The Magicians by Lev Grossman : Kids who read fantasy and discover they can do magic

I read The Magicians around an year back. At that point of time I thought it was a solid if not spectacular piece of work.

Then The Magician King came around and I was hooked. All of a sudden it put the Magician in context. The two books just fit and became a great story. This is a series that is simultaneously fantasy and about fantasy.

The protagonists have grown up reading fantasy. Harry Potter and Narnia are second nature to them. They discover much to their surprise that things such as magic schools actually exist and their lives changes. The characters are incredibly well realized and etched out.
The narrative is dealt with panache and a sure hand. The Magician king is definitely the better of the two but reading the magicians really makes it all the more enjoyable. Ideally you should pick both and read them at a stretch.
The magicians may be tough going but the Magician king makes it worth it. The Magician King is like The Dark Knight that put Batman Begins in context.

You can buy The Magicians here and The Magician King here.

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