Nick's Picks

Continuing our regular feature of book recommendations from Uptown Borders' sales manager, Nick Taylor:

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The Magicians
by Lev Grossman

Closing store sells send in swarms of bargain hunters under the spell of attraction cast by the machine, and if you happen to be one flocking to the Borders Uptown closing sell-out, here is a pick for you to grab before it flies off the shelf.

This story combines elements from the Harry Potter and Narnia series with a realist urban environment geared towards an adult audience. Divided into four high-gear parts, the text races along Quentin Coldwater's life as this child genius finds himself elected to the magical student body of Brakebills, graduating into present day Manhattan while in and out of alternate realms of imaginative delight. Worlds within worlds play as pieces for his hand-in-hand journey with an unforgettable powerhouse heroine as he and Alice vacillate from the real world through the childhood novel land of Fillory and on into the Neitherlands. Having read this years ago, the image that remains seared in my thoughts entails the haunting love scene between these daunting characters during their fox metamorphosis.

The Magicians is an adventurous vehicle filled with sensationalist scenes of magical education, animal transformations, powerful attacks of grave sacrifice and climactic battles driven through pages of poignant prose.

With Time in mind, this selection is written by Lev Grossman, author of Time magazine's most recent cover article, 2045 The Year Man Becomes Immortal. Come pick up your books before they all vanish into other hands as fast as magic.

- Nicholas Taylor, Sales Manager, Uptown Borders