If you’ve read The Magicians and The Magician King by Lev Grossman you’ve probably already read The Magician’s Land – the third in the trilogy – because it came out over a month ago. (And if you haven’t read the first two already, why not?)
“The strength of the trilogy lies . . . in the characters, whose inner lives and frailties Grossman renders with care and empathy. . . . Quentin[’s] . . . magical journey is deeply human.” —The New Yorker
This is a spoiler-free post.
The Magician’s Land is the conclusion to a trilogy, so if you haven’t read the first two, you will miss something, but it does give readers enough to go on, and refreshes the memory for those who read the first two when they came out, back in 2009 and 2011.
Instead of writing a regular review, here is my attempt at an infographic to help you decide whether you will love the Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman as much as I did:
I probably should have included something about liking academic or boarding school settings, but it’s too late now.
The Magician’s Land
Grossman, Lev
Viking, Aug. 8, 2014
9780670015672
416 pp.
$27.95
Disclosure: I received an electronic ARC of The Magician’s Land from the publisher through NetGalley.
Other opinions:
Bibliophile’s Reverie (long discussion post)
Book Him Danno (synopsis)
I love the idea of using an infographic! That’s smart and original. I haven’t read the trilogy because I keep hearing it compared to HP, (which I love). If I do read it, my expectations are high.
Thanks! I remember a passionate Harry Potter fan telling me she didn’t like The Magicians when it came out (billed as “Harry Potter for adults”). I liked the Harry Potter books and read them as they came out, but got a little tired of them by the end, with all the movies! This is definitely a different reading experience than reading HP.
The first one, as a magic boarding school book, was a bit like Harry Potter, but the two subsequent books are a Narnia-loving world all their own. I thought each book got better.
I actually liked the first one the most, but agree that The Magician’s Land was probably the best book from a literary standpoint.