The Magicians by Lev Grossman
One of the reviews said this book was 'grown up Harry Potter'. Maybe, if being grown up means drinking, swearing, and having sex. I think it is more 'Harry Potter goes to college'. It is also a bit of Narnia in a disillusioned way with a scattering of Tolkien like wisdom. It is all of these and none of these. It is it's own thing. It is also a great deal about being human and the pursuit of happiness which leads to both bliss and despair. It is about waking up and discovering that Magic is real, you can learn it in school, you can travel to Narnia or Middle Earth and worlds unimagined but who you are goes with you and you always have to deal with that.
“Glory has its price,” Penny said. “Did you not know that, before you sought it?”
I think most of us, well me, spend much energy on 'Getting There' without giving hardly any energy into planning on what to do when we arrive. We hope for The Best for years to come. Three weeks ahead, however, is an undefined blur. Hurray for those who Plan and Have Real Goals. I wish, so wish, that someone had told me to Plan when I was the age of a young Harry Potter. I always stepped through the Wardrobe with nothing more than a sense of Adventure..never thinking the road ahead could lead me into darkness as well as sunshine..and never throwing breadcrumbs to make sure I got back home okay. I have been saved in spite of myself.
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