Heroes Journey: The Magicians
By: Sam Bardwell
The Ordinary World
Quentin lives in Brooklyn and he isn't noticed much. His best friend Josh is dating his other best friend Julia, but he likes Julia. They hardly ever notice Quentin because they don't really care about him, or that’s what Quentin thinks. Quentin loves magic tricks and the book series Fillory and Further. He always wants something more but he is always depressed.
The Call to Adventure
When Quentin is going to an interview for this new College he finds out the interviewer is dead when he walks in. Then this paramedic comes in who then later in the book is Jane Chatwin, she shows him that there is an envelope for Quentin. Quentin opens the envelope and its the new book to the Fillory series that hasn't come out yet and has never been made. Quentin then begins to question but the paramedic is gone, then Quentin goes out side and he sees is papers fly away to a hedge. Quentin goes into this hedge and then he finds himself in a new land called Brakebills. Then he realizes magic is real and he could attend to a magic school. This was is call to adventure attending this real magic school.
Refusal of the Quest
Quentin doesn't really have a refusal of this school, I say this because, and his life at Brooklyn isn't too good. Julia, the girl he likes, likes him to but she is dating his best friend Josh. So, Quentin doesn't think he is noticed and he wouldn't mind them forgetting him. Also, Quentin loves magic; he's played with fake magic and done magic tricks his whole life. That’s why he doesn't have a refusal because; this is always what he has wanted.
Accepting the Call
Quentin accepts going to Brakebills when he figures out magic is real. Since he is just an ordinary person and he thinks that nobody notices him, he accepts it. I say this because he loves magic and that’s what he has always dreamed, that magic is real.
Entering the Unknown
When Quentin enters Brakebills, he doesn't know what’s going to happen because it is magic. He had no clue what was going on and if it was actually real or fake. So, Quentin entered the unknown and just jumped right to it he was risking it all for to him, a good cause.
Supernatural Aid/ Mentor
His mentor was the book series Fillory and Further, I say this because these books helped him through great depression when he was a child and when he was in Brakebills. As a child it helped him have a bigger imagination to get through life and in Brakebills a lot of Fillory applied there. I say this because there were tests on Fillory, and when Fillory was actually real, Quentin knew how to get around Fillory. It helped him solve mysteries in Fillory and it taught him how to survive in the magical world.
Talisman/ Weapon
His weapons were his hands, because since he was a magician, he used his hands for battle spells and magic.
Allies and Helpers
He had a lot of Allies and Helpers, many which were his teachers, principles, and friends. Some friends were Penny, Alice, Janet, and Eliot, they were his friends throughout the whole book and they helped him go to Fillory and they aided him in fighting The Beast. Penny was his friend for a while till they started to drift away and start to hate each other. They didn't like each other because Penny slept with Alice, Quentin’s girlfriend and Quentin and Alice had a weird bond because of that.
Tests
Quentin has many tests; he has tests in Brakebills, life, and Fillory. There are several tests in Brakebills that he has to take involving; semester tests, drama tests, and The Beast. Since Quentin kind of joined half year in the semester he had to learn several standards before going into the next year, so that was a major test which he had. There were several drama rumors going around in the school, one being that Alice liked Quentin and Quentin liked her, but they didn't know if they wanted each other, so this really impacted Quentin by wondering if she liked him or if we can be together. The Beast also visited the school and froze everybody for like 15 hours and just walked around. This was a big test because Quentin was involved with this and this led him to the journey to Fillory. Also they’re many tests in Fillory, involving The Beast and Embers Tomb. Quentin had to go to Embers Tomb and in there, there were many traps, and then there was the fight with The Beast. The Beast almost killed everybody, but that was the hardest test.
The Supreme Ordeal
The big boss fight is with The Beast; The Beast is the biggest boss fight. The Beast trapped Quentin’s group and about killed all of them. It was a terrible and bloody battle and it lead to Alice’s death. In order to kill The Beast Alice sacrificed herself to save Quentin and his group. This was a sad moment because Quentin and Alice still liked each other but didn't want to admit it. So in the fight The Beast was very powerful, to the point he ate Penny's hands off and knocked Quentin out so he couldn't fight. So, it was just Eliot, Janet, and Alice to fight The Beast. They did win but Alice sacrificed her self to kill him; she tuned her self into a demon angle, which was more powerful than The Beast, then later killing him and her.
Reward and the Journey Home
Quentin does not have the biggest reward, if anything he looses part of him. I say this because, at the final battle Quentin looses Alice and that traumatizes him, and because of that he doesn't really have a reward. But, I think his overall reward is becoming a king in Fillory (you may think that’s a big, big reward, but Quentin looses more than what he got in return). Quentin’s road back was a little bit different than the others, after the fight Quentin passed out then he woke up at a hospital in Fillory. Quentin was passed out for 6 months, this is when Jane came in the room and talked about how she was the Watcher Women this whole time and how she manipulated Quentin to the quest of the Beast. This lead to Alice's death and she wouldn't reverse that for Quentin. Also, when Quentin got back home, he didn't want to do magic anymore so he got a desk job. Then one of the nights at a desk job, Quentin’s friends came in and took him to Fillory to be a King. Quentin’s also doesn't real have an atonement, he doesn't become one with his self, because these outcomes of the Beast and people dying around him makes him even less as him self. Quentin does take things into more consideration about the people around him in the next book. But, through this first book he has no atonement because it doesn't show him becoming his true self, it ends at a cliffhanger going into the next book. In book 3 however he does become his true powerful self, but not in book one. For Quentin’s return, he helped destroy the Beast from Fillory, Earth, and all magicians in general. He frees people from the Beast and sets people free from his slavery.