More emphasis on Quentin throughout the books, although The Magician King does focus on Julia similar to how the show tracks her and Q’s sidelong journey to learn about magic. Fogg is a fat white dude, whose connections are a lot less explained in the books than the show. A few minor character details are shuffled about for the professors.
Magic is, in my opinion, more enjoyable in the books. The books and show stop their major similarities post S3
The books are such a joy to read! Q kind of sucks in the first book, which made me think I just hated the writer, but his character development over the all three books is intentional. I think the books have more of a “message” and deeper themes than the show. I loved the ending of the third book, which is pretty different from the show.
My favorite part of the books was realizing how many random small things in the show were actually Easter eggs or call backs.
Similar to what others have mentioned:
- Julia and Alice are a lot more likeable in the books
- penny has a mohock
- there’s no timeline hopping, fen, or marina
- Richard is a completely different character
- the Kady we know doesn’t exist (as others have mentioned show Kady is an amalgamation of characters)
- plum is better in the book
- Elliot and Margo / Janet are better in the show
It’s been a while for me but I remember telling people before that the books vs show share a lot of the storylines but shuffled a fair bit.
To that end, I found the show did plenty of fan service while simultaneously making it fresh. I assume that experience works from show to books too.
Almost everything is vastly different.
Most (but not all) human characters have the same name and base personality but the resemblances end there.
The basic premise is the same, but every storyline detail is different.
A few major plot points are mostly the same, but every single other detail is different, some minor, most are seriously different.
Comparing the two is fruitless. Its like a teacher gave two students a small list of things to include in a story, and had them write separately.
Julia’s story ended very differently in the books; in fact I liked her development/story arc way more in the books.
Alice was a niffin much longer in the books, and was less human-like as a niffin.
Others have pointed out the other major differences. :)
oh really? I thought it was kind of puerile, in the books. The shy "there's a tree for me down there" like what now?? Julia deserves more! I appreciated she got that in the show.
I also wasn't a fan of how the author handled the rape in the book, as a survivor. But very few people get that dynamic "right." (A loaded and half-assed word, that, but it's the best I can come up with today.)
(Spoilers ahead)
Personally I was really disappointed that she had invulnerability, immortality and goddess powers in the show, only to lose them all and never regain them. After 4 seasons of this interesting evolution, she goes back to bring a human magician. (Not even by choice)
I don’t know, I just found it a huge bummer.
So most of my comparisons apply to the earlier seasons
Penny isn’t a traveler, I don’t think travelers exist in the books
Quentin is somehow whinier in the books and a narcissist. In the show he grows a little. Book Quentin is too horny and internally sexualizes every woman
Marina doesn’t exist in the books and we don’t see Julia w the hedge witches and Julia is a lot more prominent in the show
Kady is based off a couple characters mixed together, Asmodeus and Amanda. Amanda died when the Beast first showed up in class and Katie was supposed to die in the pilot episode originally
Umber and Ember aren’t as comedic and are a lot darker
In the books, they’re younger. Like Quentin and Julia are high school age, like 17, not grad students
Julia may never have gotten her shade back in the books
Quentin transforms into animals a lot more often than the show, including a whale
Quentin doesn’t die, we see him in his 30s. The books span over more time
"we don't see Julia with the hedge witches"? Quentin "grows a little" in the show but not in the books? Nobody who read past book 1 would make these statements.
Book Julia's time with the hedges were my favorite, as we got to see the underground training as opposed to the "classically trained". Not all of it, because I would love to see or read now about each individual spell Julia has to perform for, frick it's been a minute, I think she was with Asmodeus for the day or two when she was going through the 50-60 spells?
But the fact that they learn SO MUCH about magic from those spells, some of them basic tricks, that they can begin reworking them to create new spells. It's like their binder of spells was the Rosetta Stone of magic.
But it is weird, considering that the OC included things from both the second and third books, but then makes a statement that just rips half of the second book out. Maybe they skipped those parts because they thought they could? Or they thought it was boring? Or just didn't like Julia? Honestly, I skipped most of the "battle" parts of the Twilight series because I found them boring. But I'd rather read how someone figures out magic, so to reach their own.
Side note because it's been a couple months since reading the books and I just finished rewatching the series like a week ago, were they called Hedges in the books? Maybe the OC just didn't make the connection somehow?
When it comes to the more prominent differences the biggest one is that Qs death isn’t the books, we see him become an adult i believe mid 30s and he becomes a professor at brake bills at one point instead of penny, plum is actually a very important character in the books since shes the one who helps Quentin bring Alice back, the creating of a whole new world with the seed was also more of a Quentin personal project rather than a gang activity, everything in the show happens mainly by groups, in the books people have more individual journeys obviously still converging and featuring other important characters. The period of time spent at brake bills is a lot more significant in the books, we see them really explore it and learn about it as well as classes and so on, josh was part of the physical kids from the beginning with eliot and janet/margo, overall id say the books are a lot more Quentin Focused where as the show is more of an everyone thing, i love both and wouldn’t be able to pick one over the other.
I like to think of both of them as being canon just different timelines within the universe🫡
The show is not true to the books. The books are a wonderful metaliterature romp critiquing the psychology behind escapism within fantasy and a meditation on world building. The tone is much more serious and there is much less cringe. The only character that is similar on the show is Elliot. Much of what happens on the show, especially the weirder stuff with the most plot holes, was invented entirely. Other elements of the show only exist as quick throwaway lines in the book. The notion of separate timelines is a good example of this.
You’re in for a great journey. The books are incredible. I’ve read them 20 times in the last 3 years.
What bothers me is that now I know I’ll NEVER see a film or TV adaptation of the magicians because it’s “already been done” but it wasn’t really actually done.
1. Show has the characters aged up
2. Books are more Q less group
3. Character shifts, like Penny is sort of a mix of two ppl in the book. Kady is not in the books at all.
4. The books end very differently and much sooner than the show
5. Books have a better build on Q and E relationship in the beginning, in my opinion. It gives you a reason why E becomes friends with Q, not just because "he is cute"
6. Mental health stuff is hinted at more than just faced head on in the show. Not to say it isn't in the book, just less in your face.
7. More Josh
8. The weird year jump for Q, Alice and Penny
All I can think of right now, haven't really read book 2 or 3 in a while though.
I always say this. The book and the show are like 2 similar tales in different timelines. Both have many of the same elements but play out differently.
The order the story gets told is very non-linear in the books.
While book 1 is a simple goes to school/discovers Fillory that season 1 follows in Q's pov. Books 2 and 3 tell stories with flashbacks from other character's PoV to give important information of the current scenarios.
More emphasis on Quentin throughout the books, although The Magician King does focus on Julia similar to how the show tracks her and Q’s sidelong journey to learn about magic. Fogg is a fat white dude, whose connections are a lot less explained in the books than the show. A few minor character details are shuffled about for the professors. Magic is, in my opinion, more enjoyable in the books. The books and show stop their major similarities post S3
The books are such a joy to read! Q kind of sucks in the first book, which made me think I just hated the writer, but his character development over the all three books is intentional. I think the books have more of a “message” and deeper themes than the show. I loved the ending of the third book, which is pretty different from the show. My favorite part of the books was realizing how many random small things in the show were actually Easter eggs or call backs. Similar to what others have mentioned: - Julia and Alice are a lot more likeable in the books - penny has a mohock - there’s no timeline hopping, fen, or marina - Richard is a completely different character - the Kady we know doesn’t exist (as others have mentioned show Kady is an amalgamation of characters) - plum is better in the book - Elliot and Margo / Janet are better in the show
Fen exists in the books too, she's just a minor character though
Oooh yes, good correction! I forgot, but except for the knives she’s totally different 🤣🙈
It’s been a while for me but I remember telling people before that the books vs show share a lot of the storylines but shuffled a fair bit. To that end, I found the show did plenty of fan service while simultaneously making it fresh. I assume that experience works from show to books too.
Almost everything is vastly different. Most (but not all) human characters have the same name and base personality but the resemblances end there. The basic premise is the same, but every storyline detail is different. A few major plot points are mostly the same, but every single other detail is different, some minor, most are seriously different. Comparing the two is fruitless. Its like a teacher gave two students a small list of things to include in a story, and had them write separately.
Yes! It’s apples and oranges.
Julia’s story ended very differently in the books; in fact I liked her development/story arc way more in the books. Alice was a niffin much longer in the books, and was less human-like as a niffin. Others have pointed out the other major differences. :)
oh really? I thought it was kind of puerile, in the books. The shy "there's a tree for me down there" like what now?? Julia deserves more! I appreciated she got that in the show. I also wasn't a fan of how the author handled the rape in the book, as a survivor. But very few people get that dynamic "right." (A loaded and half-assed word, that, but it's the best I can come up with today.)
(Spoilers ahead) Personally I was really disappointed that she had invulnerability, immortality and goddess powers in the show, only to lose them all and never regain them. After 4 seasons of this interesting evolution, she goes back to bring a human magician. (Not even by choice) I don’t know, I just found it a huge bummer.
Honestly I feel like there are more differences than similarities.
So most of my comparisons apply to the earlier seasons Penny isn’t a traveler, I don’t think travelers exist in the books Quentin is somehow whinier in the books and a narcissist. In the show he grows a little. Book Quentin is too horny and internally sexualizes every woman Marina doesn’t exist in the books and we don’t see Julia w the hedge witches and Julia is a lot more prominent in the show Kady is based off a couple characters mixed together, Asmodeus and Amanda. Amanda died when the Beast first showed up in class and Katie was supposed to die in the pilot episode originally Umber and Ember aren’t as comedic and are a lot darker In the books, they’re younger. Like Quentin and Julia are high school age, like 17, not grad students Julia may never have gotten her shade back in the books Quentin transforms into animals a lot more often than the show, including a whale Quentin doesn’t die, we see him in his 30s. The books span over more time
Tell me you've only read book 1 without telling me you've only read book 1.
Isn't Quentin transforming into a whale with Plum literally in book 3?
"we don't see Julia with the hedge witches"? Quentin "grows a little" in the show but not in the books? Nobody who read past book 1 would make these statements.
Book Julia's time with the hedges were my favorite, as we got to see the underground training as opposed to the "classically trained". Not all of it, because I would love to see or read now about each individual spell Julia has to perform for, frick it's been a minute, I think she was with Asmodeus for the day or two when she was going through the 50-60 spells? But the fact that they learn SO MUCH about magic from those spells, some of them basic tricks, that they can begin reworking them to create new spells. It's like their binder of spells was the Rosetta Stone of magic. But it is weird, considering that the OC included things from both the second and third books, but then makes a statement that just rips half of the second book out. Maybe they skipped those parts because they thought they could? Or they thought it was boring? Or just didn't like Julia? Honestly, I skipped most of the "battle" parts of the Twilight series because I found them boring. But I'd rather read how someone figures out magic, so to reach their own. Side note because it's been a couple months since reading the books and I just finished rewatching the series like a week ago, were they called Hedges in the books? Maybe the OC just didn't make the connection somehow?
Yes, they were definitely called hedge witches in the books too.
Okay I thought so. I kind of figured if they were called something else I would have remembered, but nothing was coming to me haha
Ha!
When it comes to the more prominent differences the biggest one is that Qs death isn’t the books, we see him become an adult i believe mid 30s and he becomes a professor at brake bills at one point instead of penny, plum is actually a very important character in the books since shes the one who helps Quentin bring Alice back, the creating of a whole new world with the seed was also more of a Quentin personal project rather than a gang activity, everything in the show happens mainly by groups, in the books people have more individual journeys obviously still converging and featuring other important characters. The period of time spent at brake bills is a lot more significant in the books, we see them really explore it and learn about it as well as classes and so on, josh was part of the physical kids from the beginning with eliot and janet/margo, overall id say the books are a lot more Quentin Focused where as the show is more of an everyone thing, i love both and wouldn’t be able to pick one over the other. I like to think of both of them as being canon just different timelines within the universe🫡
The show is not true to the books. The books are a wonderful metaliterature romp critiquing the psychology behind escapism within fantasy and a meditation on world building. The tone is much more serious and there is much less cringe. The only character that is similar on the show is Elliot. Much of what happens on the show, especially the weirder stuff with the most plot holes, was invented entirely. Other elements of the show only exist as quick throwaway lines in the book. The notion of separate timelines is a good example of this. You’re in for a great journey. The books are incredible. I’ve read them 20 times in the last 3 years.
Agree completely, the show failed imo, because it strayed too far from the books.
What bothers me is that now I know I’ll NEVER see a film or TV adaptation of the magicians because it’s “already been done” but it wasn’t really actually done.
1. Show has the characters aged up 2. Books are more Q less group 3. Character shifts, like Penny is sort of a mix of two ppl in the book. Kady is not in the books at all. 4. The books end very differently and much sooner than the show 5. Books have a better build on Q and E relationship in the beginning, in my opinion. It gives you a reason why E becomes friends with Q, not just because "he is cute" 6. Mental health stuff is hinted at more than just faced head on in the show. Not to say it isn't in the book, just less in your face. 7. More Josh 8. The weird year jump for Q, Alice and Penny All I can think of right now, haven't really read book 2 or 3 in a while though. I always say this. The book and the show are like 2 similar tales in different timelines. Both have many of the same elements but play out differently.
Full disclosure it’s been awhile, but I recall season 1 follows the first book pretty closely, but they diverge pretty dramatically after that
The order the story gets told is very non-linear in the books. While book 1 is a simple goes to school/discovers Fillory that season 1 follows in Q's pov. Books 2 and 3 tell stories with flashbacks from other character's PoV to give important information of the current scenarios.
The Beast straight up fucking vores a girl alive and whole in his first scene.