“The Magicians” trilogy by Lev Grossman is a particularly fantastic adult fantasy series that I highly recommend to anyone.

The series is not for everyone, though; it is a combination of Harry Potter and Narnia elements but with adult themes.

The fantasy elements explore a wizarding school, a Narnia inspired world and adventures for hidden relics–all of which will seem familiar but branch off into drinking binges or sexual deviancy. The stories use many myths from cultures around the world, making a unique blend of both friend and foe for our heroes to face. I’d even go as far as saying the stories parody the common modern fantasy theme and make it into its own gritty genre.

The book series covers the adventures of Quentin Coldwater and his friends throughout many years of dealing with life’s issues but in a fantasy setting.

Many adult themes including sexual assault, drugs and depression are used constantly to show that even in such an otherworldly, situation these characters face problems we are all too familiar with.

The blending of the supernatural and real world problems in this series gives the stories a unique charm, not really seen in many fantasy books.

I read these books around three years ago, and the problems I saw these characters go through still come up in my mind. When you read these books you are acquainted with the characters over many years, seeing them grow and watching them experience many tragedies as if they were happening to your close friends.

The book affected me. There is nothing better I could say about a story than that it stayed with me long after I read it.

The book series has a SyFy channel show inspired by the books, but to get the full effect of the story, I believe the source material is best.

If you’re into an emotionally compelling, scandalous fantasy, this book series will not disappoint.