Magic: The Power to Enchant the World

When someone asked me what's my favorite book

I casually went to two series: One, Eragon by Christopher Paolini; two, The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

I like both books for a similar reason: they veer from the usual fantasy quest leading to a surreal romantic relationship. I remember the ending of Eragon when Eragon and Arya share their true names (that is probably the most romantic part in the book along with Eragon's purple mental picture creation of Arya). In the end, fate separated them. The bittersweet ending just tugs at my heartstrings. 

Art by xLocky.

Bittersweet to absolutely bitter. 

The Magicians, on the other hand, is brutally realistic. Sure, there are magic, word jumping, and crazy stuff, but the "jerk-ness" of people is very realistic. 

The scene that got to me the most is when Alice said nothing will satisfy Quentin, not even the magical land of Fillory. 

This reminds me of how we always think achievements will make us so much happier, but in reality, the happiness we imagine is often a ruse. Even when we achieve the results we want, we will still be plagued by our nature of wanting more. 

Magic. 

I appreciate the ending of The Magicians. 

Magic was wild feelings, the kind that escaped out of you and into the world and changed things. There was a lot of skill to it, and a lot of learning, and a lot of work, but that was where the power began: the power to enchant the world.

Changing the world takes passion. Changing the world takes persistence, dedication, and learning. Pure passion cannot do much, because it leads to recklessness and a lack of preparation. The most powerful force is a shaped passion; a burning flame tamed to release at critical points and conserve energy at other points.