What book did I read: not from my childhood edition
July 15, 2024 7:40 PM Subscribe
In the last few years, I read book one (or maybe one and two) of a trilogy of fantasy novels that I would describe as “kind of Harry Potter at the PhD level”. It was not The Magicians. I think it was published in the last 10-15 years. Help me identify this book.
Details but hopefully not to spoilery ones below the fold.
In this book, 5 people in magic college are selected for a fellowship and summoned/teleported to a large mansion in what they eventually conclude is the English countryside to continue their self-directed research. Two of the people have inexplicably similar magical powers that involve physics but the others have different skills. There is a barely involved PhD advisor type whose primary job is definitely not advising people. There is a magic library that sometimes won’t let people study the things they want to study. Some people hook up and get mad at each other. Drama happens with friends and family who are in the magical community but not part of the fellowship class. Davos but for the magic world happens at the mansion. Eventually someone accidentally time travels to Los Angeles in the 1980s.
What did I read?
In this book, 5 people in magic college are selected for a fellowship and summoned/teleported to a large mansion in what they eventually conclude is the English countryside to continue their self-directed research. Two of the people have inexplicably similar magical powers that involve physics but the others have different skills. There is a barely involved PhD advisor type whose primary job is definitely not advising people. There is a magic library that sometimes won’t let people study the things they want to study. Some people hook up and get mad at each other. Drama happens with friends and family who are in the magical community but not part of the fellowship class. Davos but for the magic world happens at the mansion. Eventually someone accidentally time travels to Los Angeles in the 1980s.
What did I read?
Some of the details are wrong but this sounds a lot like the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik. The first book is "A Deadly Education".
posted by Jemstar at 10:39 AM on July 16 [1 favorite]
posted by Jemstar at 10:39 AM on July 16 [1 favorite]
There's Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. Very similar sounding themes
posted by Jacen at 11:22 AM on July 16
posted by Jacen at 11:22 AM on July 16
The magic library that doesn't always cooperate is definitely in the Scholomance books.
posted by potrzebie at 4:46 PM on July 16
posted by potrzebie at 4:46 PM on July 16
It's definitely The Atlas Six, as I think A Blue Moon realized right after posting. But the Scholomance series and Ninth House are also great reads!
posted by Pryde at 7:21 PM on July 17
posted by Pryde at 7:21 PM on July 17
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posted by A Blue Moon at 7:45 PM on July 15 [14 favorites]