“Not since the seemingly never-ending wait for the seventh Harry Potter book have I been so antsy about a release. Lev Grossman's The Magicians, my favorite novel of 2009 by a landslide, cleverly combined aspects of classic fantasy with modern literature and pop culture. With that groundwork in place, Grossman takes us back to Fillory with The Magician King. Quentin is a powerful sorcerer and a royal monarch who is bored out of his mind. He embarks on a seemingly menial errand to collect back taxes from a faraway island and stumbles into an epic and momentously important quest to save the magical world. Grossman's trademark eloquent-yet-hip writing style flourishes in this sequel, a creative and entertaining novel well worth the wait.”

“The Magicians is a darker, more adult take on the idea of a secret academy that trains would-be wizards. Lev Grossman explores the realms of magic, alternate realities, and wish fulfillment as visited by less-than-heroic characters. Raising the question of what would you do if you could do whatever you wanted, The Magicians is thrilling and deliciously disturbing.”