The Magicians

I read The Magicians during a pause between installments of the wheel of time. It is a twist on Harry Potter/Narnia. It presents these stories based on what would "really" happen if someone was transported off to a magical land where they learn that they can cast spells.

This book's take is that learning to do magic would be very difficult and tedious, much like studying any other difficult subject and would eventually become a standard task rather than an exciting adventure.

The other big difference starts with the observation that typically the main characters in these stories aren't happy in the real world then find happiness in the magical world. This book claims that if the characters aren't happy people they aren't going to be happy no matter what world they end up in. Part of this is the book shows how relationships with others as well as various mundane aspects of life do much more to influence a person's happiness than the world that surrounds the person.

On one hand it is somewhat humorous and a change of pace to see this take on the genre. However, a book that shows a character being unhappy in a series of settings really isn't much fun. Also as part of the "real" take there isn't a clear goal or direction at any point in the book so I often found myself asking if the story is going anywhere or if I'm just meandering around in this world. There is a somewhat interesting plot line running through the book, but it isn't really revealed till near the end. I also thought that the book made the main points through the story, then made them a bit more obvious, then stated them outright in dialogue. I think it would have had more impact if it stopped when the message was a little more subtle.

I'm tempted to recommend this book to anyone who reads a lot of fantasy as something different to throw into the mix. However, if someone reads a lot of fantasy it is probably because they enjoy those magical worlds and don't want to read a book where those worlds aren't that great.