Lev Grossman is an incredibly talented prose writer. He consistently crafts beautiful settings, and reading his work feels like eating a gourmet meal. I felt immersed in the world of The Magicians from the first page, swept up by the book's atmospheric value alone.

However, I think Grossman has a long way to go in other aspects of novel-writing.

The Magicians starred a cast of thoroughly narcissistic, unlikeable characters. The plot clearly borrowed elements from classic children's series--particularly Harry Potter and Narnia--but removed all of the childhood charm and fun from the stories, leaving behind a depressing, emotionally empty husk of a tale. I also felt dissatisfied with the jump from the Brakebills story line to the Fillory one. Quentin's heavily-emphasized "obsession" with the Fillory series just didn't come off as totally believable to me, so it didn't seem logical or justified to me when the whole fictional universe was suddenly accessible.

Grossman's settings were impressive, though, and I would gladly read more of his work, provided it were not part of The Magicians series.

Spoiler

I do love a good villain called Martin.