The Magicians

Lev Grossman’s book, The Magicians, is an interesting take on magical education, tailoring it towards an older generation, primarily college students. The story had an interesting enough premise that it went on to become a popular television show on SyFy. Both the books and the show tackle some difficult issues and subjects, such as depression.

            The protagonist in both the series and the books, Quentin Coldwater, is more of an unconventional hero for the series, as he is … depressed and depressing for the audience, to say the least (to say the most he’s a whiny little b). Even though Quentin is top of his class and even gets to go to an exclusive magical school, he still isn’t happy. The author’s take on magic accentuates this fact, saying, “magic is a craft”, which must be practiced over and over to get it right. Grossman turns casting magic into more of a tedious, repetitive task, eliminating the mysterious joy other stories grant magic. Thus, even when Quentin excels at magic and begins to grasp its workings, he becomes unsatisfied and less interested. He finds little joy in his life and paints the world from a bleak, colorless viewpoint.

            Thus, reading the book from Quentin’s standpoint quickly becomes monotonous and dreary, with only an occasional spark that quickly blends in to the grey background. The TV series portrays the plot in a more whimsical way, giving Brakebills more color and wonder than what we can see from Quentin’s viewpoint. The series also brakes up the monotonous outlook by following other characters and giving us peeks into their lives. The series maintains the fact that Quentin is the protagonist by making him into “the chosen one’; he is portrayed as the center of all these events, though in the end he kind of fails at being chosen.

            The series also gives more focus and direction to the issue of depression. Quentin actually comes to terms with how depressed he is, and actively tries to get help, going to see a specialist in the beginning. His depression is acknowledged upfront and we see various methods of dealing with it throughout the series, addressing an issue that can resonate with the audience.

            By portraying Quentin Coldwater as a depressed individual with real issues, The Magicians creates a unique and faceted charter, though he might not be the most light-hearted.