Fantasy
The Magicians
A clever, unhappy Brooklyn teenager is admitted to a secret college of magic and discovers that his childhood favourite fantasy books describe a real world. Magic does not turn out to be a cure for being miserable.
- First published
- 2009
- Pace
- medium
- Length
- medium
- Format
- Standalone
Read this if you grew up on Narnia and Hogwarts and want a sharp, cynical, adult take on what comes next.
Skip this if you want warm, wish-fulfilment magic, since the lead is often unlikeable and the tone turns bleak.
The feel
Content warnings
Where to get it
| Store | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Borrow free | ||
| Libby / OverDrive | Free with a library card | Borrow free with Libby from Libby / OverDrive |
| Print, new | ||
| Bookshop.org | Check price | Buy new from Bookshop.org |
| Amazon | Check price | Buy new from Amazon |
| Barnes & Noble | Check price | Buy new from Barnes & Noble |
| Print, used | ||
| AbeBooks | Check price | Buy used from AbeBooks |
| ThriftBooks | Check price | Buy used from ThriftBooks |
| Ebook | ||
| Kobo | Check price | Buy ebook from Kobo |
| Google Play Books | Check price | Buy ebook from Google Play Books |
| Audiobook | ||
| Libro.fm | Check price | Buy audiobook from Libro.fm |
| Audible | Check price | Buy audiobook from Audible |
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If you loved The Magicians
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The cosy, wide-eyed version of the magic school this book deliberately pokes at.
-
The Secret History
A close circle of brilliant, self-absorbed students whose private world slowly turns toxic.
-
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The original wardrobe-to-another-world story that Fillory is a knowing echo of.
Fantasy
