Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for The Magicians by Lev Grossman starting on July 20, 2024.


Happy Reading!

I'm in. I read this one but never continued with the series, but always wanted to. This sounds like a great time to give it another go.

I am in too. I have not even finished the first, but that was a long time ago and my tastes have changed since then.

Thank you!

Schedule:
1. The Magicians (July 20)
2. The Magician King (Aug 20) [link]
3. The Magician's Land (Sept 20) [link]

audiobook: no subscription/universal library copies available
eyebook: same

Check your Libby/Scribd etc!

I read the first two several times and really loved them but somehow never got around to reading the last one.

All are available on my local Libby presently so I'll likely give at least the first a try.

Don't pull a Felina ;)

Felina, definition: think you have your book covered on Libby, then go to check it out around the BR date and find a 12 week waiting list, all of a sudden...

For real!!!

It’s really been messing up my life.

Jade City has been ‘available soon’ for like two weeks. Gimme!! 😩

Timelord Iain wrote: "Don't pull a Felina ;)

Felina, definition: think you have your book covered on Libby, then go to check it out around the BR date and find a 12 week waiting list, all of a sudden..."

My local library is not huge on SFF so I do not expect there will be an issue. I do have at least the first in ebook format so worst case I have to read it and not listen. My main concern with committing to all 3 is if I will be annoyed by differences with the show.

Never saw the show.

Salt lake library is huge on SFF. Lots of nerds around these parts.

The show was relatively true to the books... I read the first 2-2.5 books (stopped in the middle of book 2 or 3 and never finished... was back in my ebook days)...

Then one Christmas I started binging the show in my spare time on a friend's Netflix, when holiday stuff wasn't happening... watched half the first season, went home and watched the 2nd half... never really put much effort into continuing, but I thought the first season was pretty close to the first book, with some minor changes that had ripple effects?...

In for this one. I read the first book a couple years ago and never continued and I don't know why. The show has been on my to watch list forever.

I just checked Audible and I own the first book so I don't have to stress Libby access! I really need to update my TBR with audiobooks I already own.....

I'm looking forward to getting a bit more context after watching the show... I remember thinking that the main character (view spoiler)[was kind of a magic dud, because he didn't manifest in one of the specific types of magic they were looking for, but it turned out he was actually a magic prodigy because of it? The show didn't do a great job of explaining the basics. (hide spoiler)]

I've always described Magicians as a less fun version of magic... it's like a college course and cares alot about the math/science of it all... whereas Harry Potter is all about the fun factor...

And then there's Magic for Liars, which I DNF'd for an unlikeable MC, I think...

I loved the TV adaptation so much ❤️ it's one of my all times favs. Never gotten around reading the books tho.

Timelord Iain wrote: "I've always described Magicians as a less fun version of magic... it's like a college course and cares alot about the math/science of it all... whereas Harry Potter is all about the fun factor...

..."

I read and enjoyed Magic for Liars--but it was more of a mystery set at a magic school than an actual magic school book, I thought... not my favorite read, but interesting...

Nirkatze wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I've always described Magicians as a less fun version of magic... it's like a college course and cares alot about the math/science of it all... whereas Harry Potter is all abo..."

This. I liked Magic for Liars but it was a mysteryish book that happened to include a school and not another book about learning magic at a school.

Yea... I know it's not a book about being magicians/wizards... it just has magic in the name, and was a big disappointment for me, who added it to my TBR pre-release...

Loved the show! It has some of the same storylines, especially in the first 2 or 3 seasons, then kind of does its own thing with inspiration from the books... The books are way more emo lol

I have read like half of book 1 very long ago and was disappointed at lack of magic in it. Then years later saw trailer for the show and it felt so different from the book I gave it a try and I loved it. Binged the two released seasons but never got to watching the rest.

I want to see if my older self will find the books more interesting.

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Loved the show! It has some of the same storylines, especially in the first 2 or 3 seasons, then kind of does its own thing with inspiration from the books... The books are way more emo lol"

That is my understanding, fairly true to the books but then off the rails lol

Ann-Marie wrote: "Tonari no Emily wrote: "Loved the show! It has some of the same storylines, especially in the first 2 or 3 seasons, then kind of does its own thing with inspiration from the books... The books are ..."

Lol yep a bit. They also age up the kids. Brakebills is a grad school in the show as opposed to undergrad college.

Started this one today. Forgot how much I hated the MC. He gives off mad incel vibes.

I spent over 12 hours in the car today so I finished this one. I think I enjoyed it now more than the first time. It’s basically Harry Potter goes to Narnia to have lots of orgies. All the characters are horrible but they’re like a train wreck I couldn’t look away from. I can’t wait to finish the trilogy and then watch the show.

I finished just now and I was kind of meh about it, not sure if the fact I watched the show prior to reading skewed my opinion? (view spoiler)[Julia is much more present in the show right off the bat in season 1 so I was waiting for that to happen and the way this ended it looks like this will change in the next book. Basically I was kind of bored for a good part of this, I checked how much was left in the audio so many times lol I agree with Diana that they were basically awful people but I think watching the show in advance helped me in that area because I expected that! I have this on the schedule for August but if I fall behind this will be the first to go. (hide spoiler)]

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I spent over 12 hours in the car today so I finished this one. I think I enjoyed it now more than the first time. It’s basically Harry Potter goes to Narnia to have lots of orgies. All the characte..."

OMG that description! I'll be here tomorrow.

Nirkatze wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I spent over 12 hours in the car today so I finished this one. I think I enjoyed it now more than the first time. It’s basically Harry Potter goes to Narnia to have lots ..."

Tell me if you think I’m wrong 😂

Not sure when I read this, but I know that by the end I hated it. I didn't mind the hero being miserable — in fact, being British, I rather identified with him. What made me hate it was that in the last third of the book, Grossman tried to create a believable secondary world, and all he could manage was a badly written Disneyfied pastiche of Narnia. Yuk.

Sorry if I'm spoiling this for you all, but seriously, if you find you can't get through all the books you intended to read this month, my advice would be that this is the one you should let go. I gave it one star. I almost never give books one star.

I never saw the TV series. Looks like it might be worth getting on DVD.

Never saw the show but gave it a 5 star. I loved this book and have read it a few times. Looking forward to reading it again.

My favorite thing about the show was the guy who played Penny.....

Nirkatze wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I spent over 12 hours in the car today so I finished this one. I think I enjoyed it now more than the first time. It’s basically Harry Potter goes to Narnia to have lots ..."

I laughed pretty hard, too...

That is not how I pictured Penny. I pictured Ben Foster 100%.

Felina wrote: "That is not how I pictured Penny. I pictured Ben Foster 100%."

I watched the show first so that is my Penny <3

I’m not against it. He’s a smoke show.

Ben Foster has a certain energy that reminds me of my childhood... never remember his name until I do some googling, but remember him appearing in kid & teen/adult content in the 90s/00s... Flash Forward, Six Feet Under, Hostage, X-Men...

Wizards and Sex.
Witches and Sex.
Magic School and Group Sex.
What's not to like...

Felina wrote: "I’m not against it. He’s a smoke show."

le sigh

He really is lol

Ann-Marie wrote: "My favorite thing about the show was the guy who played Penny.....

"

That is so far from how I pictured Penny 😂 This dude is hot and the Penny in my mind was very much not.

I started it and am enjoying so far--just in the first chapter--I watched the first couple seasons of the show several years back and the opening descriptions is bringing it all back to me... so far my memory says it's a faithful adaptation...

Finished last night and enjoyed it.... though I do think the Filory parts were the weakest... The book reminded me very strongly of my own college experiences--no magic, sadly, but a similar situation where I went from being the smartest fish in my small pond to a big pond where everyone was the smartest fish... Grossman does a good job of capturing that college feel, and each character feels very accurate to their age... I like to think that my friends and I were more likeable at that stage though!

I'm also really glad I read this, because it explains a lot of things that I didn't quite get from watching the TV series... I swear, I went through most of the first season thinking that Quentin got in on a fluke and didn't have any magic... making me think I should rewatch...

Interesting... I'm not surprised you connected with the situation, Nirkatze... not after the Last Exit BR, anyway... I can kinda see that same vibe between the two, despite being different stories/genres...

Nirkatze wrote: "Finished last night and enjoyed it.... though I do think the Filory parts were the weakest... The book reminded me very strongly of my own college experiences--no magic, sadly, but a similar situat..."

I agree that the Filory parts were my least favorite. It felt like 2 different books. The before and the after.

Doesn't most of the Filory stuff generally happen off-page?... like, alot of Filory happens between books 1-2, then the MC is back on Earth for most/all of book 2, and I'm not sure about book 3...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Doesn't most of the Filory stuff generally happen off-page?... like, alot of Filory happens between books 1-2, then the MC is back on Earth for most/all of book 2, and I'm not sure about book 3..."

(view spoiler)[the last 1/4 or so of the book happens in Filory (hide spoiler)]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Interesting... I'm not surprised you connected with the situation, Nirkatze... not after the Last Exit BR, anyway... I can kinda see that same vibe between the two, despite being different stories/..."

Would not be surprised to see they're all based on the same school, lol. Next I just need to read Leigh Bardugo's Hell Bent series and I'll have a trifecta... R.F. Kuang's Babel was well in there too...

I started this one. I find it ironic that we’re reading this now alongside the Dragonlance books. It was Dragonlance that made me long for magical lands. The hope that there was a secret world beyond the veil that I could be a part of, just like Quinten. I suppose I like these books so much because that’s what I wanted. I identify with Quinten very much.

As an aside, I have a funny story. I was chatting to a friend that I would give anything to have gotten my letter to Hogwarts and he laughed and said he did get his letter but got sorted to Hufflepuff so he left. I have chuckled at that for years.

Felina wrote: "I started this one. I find it ironic that we’re reading this now alongside the Dragonlance books. It was Dragonlance that made me long for magical lands. The hope that there was a secret world beyo..."

My version of a magical land I wished I lived in was Redwall. Man was I obsessed with those books as a kid. If anyone wants to do a buddy read of those I'm so in.