I didn't love the first book in this series, in which Quentin discovers the magical world through his schooling at Breakbills. I absolutely could not stand Quentin, Elliot, or Janet. While I don't insist upon likable main characters in all circumstances, I don't have much patience for the deep cynicism of exceptionally smart, gifted, depressed teenagers, and that's all the core characters exhibit in the first book. The allusions to Narnia, Hogwarts, the myth of the swans were sometimes artful and sometimes poorly executed--the quality of writing was uneven throughout. So I had not planned to read the second book. That would have been a mistake. Like most teenagers, Quentin has grown up a lot by the time he hits his late 20s. He's still annoyingly self-absorbed, but he's not an entitled, ungrateful, ungracious brat anymore. Julia is still deeply cynical and depressed, but it makes sense, and her character arc is achingly difficult and beautiful. The narrative structure is more complex than that of the first book, in ways that make it more engaging and dynamic. The writing is tighter and consistently good. Allusions to major works of fantasy and epic storytelling still inform the tone and framing of the narrative, but in more interesting ways.One thing that did not work for me was the use of occasional but sustained sexist language used to describe the women. Much of it refers to thoughts that Julia has about herself--she accepts that one of her sources of power is her body and sexuality, sometimes uses them to achieve her goals, but also judges herself negatively for it. That's a realistic reflection of how many women think about and make use of their sexual identities, but it's sad and doesn't have to be true.I finished the book this morning on my way to work and immediately downloaded the third one. I would definitely recommend it to fellow nerds and fantasy fans, even those who didn't like the first book. This one shows the writer's and characters' growth. The explorations of adventure and heroism, mental illness, and entitlement are worth the read. Well, I'm glad I got this book for cheap, because I would have been extremely disappointed if I had paid full price for it. After taking on the plots of 'Harry Potter' and 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' in his first book, the author attempts to create his own version of another Narnia book, 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'. Oh that he had not attempted such a feat. Much like the first book in this series, this book has a reasonably interesting storyline full of inconsistencies and unlikable characters. It's better than the first book, but it has an extremely unsatisfying ending. I'll probably read the next book, but I'll wait until it's on sale. That is all.
What do You think about The Magician King (2011)?
Somewhat Narnia-ish... just filled with assholes. Somehow this makes it entertaining for me.
—Laura
I enjoyed it a lot more than the first one.
—MelMo
