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Aug 13, 2020

finished rereading The Magicians. tentatively, i’m not sure the ending of this book really works thematically. there’s this clear theme about how magic won’t solve nihilism and ennui and when they decide to go back at the end it undermines that theme

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QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

)

@QiaochuYuan

· Aug 12, 2020

rereading The Magicians and hyperfocusing this time on any scene involving anyone’s parents

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QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

)

@QiaochuYuan

Aug 13, 2020

a lot of stuff happens very quickly and in particular the big reveal that everything was set up by jane using a time machine changes the meaning of everything that happened previously and i can’t tell what if anything it has to do with the nihilism / ennui theme

QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

)

@QiaochuYuan

Aug 13, 2020

martin chatwin is an amazing villain though, a million times creepier and more interesting than voldemort but overall i feel like i have no objections until they hit fillory and then i really wonder how the entire last third could be made thematically tighter

Rus Whang

@RusWhang

Aug 13, 2020

He was memorable enough but doesn't really play any role in the plot outside his very limited screentime? Yeah I would have rated the book just as highly had it been all Brakebills.

QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

)

@QiaochuYuan

Replying to

@RusWhang

he’s great as a symbol tho - explicitly “this is quentin if he gives i to the dark side and refuses to grow up”

9:13 PM · Aug 13, 2020Twitter for iPad