Valet Reader

So, let’s see, take a pinch of Harry Potter, add a slice of Narnia, a pinch of the Secret Garden, maybe a squeeze of A in Wonderland and a sprinkle of Frodo and the rings and you’ve basically got yourself Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. Some of you may think this recipe is somewhat redundant but if prepared in the right pot, with the right utensils you very well could come up with a tasty dish. I have no idea why I used the cooking metaphor here, I just started that way so I ran with it. Don’t worry though, I’m done with it.

I was pretty hesitant when I started reading this. Like I said it was a bit like Harry Potter and for awhile there I almost thought Mr. Grossman was just re-creating the same story. But, as I learned, he at times actually makes reference to Potter and kind of makes fun of it, or so I think. And that redeemed him a little bit.

I guess if I were to classify this book I’d have to say it’s a fantasy novel. I don’t really know what that means because I always thought fantasy and sci-fi were one and the same but sci-fi doesn’t really seem to make sense with this book. Instead of a story about scientific theoretical ideas, which I understand sci-fi to be, this novel deals with alternate worlds and magic, which as far as I’m concerned are beyond the laws of nature and science, therefore we have fantasy.

This is a story about a young man named Quentin, a magic school which he is admitted to, the friends he makes there and what he and his friends do with their new magical skills once they matriculate from school. From that description alone and my earlier mention of alternate worlds it is fairly easy to make the correlation between this book and the others mentioned in the first paragraph. Of course without subtle differences this book would never have been published. Unlike Potter and Narnia which are for the younger crowds as well as adults, this one is pretty much just for adults. After all, I’m not so sure it’d be appropriate for 13 year olds to be reading about graphic sex (hetero and homo), drugs and alcohol.

I was actually somewhat curious why this book wasn’t being considered a young adult novel until I got to some of the more graphic bits. It really was pretty raunchy at times. So much so that if they made a movie out of this book you may have to visit the back of the video store to rent it. Alright, that’s a stretch is not that vulgar.

Here’s what it boils down to, if you’re an adult who enjoyed Potter but also has a knack for some gratuitous sex, booze and a bit of darkness than you may very well enjoy this book. I was pleasantly surprised, perhaps you will be as well.