"The Magicians" basically covers the main character's, Quentin Coldwater, transition from adolescense to adulthood. He is a genius in the academic sense, yet he is miserable in the way that high school nerds are. He feels that there has been a mistake and this can't possibly be his life. After a near interview for Princeton he finds himself instead at an entrance exam for the magical school of Brakebills. Finally, he thinks, his life can start and he will finally be happy. Through his school years he finds friendship, love and learns how to be a magician. However, he soon realizes that he has no plans for his after school years. Having no real purpose or direction he falls into a depression spurred on by drugs, alcohol and sex. When it couldn't possibly get any worse and old acquaintance shows up with a magical way into Fillory-a world Quentin has dreamed about his whole life. It's a world based on fictional children's book resembling the Narnia series. After some all to real life adventure in Fillory he decides to become a recluse and focus his energies on apathy rather than examining the feelings left after the Fillory adventure.
While I enjoyed the many references to classic nerd lore such as The Lord of the Rings, Narnia and Harry Potter, the overall impression of this book was depressing. It had a very Ecclesiastical feel to it: all was vanity and striving after the wind. Sadly for Quentin, he never got to the realization that there is hope and a higher purpose out there; rather he chose to wallow in the fact that he worldly things can never satisfy the soul. Lev Grossman did a fantastic job with the writing and cultivation of characters, it is just tragic that they had such sad lives without any real purpose. They had everything: money, power and friendship, and it still was not enough to satisfy their hearts; they were left searching for something more. Tragically, it is a search with no end as things of the world can never statisfy.
Grossman has written a sequel to The Magicians, though based on the first book I am not sure that I would want to read it.
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