Have you ever seen The Magicians?
Originally premiered on SyFy, this show was about college students going to a school of magic. But unlike Harry Potter, things go downhill quickly. From sex to murder, conspiracies and mystery take center stage in this obscure version of Narnia. Filled with sass and sexually ambiguous spell casters, this show was a breath of fresh air for the non-PG witches of the Millennial generation.
The story begins with Quentin, a medicating introvert about to enter college, unable to fit in with his pretty and socially cool friends. Julia, his hot best friend talk about living in the real world, as his obsession with a fantasy book series about Fillory: the Narnia-esq fictional world he and Julia had grown up reading together. And just as Julia was going up in the world, and Quentin going elsewhere, a surprise test in a university of who knows where, introduces both friends to a school of magic, Brakebills.
When Quentin passed, and Julia failed, the test. The two characters throw you in to the two worlds of magic: one of pedigree and unlimited resources for the magical elite, and the underground survivors of hedge witches: a small society of magical addicts, stealing and killing for whatever spell they can find, just for a sliver of power Brakebills had denied them.
The villains change, but the obstacles and the moral challenges are what you stick around for. Anyone can detect the plot holes and integrity of the characters bending, as the story progresses, but much of it is forgiven as you fall in love with Quentin and his self-engrossed band of experimental Magicians.
At first, you can't help but be skeptical with its level of angst on what almost felt like a filtered version of a horror movie gone wrong. But reading even the first book, from the novel series the show was based on, everything checked out. The character names may have changed, and plenty of the scenes had been moved around, or plainly altered completely, but they are just as loved. The show may be more comedic, as the peril in the books were much darker.
Unlike the show, though, the books didn't lull you into a simmer, but allowed you to enjoy magic at its darkest core. Even Ember and Umber, the gods of Fillory, are no force to be tampered with. But, this isn't about spoilers...
Magicians is a fun ride. And though some inconsistencies occur in the novels, tv series, and comic books, it's the fantastic writing and adventure that you live for! This is one of those stories that do great in every media, and recommended for those wishing to be enchanted between coffee breaks.
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