The Magicians

June 1, 2009
Harry Potter discovers Narnia is real in this derivative fantasy thriller from Time
book critic Grossman (Codex
). Quentin Coldwater, a Brooklyn high school student devoted to a children’s series set in the Narnia-like world of Fillory, is leading an aimless existence until he’s tapped to enter a mysterious portal that leads to Brakebills College, an exclusive academy where he’s taught magic. Coldwater, whose special gifts enable him to skip grades, finds his family’s world “mundane and domestic” when he returns home for vacation. He loses his innocence after a prank unintentionally allows a powerful evil force known only as the Beast to enter the college and wreak havoc. Eventually, Coldwater’s powers are put to the test when he learns that Fillory is a real place and how he can journey there. Genre fans will easily pick up the many nods to J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis, not to mention J.R.R. Tolkien in the climactic battle between the bad guy and a magician. 5-city author tour.

Mark Bramhall sets up the delicate lines between reality and fantasy in the story of Quentin, a teenager from Brooklyn who is surprised to find himself at Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy. Sound a lot like Harry Potter? Bramhall delivers the author's irony and allusions as he portrays a maturing, fully-dimensional protagonist. Quentin is insecure at heart, prideful at times, fearful at others. He longs to change the world like the heroes from the enchanted realm of Fillory, which he read about as a boy. When Quentin discovers that Fillory is real, Bramhall distinguishes the hero's imaginings from the reality of the dark realm he finds. As Bramhall depicts this Narnia-like land, he fully portrays the characters, heroes, villains, even the secondary characters such as the cruel Mage, a drunken Bear, and a timid tree person. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine