Lev Grossman
Picking up immediately after The Magicians, Grossman finally breaks new ground. Quentin and his friends are fully aware "adult magicians" in their travels to Fillory (aka Narnia) and therefore we are able to see this portion of the story as a bit farcical. When going on a quest, one does not make plans for what to quest for since in a magical world, the fact that you are on a quest will lead to the revelation of the purpose of the quest along the way. Farce. But then Grossman moves the characters back and forth into the "real world" and provides back story for how this entire situation gets started. That is, back story for how "the gods" are coming to shut down magic. I love how the characters in "real world" are struggling with the meaning of magic and the responsibility of power, the nature of existentialism, and the magical class system that they were raised in. Appropriate amounts of real thinking balance the silliness, and true seeking for meaning underlies the entire story. Here is to hoping that the final installment will evolve enough to push the thinking and meaning to new limits, making this a meaningful trilogy.
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