found near the end of the first book and as gripping as it was it felt rushed in comparison to the time spent at Brakebills. The Magician King on the other hand is a singularly concentrated story and benefits greatly from this focus. Readers who found Quentin to be a bit irritating are also likely to find him much improved over the first book, as he does appear to have matured quite a deal since his last outing. Granted, Quentin still has some rough edges but he is a vastly wiser person than he was at the outset of his magical journey. And by the end of The Magician King, Quentin has grown yet more and it is nearly impossible not to be proud of his actions.
The inclusion of Julia and the fleshing out of her back story add a whole new perspective. Julia's accumulation of magical knowledge has come at a much greater price than any of the Brakebills students. There is a seedy, dark side to Julia that adds an extra edge to the tale. Julia's story is rather tragic but it does falter on some levels. Grossman must condense Julia's story to fit in alongside the quest at hand, there are years of development thrown into the alternating chapters. Because of this it is much less personal than I believe Julia deserves. Eventually Julia's story becomes tighter and it does tie into the plot with great effect. My only complaint here is that I would have liked to have seen a much more intimate portrayal of the trials Julia faced.
Where as The Magicians was mainly a coming-of-age tale about the dangers of fulfilling one's fantasies, The Magician King is an adventure about forgiveness and redemption. There are answers to be found and more questions arise. Some portions of the book even give off a sort of Neil Gaiman American Gods vibe. The plot is superbly executed and the prose is sharp and clever. If you loved The Magicians the way I did then this book will not let you down. If you thought The Magicians was decent enough but had no intention of reading the sequel, please give it a try. Lev Grossman is an amazing author with a wonderful career ahead of him.
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2012
- Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2011
Top reviews from other countries
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- Rowena HoseasonReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2013
A mature, masterful multiverse of myth and magic
- Shona B MooreReviewed in Australia on September 29, 2018
A great follow up to The Magician.
