The Magicians (The Magicians #1) by Lev Grossman

"Little bit Hogwarts, little bit Narnia, little bit Jessica Jones, throw in a vague but believable idea of magic and this is the result. It was gritty and dark and I both liked and disliked it. I'm intrigued enough to need to know what happens next so, I'll have to find The Magician King soon."

3 Stars

Pros: Grossman made his magical system esoteric enough that it was halfway believable which I liked/I like Eliot better than Quentin, I hope the plucky comic relief lives to see the end.

Cons: They're all a bit nasty to one another, it seemed unnecessary/Alcohol + kids with immense power with no responsbility and no barriers = chaos/All the lying, cheating, drinking, drugs, sex, revenge. It was all so unnecessary but then, there would be no conflict.

Full Review

Magic is real. Quentin Coldwater finds that out when he's randomly transported out of Brooklyn and to Upstate New York, just in time for the exam to start. He's swept into a room with 99 other people, all of them in perfect rows, at identical desks. It's all Quentin can do to just hang on for the ride. He sits down and is given the same book as everyone and they begin. He takes the test.

And he passes.

He's accepted into Brakebills, essentially Hogwarts for adults. It's a land of magic, power, greed, knowledge, loneliness, inferiority. All the melodramatic, teenage insecurities and scornful silences. It's a land just like ours only with immense power and no responsbility, so the chaos that ensues is entirely avoidable and a bit cringe worthy. I'm intrigued enough to want to know what happens so I'll be picking up a copy of The Magician King soon.

Comments

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective. Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review: This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar. Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con. Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

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