Event Video: Lev Grossman

Lev Grossman has had a great month of August.

He published his second fantasy novel, The Magician King, on August 9, 2011. A week later, it hit #8 on the New York Times bestseller list. The sequel to 2009’s The Magicians, The Magician King continues the story of hero Quentin in the magical world of Fillory. Both novels are quite different from anything I’ve read in the last ten years and I’m excited that Lev decided to write the new book.

Then, at WorldCon 2011, Lev won the Campbell Award during the Hugo Awards ceremony. The Campbell Award is awarded annually to the best new science fiction or fantasy writer whose first work of science fiction or fantasy appearing in a professional publication was published in the previous two calendar years.

As I said, a great month.

The Time Magazine book critic is touring for The Magician King and he stopped in Seattle, WA on August 26, 2011. He agreed to the event being videotaped, which is below.

But first, here is a summary of The Magician King:

Return to Fillory in the riveting sequel to The New York Times bestseller and literary phenomenon of 2009–The Magicians.

The Magicians was praised as a triumph by readers and critics of both mainstream and fantasy literature. Now Grossman takes us back to Fillory, where the Brakebills graduates have fled the sorrows of the mundane world, only to face terrifying new challenges.

Quentin and his friends are now the kings and queens of Fillory, but the days and nights of royal luxury are starting to pall. After a morning hunt takes a sinister turn, Quentin and his old friend Julia charter a magical sailing ship and set out on an errand to the wild outer reaches of their kingdom. Their pleasure cruise becomes an adventure when the two are unceremoniously dumped back into the last place Quentin ever wants to see: his parent’s house in Chesterton, Massachusetts. And only the black, twisted magic that Julia learned on the streets can save them.

The Magician King is a grand voyage into the dark, glittering heart of magic, an epic quest for the Harry Potter generation. It also introduces a powerful new voice, that of Julia, whose angry genius is thrilling. Once again Grossman proves that he is the modern heir to C.S. Lewis, and the cutting edge of literary fantasy.

Here is the video of Lev at the University Bookstore. He talks about why he began writing The Magicians, how the story continues in The Magician King, and then he does a reading from the new book!

Event Video: Lev Grossman – August 26, 2011

The Magician King by Lev Grossman is in fine bookstores now!