In the books, Julia ends up in a similar situation with a group of magicians living on the outskirts of society trying to contact a god. Just like in the show, Julia and her friends accidentally summon Reynard the Fox, and Julia sacrifices herself so that Kady can escape Reynard. Even without context, those four words almost work as a manifest truth, one that I have immortalized on a lapel pin and engraved on my heart. The book, by virtue of being the starting point of a story, the first version of a narrative in which nothing is cut for time or any great idea is ruined for the budget, is almost always better than any of its adaptations.
And when the SyFy network first announced that they would be adapting Lev Grossman's The Magicians trilogy, the series felt destined to become one more example of this truism. How could SyFy, with its mediocre budget and (at the time) a critically undistinguished reputation, do justice to Grossman's dark and fantastic treatise on suffering and individuality? One of the biggest differences in the comparison between the show and The Magicians book is the age of the characters. The Magicians takes what is a need for spirit in humans right now for fantasy and turns the whole precept upside down. Syfy's new series The Magicians, based on Lev Grossman's novel trilogy, wants you to know right away that it's not Harry Potter.
The magicians enter Fillory and search for a mission, finding it more dangerous and divided than the books indicate. Based on Lev Grossman's best-selling books, The Magicians focuses on Brakebills University, a secret institution specializing in magic. When it comes to the battle of books versus shows from The Magicians, one of the most interesting aspects is getting an idea of what life is like as a cover witch. Margo appears more in the show than Janet in the books, but the books still give us glimpses of the ice mage, and they also feature her iconic journey through the desert, although the story is a little different.
Much of the success of The Magicians, outside of these performances and these characters, is due to tone. Like Game of Thrones before, The Magicians became more interesting when it got out of the way that created it. Under the direction of show creators John McNamara and Sera Gamble, The Magicians is a true ensemble, populated by complex and fascinating characters who carry as much weight as Quentin, if not more. But traditional magicians aren't too excited to have the outcasts breaking the rules in their sacred halls, and spirits are ignited when student bodies collide to prove their superiority without realizing a new danger that has arisen to threaten them all.
