The Magicians

The Magicians is a 2009 fantasy novel by Lev Grossman. It tells the story of Quentin Coldwater, a 17-year-old high school student living in Brooklyn, New York. Despite coming from a solid, middle-class home, having good friends, and doing well at school, Quentin is unhappy with his life. As a boy, he read a series of fictional fantasy books, the Fillory and Further series, by fictional author Christopher Plover. These books have led Quentin to believe that a better life is out there and that he just has to find it.

The person who is to conduct Quentin’s college interview for Princeton passes away just as Quentin is about to arrive to the interview; he and his friend, James, are the first ones to come upon the body. Quentin encounters a female paramedic at the scene, and the paramedic gives Quentin an envelope. When Quentin opens the envelope, he finds a notebook entitled “The Magicians,” and a small piece of paper tucked into the pages. The wind gets a hold of the folded notepaper and carries it into a garden. Quentin follows the notepaper to the garden, but as he enters, everything becomes quiet and the air starts to warm.