Never even thinking about picking up a science fiction book, I walked along the rows of books at Barnes and Noble, searching for a cover that would draw my attention. Picking up The Magicians because of the giant tree on the cover, was the best reading choice I think I have ever made.  With heavily relatable characters, a love story intertwined, and a little bit of magic, the novel makes me proud to now call myself a science fiction geek, even though science fiction was something I thought would never be on my bookshelf.

Set in modern-day Brooklyn, the first novel in the trilogy The Magicians captures every aspect of real-world magic that is needed to make it seem realistic. The plot turns and weaves along with the main character’s moods, and Quentin Coldwater, the hopelessly depressed, and love-struck 17 year old, opens himself up to the readers right off the bat.

Stumbling into a garden patch in the middle of the city, Quentin finds himself staring up at a tall brick building, Brakebills School of Magic. Without any of his questions being answered, Quentin is thrown into a large hall with dozens of other students, with a blank test in front of him. Discovering who he was along the way, Quentin goes on a journey of self-discovery, while attempting to learn as much magic as he can.

The author of the novel, Lev Grossman, uses description to show readers how the characters are feeling rather than say them in plain text, and the dialogue between characters and their thoughts show the overall atmosphere and mood of the setting.

The school of Brake bills is a secret University in northern New York, and no one’s parents know where they actually are. The intricate description and development of the school is what makes it so interesting, a hidden campus protected by magic that is home to only 100 students. Quentin and the friends he makes are overwhelmed with the amount of schoolwork and information they have to learn, and Quentin ultimately has to decide if this is what he wants to do, and if he’s ready to leave his Princeton dreams behind for magic.

Even though the book has a more fantasy feel to it, Grossman makes it so realistic that you could start to believe a school like this is almost possible. With a Harry Potter type feel, the novel is captivating, and every chapter holds another plot twist or big announcement that changes the game even more.

Thrown in on top of all the chaos of becoming a magician, Quentin starts to have feelings for one of his classmates Alice, and it gets him into trouble. Grossman does a great job at intertwining character’s stories so they overlap, and making sure every page is as interesting, if not more, as the last. There was never a dull moment in the plot of the novel, and hopefully the TV show on the Scfy channel is as equally entertaining and worthwhile.