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Warp
The lost literary origin story of #1 bestseller Lev Grossman - including a new foreword about how and why he wrote his first "It is the intense, concentrated, boiled-down essence of the unhappiest years of my life."
Twenty-something Hollis Kessler languishes in a hopelessly magician-less world (with the exception of a fleet-footed nymph named Xanthe) not too far from where he graduated college. His friends do, too. They sleep late, read too much, drink too much, talk too much, and work and earn and do way too little. But Hollis does have an there's another world going on in his head, a world of excitement and danger and starships and romance, and it's telling him that it's time to stop dreaming and get serious.
This re-publication of Lev Grossman's debut novel, Warp, shows the roots of his Magicians hero Quentin Coldwater in a book that is for anyone (and everyone) who has ever felt adrift in their own life.
Twenty-something Hollis Kessler languishes in a hopelessly magician-less world (with the exception of a fleet-footed nymph named Xanthe) not too far from where he graduated college. His friends do, too. They sleep late, read too much, drink too much, talk too much, and work and earn and do way too little. But Hollis does have an there's another world going on in his head, a world of excitement and danger and starships and romance, and it's telling him that it's time to stop dreaming and get serious.
This re-publication of Lev Grossman's debut novel, Warp, shows the roots of his Magicians hero Quentin Coldwater in a book that is for anyone (and everyone) who has ever felt adrift in their own life.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1997
66 people are currently reading
2,615 people want to read
About the author
Lev Grossman
57Ìýbooks9,914ÌýfollowersHi! I'm the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy—The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician’s Land—which was adapted as a TV show that ran for five seasons on Syfy.
I've also written two novels for children: The Silver Arrow, which the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, People magazine, Apple and Amazon all put on their best-of-the-year lists, and its sequel The Golden Swift. I do some journalist and screenwriting too.
I grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, the son of two English professors. My twin brother Austin is a writer and game designer, and my older sister Sheba is an artist. Sometimes I live in Brooklyn, New York, other times in Sydney, Australia, where my wife is from. I have three kids and a somehow steadily increasing number of cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
September 24, 2016
Apparently I'm in the minority here based on other reviews I've seen because I absolutely loved this book. No, it's not action packed but it's wonderfully written in a nothing-happens-but-we-continue-to-exist-regardless sort of way....which is important and terribly difficult to portray.
Talk about a slice of life feeling. I immediately saw a parallel to Catcher In The Rye (which I also loved), and later learned that it was a big influence for the author. Warp is the story of several boys but focuses on one in particular, Hollis, who simply doesn't seem to know quite where he fits in. Whether it's tagging along with friends or branching out on his own, nothing ever feels quite right. And yet, life goes on.
Now I should add that I've never read any other of Lev Grossman's books. I know that he is well known for his work, but this was my first glimpse. After reading this, I would definitely be interested in picking up his other works someday.
I know this book isn't going to be for everyone, and if you're looking for something fast paced and exciting you're not going to love it. However, it's short and if you're looking for some existential, philosophical something to make you ponder your own existence then I highly recommend you check it out.
What did I think?: I really enjoyed this story, and for all the reasons that others seem to not have liked it. I thought it was fun in it's simplicity, it made me think (and really think, not just about silly plot points), and it's one that the more I thought about it's meaning the more it's come to mean to me as a reader. I'll be recommending it - no, not to everyone, but I think to a lot of people who I feel can also appreciate it in the way that I have.
Who should read it?: If you enjoyed Catcher in the Rye, I really think you should pick this story up - it's not the same of course, but you'll get the same vibe. Or if you're just looking for a short and easy read that is perfect for a rainy fall night, you'll probably have a hard time putting this one down.
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Talk about a slice of life feeling. I immediately saw a parallel to Catcher In The Rye (which I also loved), and later learned that it was a big influence for the author. Warp is the story of several boys but focuses on one in particular, Hollis, who simply doesn't seem to know quite where he fits in. Whether it's tagging along with friends or branching out on his own, nothing ever feels quite right. And yet, life goes on.
Now I should add that I've never read any other of Lev Grossman's books. I know that he is well known for his work, but this was my first glimpse. After reading this, I would definitely be interested in picking up his other works someday.
I know this book isn't going to be for everyone, and if you're looking for something fast paced and exciting you're not going to love it. However, it's short and if you're looking for some existential, philosophical something to make you ponder your own existence then I highly recommend you check it out.
What did I think?: I really enjoyed this story, and for all the reasons that others seem to not have liked it. I thought it was fun in it's simplicity, it made me think (and really think, not just about silly plot points), and it's one that the more I thought about it's meaning the more it's come to mean to me as a reader. I'll be recommending it - no, not to everyone, but I think to a lot of people who I feel can also appreciate it in the way that I have.
Who should read it?: If you enjoyed Catcher in the Rye, I really think you should pick this story up - it's not the same of course, but you'll get the same vibe. Or if you're just looking for a short and easy read that is perfect for a rainy fall night, you'll probably have a hard time putting this one down.
*I was provided with a copy of this book in order to conduct this honest review.*
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December 3, 2020
I always see reviewers say that they “soooo wanted to like this book, but...�;Warp was kind of the opposite for me.
Here's the thing: the whole story is sparsely filled with disaffected douchewangs and self-propelled uselessness. No one in the book seems to genuinely care about anyone or anything, and I echoed the sentiment right back at it: I didn't like the characters; I didn't care about the story.
But...
Parts of Warp were so painfully resonant. I too have been darkly listless, apathetically aimless. My experience with those states vary widely from the main character Hollis', but that doesn't lessen the echo of my understanding.
I can't say it is a good book, though the writing skill itself is more than adequate. It is bleak and about nothing really at all. I can't say, either, that it offers inspiration or motivation. But it offers a raw recognition of a state of mind that we usually judge harshly, and maybe well under the apathy there can be gleaned some empathy.
I didn't want to like Warp. I don't know that I did. But I can see what Grossman was after, and I think I can appreciate that.
(Sill, in case disaffected douchewangery is somehow catchy, I really can't recommend this to anyone. One of the downsides of social distancing is that there isn't anyone around to tell me if this book has turned me into an asshat.)
Here's the thing: the whole story is sparsely filled with disaffected douchewangs and self-propelled uselessness. No one in the book seems to genuinely care about anyone or anything, and I echoed the sentiment right back at it: I didn't like the characters; I didn't care about the story.
But...
Parts of Warp were so painfully resonant. I too have been darkly listless, apathetically aimless. My experience with those states vary widely from the main character Hollis', but that doesn't lessen the echo of my understanding.
I can't say it is a good book, though the writing skill itself is more than adequate. It is bleak and about nothing really at all. I can't say, either, that it offers inspiration or motivation. But it offers a raw recognition of a state of mind that we usually judge harshly, and maybe well under the apathy there can be gleaned some empathy.
I didn't want to like Warp. I don't know that I did. But I can see what Grossman was after, and I think I can appreciate that.
(Sill, in case disaffected douchewangery is somehow catchy, I really can't recommend this to anyone. One of the downsides of social distancing is that there isn't anyone around to tell me if this book has turned me into an asshat.)
August 16, 2016
I thought this book would never end, and considering the length of it (it's kinda short) that's saying something.
A couple of days in the life of an over-privileged 20-something and all I could think was, "when is something going to happen?"
To make it even more annoying, the guy has this inner monologue going on that is incredibly random and often repetitive. I forced myself to finish it, but it wasn't easy!
A couple of days in the life of an over-privileged 20-something and all I could think was, "when is something going to happen?"
To make it even more annoying, the guy has this inner monologue going on that is incredibly random and often repetitive. I forced myself to finish it, but it wasn't easy!
May 24, 2021
I’m glad this was a short book. This one was not a good fit for me. We get thrown into the story and I didn’t really follow exactly what was happening or why. The characters were terrible young men with a lot of sex on the brain. Like, it got old. Overall, I guess I don’t understand what the point of this book is?
August 8, 2016
If you’re a fan of Lev Grossman, this is kind of a must read. Mind you, it isn’t a particularly good book, nor does much happen in it. Okay, nothing really happens. It’s very much a pretentious, post-college type first novel. Truth be told, I’m surprised it even found a publisher because, while any sharp editor might recognize the potential here, it’s easy to see the author reaching for something that seems just beyond his grasp. Of course, if you’re familiar with his later works, you know he gets there eventually. And that’s precisely why it’s a must for fans of his Magicians trilogy - because the seeds of those epic and wonderful novels are on almost every page of Warp. So yeah, for that it gets four stars.
In brief, it’s the story of Hollis Kessler, a glum, broke and unemployed college grad living in Boston who, along with his sardonic pal Peters, breaks into a mansion for a weekend of debauchery while the owners are away. They both smoke and drink a lot, discuss friends, former classmates and the various women in their lives and toss around a lot of nerdy film quotes. That’s pretty much it. Oh, and Hollis has a constant interior narration in response to what’s going on around him that consists of quotations from books and films (some easily recognizable, others not so much).
So much of what’s in this book ended up in The Magicians in some form or another � if Hollis is the prototype for the Magicians protagonist, Quentin Coldwater, than surely Peters is a nascent version of Elliot. Their whole dynamic, their geeky conversations and way of speaking - it's all there. The two breaking into the mansion owned by acquaintances of Peters vaguely recalls Elliot and Alice's struggle to gain access to the Physical Kids' cottage. The moment when Hollis steps off the trolley into the huge deserted brick plaza of the Government Center had strange echoes of Quentin's arrival in the Neitherlands. Even the recurring image of a migrating flock of geese, which merits two brief mentions in Warp, ended up playing a significant role in the trilogy. And how often are blown glass animals mentioned in modern literature, for Christ's sake? It's as if Grossman wrote about the sorry state of his life in Warp and then, years later, revisited that time and place to uncover all the potential magic lurking just beneath the surface.
But mostly, it's the tone.
I think the fact that this book was re-issued now, in the wake of the enormous popularity of The Magicians, actually casts it in a more favorable light than when it first came out (read some of the Amazon reviews from 1998/1999 and you’ll see what I mean). As I was reading it, I kept expecting something magical to happen, because, tonally, it reminded me so much of Grossman’s other books. Naturally, my expectations were dashed. Therefore, Hollis becomes a stand-in for the reader. He also seems to be searching for something or waiting for something to happen. His dramatic inner monologue betrays his aspirations for a more remarkable life, but outwardly, his inertia prevents him from achieving anything. That intangible magic is just beyond his grasp. I suppose the same could be said for Lev Grossman in 1998. Thank goodness he kept at it.
I would recommend this for Lev Grossman fans. Anyone who has not read The Magicians and/or Codex, not so much.
In brief, it’s the story of Hollis Kessler, a glum, broke and unemployed college grad living in Boston who, along with his sardonic pal Peters, breaks into a mansion for a weekend of debauchery while the owners are away. They both smoke and drink a lot, discuss friends, former classmates and the various women in their lives and toss around a lot of nerdy film quotes. That’s pretty much it. Oh, and Hollis has a constant interior narration in response to what’s going on around him that consists of quotations from books and films (some easily recognizable, others not so much).
So much of what’s in this book ended up in The Magicians in some form or another � if Hollis is the prototype for the Magicians protagonist, Quentin Coldwater, than surely Peters is a nascent version of Elliot. Their whole dynamic, their geeky conversations and way of speaking - it's all there. The two breaking into the mansion owned by acquaintances of Peters vaguely recalls Elliot and Alice's struggle to gain access to the Physical Kids' cottage. The moment when Hollis steps off the trolley into the huge deserted brick plaza of the Government Center had strange echoes of Quentin's arrival in the Neitherlands. Even the recurring image of a migrating flock of geese, which merits two brief mentions in Warp, ended up playing a significant role in the trilogy. And how often are blown glass animals mentioned in modern literature, for Christ's sake? It's as if Grossman wrote about the sorry state of his life in Warp and then, years later, revisited that time and place to uncover all the potential magic lurking just beneath the surface.
But mostly, it's the tone.
I think the fact that this book was re-issued now, in the wake of the enormous popularity of The Magicians, actually casts it in a more favorable light than when it first came out (read some of the Amazon reviews from 1998/1999 and you’ll see what I mean). As I was reading it, I kept expecting something magical to happen, because, tonally, it reminded me so much of Grossman’s other books. Naturally, my expectations were dashed. Therefore, Hollis becomes a stand-in for the reader. He also seems to be searching for something or waiting for something to happen. His dramatic inner monologue betrays his aspirations for a more remarkable life, but outwardly, his inertia prevents him from achieving anything. That intangible magic is just beyond his grasp. I suppose the same could be said for Lev Grossman in 1998. Thank goodness he kept at it.
I would recommend this for Lev Grossman fans. Anyone who has not read The Magicians and/or Codex, not so much.
October 7, 2024
I won a copy of
Warp
from a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Giveaway and though I’m always excited to win any book, I was not holding out hope for this one.
Full disclosure: I did not have high hopes for this because I didn't like The Magicians.
It was well written but that was the only saving grace. I disliked the characters, all of them, immensely and saw them as nothing more than whiny, privileged self serving brats who, in another universe, would become callous CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
All the magic in the world couldn’t save the book so I didn’t bother reading the rest of the trilogy.
Reading Warp didn’t warp me (pardon the pun) but if it was any longer, it might have.
I’m still not sure why this was published or what the purpose of the book is, perhaps I’m not whiny, disaffected or selfish enough to understand, but you won’t find existential meaning from a bunch of bratty, hopeless young adults roaming around in their hapless lives wondering Is this it?
And what’s with the random, internal thoughts running in Hollis� head all the time?
There was no cohesiveness to these paragraphs or one-liners.
He talks about Star Trek, medieval times, an old girlfriend but there’s no logic or relationship to any of these topics.
Is it supposed to demonstrate he wished he was someone else, somewhere else? Because I sure did.
I wanted this book to be even shorter. And I wish I was married to George Clooney.
It reminded me of that scene in Family Guy where Peter narrates a day in his life.
That was hilarious.
This book was just nothing.
Full disclosure: I did not have high hopes for this because I didn't like The Magicians.
It was well written but that was the only saving grace. I disliked the characters, all of them, immensely and saw them as nothing more than whiny, privileged self serving brats who, in another universe, would become callous CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
All the magic in the world couldn’t save the book so I didn’t bother reading the rest of the trilogy.
Reading Warp didn’t warp me (pardon the pun) but if it was any longer, it might have.
I’m still not sure why this was published or what the purpose of the book is, perhaps I’m not whiny, disaffected or selfish enough to understand, but you won’t find existential meaning from a bunch of bratty, hopeless young adults roaming around in their hapless lives wondering Is this it?
And what’s with the random, internal thoughts running in Hollis� head all the time?
There was no cohesiveness to these paragraphs or one-liners.
He talks about Star Trek, medieval times, an old girlfriend but there’s no logic or relationship to any of these topics.
Is it supposed to demonstrate he wished he was someone else, somewhere else? Because I sure did.
I wanted this book to be even shorter. And I wish I was married to George Clooney.
It reminded me of that scene in Family Guy where Peter narrates a day in his life.
That was hilarious.
This book was just nothing.
April 3, 2023
While the premise sounded intriguing, i found it a bit misleading. This felt a little like a school assignment that went long. Nothing really happens. The writing was okay, lots of 80's pop culture references, but there was no propulsion, nothing keeping me in the story. I admit to a little skimming in parts closer to the end.
If you're looking for something reminiscent of being a young white man lost and wandering through life in the 80's, this might be up your alley.
If you're looking for something reminiscent of being a young white man lost and wandering through life in the 80's, this might be up your alley.
June 26, 2017
'"What happened?" he whispered.
"Not too fucking much."'
During one of the rare passages of Lev Grossman's Warp that, generously speaking, could be considered suspenseful, the protagonist and a friend have this exchange which I've quoted above. I quite liked this brief colloquy, because it doubles as a very succinct summary of the book itself.
"Not too fucking much."'
During one of the rare passages of Lev Grossman's Warp that, generously speaking, could be considered suspenseful, the protagonist and a friend have this exchange which I've quoted above. I quite liked this brief colloquy, because it doubles as a very succinct summary of the book itself.
July 4, 2017
I still haven't read The Magicians. I saw the first season of the tv series, and enjoyed it, and I have the book, but just haven't gotten around to it. Everything I've read about Warp indicates that The Magicians is miles better � and I hope so.
The description says that Warp is "Unlike other self-indulgent, whiny narratives of post-graduation angst"� Which is funny. I haven't read many (any) such self-indulgent or whiny narratives, but Warp was pretty darned self-indulgent and angsty, and seemed simply too apathetic to be whiny. Hollis has wound up in his crappy apartment, which he can't afford, with no job and no future and no prospects, purely because of self-indulgent lassitude. He's a slug, an amorphous blob beginning to take the vague shape of a man.
I kept expecting something to happen - and when something did, I kept expecting it to change things somehow. But nothing did. Beginning to end, Hollis is an untethered balloon, and he's apparently leaking air. I hope I wasn't supposed to feel any sort of sympathy for him. This gets two stars rather than one because I've read worse - but it was a near thing.
This wasn't awful; I definitely didn't love it, but it also didn't actively make me want to quit. It also would not make me want to read The Magicians if I didn't know better. Good marketing strategy, Lev Grossman's publisher, to re-release this early work now. Well done.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
The description says that Warp is "Unlike other self-indulgent, whiny narratives of post-graduation angst"� Which is funny. I haven't read many (any) such self-indulgent or whiny narratives, but Warp was pretty darned self-indulgent and angsty, and seemed simply too apathetic to be whiny. Hollis has wound up in his crappy apartment, which he can't afford, with no job and no future and no prospects, purely because of self-indulgent lassitude. He's a slug, an amorphous blob beginning to take the vague shape of a man.
I kept expecting something to happen - and when something did, I kept expecting it to change things somehow. But nothing did. Beginning to end, Hollis is an untethered balloon, and he's apparently leaking air. I hope I wasn't supposed to feel any sort of sympathy for him. This gets two stars rather than one because I've read worse - but it was a near thing.
This wasn't awful; I definitely didn't love it, but it also didn't actively make me want to quit. It also would not make me want to read The Magicians if I didn't know better. Good marketing strategy, Lev Grossman's publisher, to re-release this early work now. Well done.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
July 5, 2018
'What happened?" he whispered.
"Not too fucking much."
Okay. Here's the deal. I can truly appreciate the lack of anything really happening in Warp. I enjoyed the book for that notion... how something so simple can speak volumes. The tone of the writing had the most impact.
What is leaving me feeling underwhelmed is that I am just so confused with the ending... what's with the girl... and the house. Like.. WHAT HAPPENED? I am pretty sure I could pull out many examples in which Hollis seems I have NO IDEA. You're guess is as good as mine.
When I picked up this book, it was at convention and I actually got to meet Grossman! He autographed my copy and I shared with him how the summary of the book sounded sooo good and right up my alley! He thanked me and hoped I enjoyed the story! I've read that Hollis is very similar to one of the main characters in [which I haven't had the chance to read yet!]
"Not too fucking much."
Okay. Here's the deal. I can truly appreciate the lack of anything really happening in Warp. I enjoyed the book for that notion... how something so simple can speak volumes. The tone of the writing had the most impact.
What is leaving me feeling underwhelmed is that I am just so confused with the ending... what's with the girl... and the house. Like.. WHAT HAPPENED? I am pretty sure I could pull out many examples in which Hollis seems I have NO IDEA. You're guess is as good as mine.
When I picked up this book, it was at convention and I actually got to meet Grossman! He autographed my copy and I shared with him how the summary of the book sounded sooo good and right up my alley! He thanked me and hoped I enjoyed the story! I've read that Hollis is very similar to one of the main characters in [which I haven't had the chance to read yet!]
August 10, 2016
~I Received a free copy of this from netgalley~
Today I thank the Lord Jesus that Quentin Coldwater was accepted into Brakebills, learned magic, and had adventures in Fillory.
Because this book was a cold hard look at what Quentin would have become if he'd gone to an ivy league school and ended up in a crap apartment with a meaningless life and no direction.
And honestly, I spent the entire time wanting to punch Hollis in the face until I didn't have to listen to his inane thoughts any longer.
The introduction was good though, so I can definitely recommend that you read that. But otherwise, I would recommend that you skip this novel, go read The Magician's Trilogy, or maybe check out the lovely short story he had in
Today I thank the Lord Jesus that Quentin Coldwater was accepted into Brakebills, learned magic, and had adventures in Fillory.
Because this book was a cold hard look at what Quentin would have become if he'd gone to an ivy league school and ended up in a crap apartment with a meaningless life and no direction.
And honestly, I spent the entire time wanting to punch Hollis in the face until I didn't have to listen to his inane thoughts any longer.
The introduction was good though, so I can definitely recommend that you read that. But otherwise, I would recommend that you skip this novel, go read The Magician's Trilogy, or maybe check out the lovely short story he had in
December 21, 2016
I picked this up hoping to keep myself warm this winter with the banked flame of my rage against Grossman's terrible whining baby-men heroes. However, two chapters in, there's already two descriptions of dreams and one metaphor about an abandoned shopping bag blowing in the chill wind. This is too boring even to hate-read.
August 29, 2016
2 stars -
A young man wanders around Boston over the course of a day and a half, worrying vaguely about an ex-girlfriend.
I've been hearing about Lev Grossman's The Magicians, but it didn't hold much appeal for me. When I saw this book available and listed as a prequel (it doesn't seem to be), I thought I'd give it a shot.
The book is easily summed up - it's a sequel to Catcher in the Rye, with some quotes thrown in. The book follows a wan Caulfield wannabe, detailing the quotidian minutiae of two days in which very little happens. That's a format that has worked for others, but it doesn't even come close here. The hero, Hollis, never comes close to being interested, and he mostly walks around aimlessly, acting mostly at random, the dullness enlivened only slightly by quotes and inventions that are apropos to his situation. His compatriots, save one woman, are equally neurotic and equally sophomoric would-be intellectuals. That one woman is cast as 'mysterious pixie', and has very little to do. Even Grossman hints ("Same old Caulfield") that he recognizes the essentially derivative nature of the book, which is evident within the first dozen pages.
Grossman himself clearly has some talent with prose, but this book is the perfect example of a good writer with nothing to say, and a determination to say it. While the closing line does provide a faint level of satisfaction, it in no way makes up for the plodding sameness of the preceding 132 pages. I never for a moment was able to care about any part of the story, which inverts the standard of storytelling by leaving out all the interesting parts, and focusing on the boring ones.
Grossman knows how to write. What I'm not convinced of is whether he knows what to write about, or whether he has anything of his own to say. As for this book: if you want to read about Holden Caulfield, read J. D. Salinger. Warp has nothing to add. I hope the Magician books are better. I won't be checking them out; the fact that they're described as "The Catcher in the Rye for devotees of alternative universes" suggests that Grossman's later books may just be more successful retreads of the same tired theme.
A young man wanders around Boston over the course of a day and a half, worrying vaguely about an ex-girlfriend.
I've been hearing about Lev Grossman's The Magicians, but it didn't hold much appeal for me. When I saw this book available and listed as a prequel (it doesn't seem to be), I thought I'd give it a shot.
The book is easily summed up - it's a sequel to Catcher in the Rye, with some quotes thrown in. The book follows a wan Caulfield wannabe, detailing the quotidian minutiae of two days in which very little happens. That's a format that has worked for others, but it doesn't even come close here. The hero, Hollis, never comes close to being interested, and he mostly walks around aimlessly, acting mostly at random, the dullness enlivened only slightly by quotes and inventions that are apropos to his situation. His compatriots, save one woman, are equally neurotic and equally sophomoric would-be intellectuals. That one woman is cast as 'mysterious pixie', and has very little to do. Even Grossman hints ("Same old Caulfield") that he recognizes the essentially derivative nature of the book, which is evident within the first dozen pages.
Grossman himself clearly has some talent with prose, but this book is the perfect example of a good writer with nothing to say, and a determination to say it. While the closing line does provide a faint level of satisfaction, it in no way makes up for the plodding sameness of the preceding 132 pages. I never for a moment was able to care about any part of the story, which inverts the standard of storytelling by leaving out all the interesting parts, and focusing on the boring ones.
Grossman knows how to write. What I'm not convinced of is whether he knows what to write about, or whether he has anything of his own to say. As for this book: if you want to read about Holden Caulfield, read J. D. Salinger. Warp has nothing to add. I hope the Magician books are better. I won't be checking them out; the fact that they're described as "The Catcher in the Rye for devotees of alternative universes" suggests that Grossman's later books may just be more successful retreads of the same tired theme.
December 31, 2018
The introduction swamped me in a wave of nostalgia, but I couldn't make it more than thirty pages in.
I'm a Gen Xer and a sf&f nerd. I should be the exact audience for this, but as a woman, my 90s experience involved a fair amount of ducking Hollis Kesslers. Guys like him were hard enough to take in real life; I'm not subjecting myself to a bunch of awkward navel-gazing about them, at least not without a more compelling hook than we got here.
The next time I'm craving a nostalgia bump, I'll revisit What's Eating Gilbert Grape or maybe Shampoo Planet.
I'm a Gen Xer and a sf&f nerd. I should be the exact audience for this, but as a woman, my 90s experience involved a fair amount of ducking Hollis Kesslers. Guys like him were hard enough to take in real life; I'm not subjecting myself to a bunch of awkward navel-gazing about them, at least not without a more compelling hook than we got here.
The next time I'm craving a nostalgia bump, I'll revisit What's Eating Gilbert Grape or maybe Shampoo Planet.
September 20, 2016
I positively despised this book and bailed at 17%. I picked it up based on the author, Lev Grossman. His other books are right in my genre wheelhouse. This however, is not.
If you're interested in reading about obnoxious post-college guys living in 1990s Boston, then it may appeal to you. But I bailed after a Lexus-driving, entitled, boy-man character pushes the frame (with glass inside) out of his unemployed friend's window and basically says, "Oops!"
Life is too short to spend reading "lost" first books that are being resurrected. There's a reason a quality first book is a rarity.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you're interested in reading about obnoxious post-college guys living in 1990s Boston, then it may appeal to you. But I bailed after a Lexus-driving, entitled, boy-man character pushes the frame (with glass inside) out of his unemployed friend's window and basically says, "Oops!"
Life is too short to spend reading "lost" first books that are being resurrected. There's a reason a quality first book is a rarity.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 12, 2020
I know it was short, but the read felt oh so long and unsatisfying.
December 29, 2024
Discussion Questions: (at least the ones that can be turned into a review)
2: I think anyone that has been twenty can somewhat sympathize with Hollis the character, in the "what am I doing" sense, but Hollis is a pretty useless character. I mean, I was kind of lost in my twenties, but I still had a job and didn't commit B&E's with self-admittedly "somewhat pedophilic" friends.
3. Hollis' daydreams only seemed to show, to me, how highly he thought of himself and how lost he was in his life. They were also at times the most entertaining part of the book, but I'm not sure if the author wanted me to be more interested in the movies and shows he referenced than the book i was reading.
4. I'm still not sure what significance the title Warp is to the story, other than how things change as you go through life. Or how bad friends can warp you. I really did not like Peters, the friend mentioned in question 2.
7. I don't know why Xanthe was in the story? The back of the book alludes to her being somewhat important, but how/why was she even there at the end? Hollis never told her what him and Peters were doing. Did he? She was kind of just the token manic pixie dream girl. She didn't even help him get over his ex that he was pining for the whole book.
11. The rest of Hollis' life would probably go downhill for him. He made no actions to better himself, and the book ends with him committing a crime. But in real life Hollis seems to be based on Lev himself, so I guess he wrote about this phase and become an author? Kinda weird.
12. I'm sure the book ended the way it did to show how life just goes on, and you never actually get a solid ending for most things in it, but as a reader it left me unsatisfied. There really was no rising action in this book at all. Just "we should break into this place," some wandering around and thinking about life, to "hey, we broke into this place." Seemed like they should have gotten arrested or something, Peters mentioned that the cops had been on alert the last day, was that because of the first housebreak our characters did or just coincidence? Not sure, but it left me with giving the book 2 stars.
2: I think anyone that has been twenty can somewhat sympathize with Hollis the character, in the "what am I doing" sense, but Hollis is a pretty useless character. I mean, I was kind of lost in my twenties, but I still had a job and didn't commit B&E's with self-admittedly "somewhat pedophilic" friends.
3. Hollis' daydreams only seemed to show, to me, how highly he thought of himself and how lost he was in his life. They were also at times the most entertaining part of the book, but I'm not sure if the author wanted me to be more interested in the movies and shows he referenced than the book i was reading.
4. I'm still not sure what significance the title Warp is to the story, other than how things change as you go through life. Or how bad friends can warp you. I really did not like Peters, the friend mentioned in question 2.
7. I don't know why Xanthe was in the story? The back of the book alludes to her being somewhat important, but how/why was she even there at the end? Hollis never told her what him and Peters were doing. Did he? She was kind of just the token manic pixie dream girl. She didn't even help him get over his ex that he was pining for the whole book.
11. The rest of Hollis' life would probably go downhill for him. He made no actions to better himself, and the book ends with him committing a crime. But in real life Hollis seems to be based on Lev himself, so I guess he wrote about this phase and become an author? Kinda weird.
12. I'm sure the book ended the way it did to show how life just goes on, and you never actually get a solid ending for most things in it, but as a reader it left me unsatisfied. There really was no rising action in this book at all. Just "we should break into this place," some wandering around and thinking about life, to "hey, we broke into this place." Seemed like they should have gotten arrested or something, Peters mentioned that the cops had been on alert the last day, was that because of the first housebreak our characters did or just coincidence? Not sure, but it left me with giving the book 2 stars.
November 23, 2016
3,5 stars. Wasn't as bad as the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ reviews suggested, but there was something lacking.
I definitely loved the writing style--it can certainly get cumbersome at times, and sometimes I have to reread certain passages multiple times, but Grossman paints a very vivid picture of Boston, and the places that Hollis visited. I absolutely loved the scene where Hollis and Peters went to the Donnellys house for the first time, to steal their spare key. I can really picture the place in my mind, and it does sound like such a lovely, hashtag aesthetic house. I also love the descriptions of Hollis' surroundings in correlation with the state of his mind and how he's feeling--I think Lev Grossman is a very subtle author, he doesn't tell (even if the blurb at the back of the book has foreshadowed what state/condition of life Hollis is in and what his state of mind was like) and instead, he clued us through the surroundings and how Hollis perceived the city of Boston in his current adrift state. However, this can be a two-edged sword, since it left me feeling like I missed something, and there's an overtly vague feeling hanging over everything. I think maybe that's in line with the novel's spirit (about being adrift in life with the warp being a metaphor--a clever metaphor, I might add, and as a Star Trek fan, I approve), which, in that case, the author has certainly accomplished his goals, but I still feel like the entire thing is so vague and hazy, like those soap bubbles waiting to pop.
Maybe that's a good metaphor for Warp. The style of writing and the characters (privileged rich kids doing shady shit, drifting through life in search of meaning and purpose) reminded me of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch to some degree, and there's also something very hypnotic about Grossman's writing that makes me unable to put down Warp. However, while Tartt always writes with a clear, larger goal in mind, Warp was (from what I can inferred) meant to be a portrait (maybe a fictionalized self-portrait of the author) of what it's like being an unemployed, twenty-something Ivy League graduate in 90s Boston. Grossman did state in the introduction that this was a "period piece".
Seen from this perspective, the ending isn't bad and the story doesn't just stop there. The Goldfinch has a similar, "cliffhanger" ending (where things are left purposely open-ended), albeit after a long monologue from Theo, the protagonist, which gave a better sense of where he was going after the narrative wraps itself up than Warp. But we can forgive Warp, after all, it wasn't meant to be a masterpiece, and the similarities between the two probably stopped there.
There's not much to be said for the characters. I think Hollis was meant to be a stand-in for every twenty-something out there who was adrift in life after uni (23 here, officially unemployed, three months out of uni) and who felt that fiction is more vivid, more alive than real life (who doesn't felt this way at some point, if you're an avid consumer of fiction and a fledgling writer/poet like me). He doesn't have that much personality other than the purpose and role the narrative has stamped out for him (much like in a fairy tale, where a character's inner life is pretty much nonexistent, and they're known by their function in the story). His friends are pretty much nondescript and forgettable, although colourful (love all the Scotty jokes, Original Series fan here). The two girls with a role to play in the narrative, Xanthe and Eileen, was vivid and more fleshed-out than Hollis' friends, though I wish Xanthe's background was explored more and the past relationship between Eileen and Hollis was expanded (but that would definitely counter the point of Warp since it's about Hollis, and not other people in his life). I love Xanthe.
Overall, Warp is a fairly good quick read (I really love the humour and the banter), and its main strength is its writing style and Grossman's ability to describe the setting, but don't expect an overly poetic soliloquy from Hollis. His "thoughts" can also get confusing at times, especially if you're not that savvy at pop culture (like me, although that Space Odyssey bit is particularly clever). There's no overt silver lining, the fair maiden doesn't set the hero on the right track (although she tried), and there's no magical mentors involved here, however--if you're looking for something inspiring, something enlightening, that "oh" moment on the inside, then read something else. But the blurb is correct on one thing: this is for anyone (well, any twenty-something) who had ever felt adrift in their lives. Warp is imperfect, and there's a lot of room for improvement, but it's not that bad. And I think I have to note here that I haven't read The Magicians, so I can kind of refute that "this is for Lev Grossman fans" fan theory.
Wouldn't really recommend but it was a fairly enjoyable experience reading this novel.
I definitely loved the writing style--it can certainly get cumbersome at times, and sometimes I have to reread certain passages multiple times, but Grossman paints a very vivid picture of Boston, and the places that Hollis visited. I absolutely loved the scene where Hollis and Peters went to the Donnellys house for the first time, to steal their spare key. I can really picture the place in my mind, and it does sound like such a lovely, hashtag aesthetic house. I also love the descriptions of Hollis' surroundings in correlation with the state of his mind and how he's feeling--I think Lev Grossman is a very subtle author, he doesn't tell (even if the blurb at the back of the book has foreshadowed what state/condition of life Hollis is in and what his state of mind was like) and instead, he clued us through the surroundings and how Hollis perceived the city of Boston in his current adrift state. However, this can be a two-edged sword, since it left me feeling like I missed something, and there's an overtly vague feeling hanging over everything. I think maybe that's in line with the novel's spirit (about being adrift in life with the warp being a metaphor--a clever metaphor, I might add, and as a Star Trek fan, I approve), which, in that case, the author has certainly accomplished his goals, but I still feel like the entire thing is so vague and hazy, like those soap bubbles waiting to pop.
Maybe that's a good metaphor for Warp. The style of writing and the characters (privileged rich kids doing shady shit, drifting through life in search of meaning and purpose) reminded me of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch to some degree, and there's also something very hypnotic about Grossman's writing that makes me unable to put down Warp. However, while Tartt always writes with a clear, larger goal in mind, Warp was (from what I can inferred) meant to be a portrait (maybe a fictionalized self-portrait of the author) of what it's like being an unemployed, twenty-something Ivy League graduate in 90s Boston. Grossman did state in the introduction that this was a "period piece".
Seen from this perspective, the ending isn't bad and the story doesn't just stop there. The Goldfinch has a similar, "cliffhanger" ending (where things are left purposely open-ended), albeit after a long monologue from Theo, the protagonist, which gave a better sense of where he was going after the narrative wraps itself up than Warp. But we can forgive Warp, after all, it wasn't meant to be a masterpiece, and the similarities between the two probably stopped there.
There's not much to be said for the characters. I think Hollis was meant to be a stand-in for every twenty-something out there who was adrift in life after uni (23 here, officially unemployed, three months out of uni) and who felt that fiction is more vivid, more alive than real life (who doesn't felt this way at some point, if you're an avid consumer of fiction and a fledgling writer/poet like me). He doesn't have that much personality other than the purpose and role the narrative has stamped out for him (much like in a fairy tale, where a character's inner life is pretty much nonexistent, and they're known by their function in the story). His friends are pretty much nondescript and forgettable, although colourful (love all the Scotty jokes, Original Series fan here). The two girls with a role to play in the narrative, Xanthe and Eileen, was vivid and more fleshed-out than Hollis' friends, though I wish Xanthe's background was explored more and the past relationship between Eileen and Hollis was expanded (but that would definitely counter the point of Warp since it's about Hollis, and not other people in his life). I love Xanthe.
Overall, Warp is a fairly good quick read (I really love the humour and the banter), and its main strength is its writing style and Grossman's ability to describe the setting, but don't expect an overly poetic soliloquy from Hollis. His "thoughts" can also get confusing at times, especially if you're not that savvy at pop culture (like me, although that Space Odyssey bit is particularly clever). There's no overt silver lining, the fair maiden doesn't set the hero on the right track (although she tried), and there's no magical mentors involved here, however--if you're looking for something inspiring, something enlightening, that "oh" moment on the inside, then read something else. But the blurb is correct on one thing: this is for anyone (well, any twenty-something) who had ever felt adrift in their lives. Warp is imperfect, and there's a lot of room for improvement, but it's not that bad. And I think I have to note here that I haven't read The Magicians, so I can kind of refute that "this is for Lev Grossman fans" fan theory.
Wouldn't really recommend but it was a fairly enjoyable experience reading this novel.
November 17, 2016
I didn't think this was nearly as bad as many of the reviews on GoodReads indicate, but...The Magicians it is most definitely not.
Warp was written before The Magicians trilogy and before Codex, and you don't need to check publishing dates to know this is a first novel. Grossman's signature wit and unique style is there, but it's buried under a lot of angst and apathy that smacks of a young male writer engaging in the textbook Holden Caufield worship that plagues every male under the age of 40 who thinks he's the first dude to be lonely and misunderstood.
The publisher, in what I imagine was a desperate attempt to link this up to The Magicians to sell more copies in the second volley of printing, asks us in the discussion questions if we see shades of Quentin Coldwater in Hollis.
While it's true they're the same "type," there's not much similarly once you dig in. Quentin was certainly an odd duck and had his share of misanthropic moments, but he (thankfully) lacked the overwhelmingly apathetic, nihilistic mindset of Hollis, who, while just as good at tossing off poignant bon mots as Quentin, is largely unsympathetic because he's just such a, well...a dud. Even his boring, slacker friends are less boring and slacker-y than he is.
This book also probably needed a strong female character to balance out all the pouty, angsty boy energy.
Quentin's character was balanced out by Julia, Alice, and even Janet and Jane Chatwin. Poor Hollis only got a one-dimensional, benignly yuppie-ish ex-girlfriend and a pre-grunge, oddball, casual-encounter gal who might have become interesting if she'd only been given more than a handful of lines.
Anyway, Grossman's trademark dry humor is certainly present, and the writing itself is good. But it's clear that he was still learning how to craft a plot and develop characters when this was published.
Mostly though, the literary world just didn't need another Holden Caufield. (As a dedicated Salinger hater, I'm not sure it needed the first one). But alas, it got one anyway in Warp.
I'm not sorry I read this and I definitely found more than a few redeeming qualities in it, but it's a long, steep drop from The Magicians and even from Codex to this puppy.
Warp was written before The Magicians trilogy and before Codex, and you don't need to check publishing dates to know this is a first novel. Grossman's signature wit and unique style is there, but it's buried under a lot of angst and apathy that smacks of a young male writer engaging in the textbook Holden Caufield worship that plagues every male under the age of 40 who thinks he's the first dude to be lonely and misunderstood.
The publisher, in what I imagine was a desperate attempt to link this up to The Magicians to sell more copies in the second volley of printing, asks us in the discussion questions if we see shades of Quentin Coldwater in Hollis.
While it's true they're the same "type," there's not much similarly once you dig in. Quentin was certainly an odd duck and had his share of misanthropic moments, but he (thankfully) lacked the overwhelmingly apathetic, nihilistic mindset of Hollis, who, while just as good at tossing off poignant bon mots as Quentin, is largely unsympathetic because he's just such a, well...a dud. Even his boring, slacker friends are less boring and slacker-y than he is.
This book also probably needed a strong female character to balance out all the pouty, angsty boy energy.
Quentin's character was balanced out by Julia, Alice, and even Janet and Jane Chatwin. Poor Hollis only got a one-dimensional, benignly yuppie-ish ex-girlfriend and a pre-grunge, oddball, casual-encounter gal who might have become interesting if she'd only been given more than a handful of lines.
Anyway, Grossman's trademark dry humor is certainly present, and the writing itself is good. But it's clear that he was still learning how to craft a plot and develop characters when this was published.
Mostly though, the literary world just didn't need another Holden Caufield. (As a dedicated Salinger hater, I'm not sure it needed the first one). But alas, it got one anyway in Warp.
I'm not sorry I read this and I definitely found more than a few redeeming qualities in it, but it's a long, steep drop from The Magicians and even from Codex to this puppy.
December 31, 2019
This is a great book, made unfortunately attackable by its misfiling in the SF section—Grossman's piece of the block. Really, if you pick it up not expecting people to blast off to another planet or go back in time, you won't be disappointed. (Some of the reviews, fittingly, remind me of the comments Richard Linklater reports overhearing in the book for Slacker: "There's some hostility, but I'd be surprised if there wouldn't be: 'They don't do anything!'")
Still, this is a book, and not a movie, so, I'm not quite sure what all the griping is, especially since Grossman grasp of cultural settings in the mind—not just the things we know and think of, but how and why they occur to is—is sure-footed and innovative. (He says he worked on it for 5 years, and it looks it: Very ironed-out!) If the whole point was to produce a worthy successor to Generation X and Slacker, I'd say he'd succeeded in spades. (Follow-up's to this one, chronologically, would include Pagan Kennedy's The Exes , from 1999, another tour around as-it-happens-Boston thrifting and rooommates and used-stuff climes, as well as Leslie Stella's , featuring another protagonist who mythologizes her everyday self: "I felt like a bootblack in Victorian England," she says, of her walk in the snow from the El to her Chicago copy-editing job ... )
And the beat lives on! :)
Still, this is a book, and not a movie, so, I'm not quite sure what all the griping is, especially since Grossman grasp of cultural settings in the mind—not just the things we know and think of, but how and why they occur to is—is sure-footed and innovative. (He says he worked on it for 5 years, and it looks it: Very ironed-out!) If the whole point was to produce a worthy successor to Generation X and Slacker, I'd say he'd succeeded in spades. (Follow-up's to this one, chronologically, would include Pagan Kennedy's The Exes , from 1999, another tour around as-it-happens-Boston thrifting and rooommates and used-stuff climes, as well as Leslie Stella's , featuring another protagonist who mythologizes her everyday self: "I felt like a bootblack in Victorian England," she says, of her walk in the snow from the El to her Chicago copy-editing job ... )
And the beat lives on! :)
June 10, 2016
I won an ARC of this book in a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ giveaway.
When Lev Grossman said this was a book about twenty-somethings doing nothing, he wasn't joking. Not a whole lot happens. The main character, Hollis, is trying to find himself, sort of, there's a kind of a love story, and a bit of recreational breaking-and-entering that moves things along for a while. But throughout the book Hollis's greatest adventures take place inside his head. His real life never quite measures up.
Despite being a self avowed lover of book where LOTS of things happen, I actually liked this. Two possible reasons why:
1. I do have a soft spot for listless young men searching, however ineffectively, for the meaning of life. This might be why I did well in high school English classes. Grossman names Holden Caulfield and Stephen Dedalus as spiritual ancestors in his preface. I think I liked Hollis even a little more, since he's a sci-fi/fantasy nerd only half a generation removed from me. I get his references.
2. Boston. I'm a complete sucker for books set in my sort-of home city, especially ones that really lean in to all the odd little details that don't always make it into the movies. Hollis rides the Green Line and visits the aquarium. His ex-girlfriend works on State Street and because it's the nineties he goes to a BayBank. Literally none of this is entertaining to people who aren't from here, and but I love it.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this. Highly recommended to anyone else who loves white boys experiencing extreme ennui and/or thinks Boston is the hub of the universe.
When Lev Grossman said this was a book about twenty-somethings doing nothing, he wasn't joking. Not a whole lot happens. The main character, Hollis, is trying to find himself, sort of, there's a kind of a love story, and a bit of recreational breaking-and-entering that moves things along for a while. But throughout the book Hollis's greatest adventures take place inside his head. His real life never quite measures up.
Despite being a self avowed lover of book where LOTS of things happen, I actually liked this. Two possible reasons why:
1. I do have a soft spot for listless young men searching, however ineffectively, for the meaning of life. This might be why I did well in high school English classes. Grossman names Holden Caulfield and Stephen Dedalus as spiritual ancestors in his preface. I think I liked Hollis even a little more, since he's a sci-fi/fantasy nerd only half a generation removed from me. I get his references.
2. Boston. I'm a complete sucker for books set in my sort-of home city, especially ones that really lean in to all the odd little details that don't always make it into the movies. Hollis rides the Green Line and visits the aquarium. His ex-girlfriend works on State Street and because it's the nineties he goes to a BayBank. Literally none of this is entertaining to people who aren't from here, and but I love it.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this. Highly recommended to anyone else who loves white boys experiencing extreme ennui and/or thinks Boston is the hub of the universe.
August 5, 2016
This book has been re-released by the author, Lev Grossman, who I understand has had some success with more recent works. I Believe they've even made a TV series about them! So although I've not come across him or them books yet, thought let's give this a try, let's see where it all began.
The new foreword, by the author himself, is an interesting read and clearly he poured a lot of time (6 years), his heart and soul into this, his first book. So I'm gathering he's clearly thought, now with a bit of a name, some success and no doubt followers behind me I will re-release this book and get the acknowledgement my earlier efforts deserved. As gather this originally didn't sell well.
And I'm afraid I can see why, only in that for me personally, I have no idea what the story is about or what is about to happen, going to happen or is happening. I have, sadly, given up after reading 50% of the book as have lots of other books on my 'to-read-shelf- that I'm looking forward to and this has not grabbed me or piqued my interest in the slightest. Sorry to say I was bored, with no interest or like of the character(s).
So interesting new foreword, but after that...thumbs down. Sorry.
The new foreword, by the author himself, is an interesting read and clearly he poured a lot of time (6 years), his heart and soul into this, his first book. So I'm gathering he's clearly thought, now with a bit of a name, some success and no doubt followers behind me I will re-release this book and get the acknowledgement my earlier efforts deserved. As gather this originally didn't sell well.
And I'm afraid I can see why, only in that for me personally, I have no idea what the story is about or what is about to happen, going to happen or is happening. I have, sadly, given up after reading 50% of the book as have lots of other books on my 'to-read-shelf- that I'm looking forward to and this has not grabbed me or piqued my interest in the slightest. Sorry to say I was bored, with no interest or like of the character(s).
So interesting new foreword, but after that...thumbs down. Sorry.
August 24, 2009
The book centers on 3 days in the life of Hollis Kessler - an unemployed college graduate living in Boston. He hangs out with friends, talks about girls, sees some girls, and muses about life with Star Trek comparisons. It's not particularly geeky - anyone who has seen a few episodes of the original Star Trek and The Next Generation will get all the references. The story is interspersed with Hollis's daydreams (this is where Star Trek comes in) but has a more linear structure than stream-of-consciousness.
The story reminds me a lot of Catcher in the Rye - over-privileged kid slums it in the city on his parents' dime while trying to work out his angst and be cool at the same time. Perhaps I didn't read Catcher or Warp at the right time in my life to "get" either of them. I remember my angst-y years but I can only hope I wasn't this annoying to everyone around me during that time.
The inclusion of Xanthe didn't make much sense after her first appearance and some of Hollis's adventures left me wondering what the point was. I probably just don't get it anymore so if you liked Catcher in the Rye, then ignore this all together.
The story reminds me a lot of Catcher in the Rye - over-privileged kid slums it in the city on his parents' dime while trying to work out his angst and be cool at the same time. Perhaps I didn't read Catcher or Warp at the right time in my life to "get" either of them. I remember my angst-y years but I can only hope I wasn't this annoying to everyone around me during that time.
The inclusion of Xanthe didn't make much sense after her first appearance and some of Hollis's adventures left me wondering what the point was. I probably just don't get it anymore so if you liked Catcher in the Rye, then ignore this all together.
September 6, 2016
What is this? No seriously. How was this EVER published? It's absolutely terrible. 100% terrible. So terrible that even though I won this as a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Giveaway, I could not force myself to finish reading it and I literally threw this book in the trash (well, recycling bin to be exact). From what I forced myself to read, this book is about people talking to each other about meaningless, unrelated things. Then, randomly, in the middle of the page in a slightly different font is what appears to be the result of someone copying and pasting a sentence or paragraph from another book or a quote from a tv show. And these bizarre quotes, together, do not form any coherent subplot because they have no relation to one another whatsoever. Nor do these snippets have any kind of connection to anything else on the page in which they appear. It's truly crazy. And terrible. I would give this zero stars if I could.
September 23, 2016
Warp is Lev Grossman's debut novel. It's now being reissued and touted as the prequel to his best selling Magicians series. I'm not sure what this publishers idea of a prequel is, but this slim novel does not meet my qualifications for a prequel. There is no magic in these pages, literal or figurative. Warp tells the story of disaffected, upwardly mobile youth, Hollis, who upon graduation from college is at a complete loss as to what to do with his future. Hollis and his friends entertain themselves by breaking into their wealthy family friends homes while they are off in Europe. Like Hollis's stultifying life, nothing much is happening in these pages.
Only recommended for Lev Grossman's fans who are curious about his first novel.
Only recommended for Lev Grossman's fans who are curious about his first novel.
September 16, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked "The Magicians", although its sequels fell off for me a bit, so I was interested to read an early effort by Lev Grossman.
I ended up skimming it lightly. I'm not sure why the book was re-released ( actually, I do know why- TO MAKE MONEY) but I do not think it was a good decision to trot this first effort out again. It was banal and i'm not sure if there was ever actually a point. If you would like to read a lot of dialogue from callow young people, written by someone at a time when he was young and callow, then go for it.
I really liked "The Magicians", although its sequels fell off for me a bit, so I was interested to read an early effort by Lev Grossman.
I ended up skimming it lightly. I'm not sure why the book was re-released ( actually, I do know why- TO MAKE MONEY) but I do not think it was a good decision to trot this first effort out again. It was banal and i'm not sure if there was ever actually a point. If you would like to read a lot of dialogue from callow young people, written by someone at a time when he was young and callow, then go for it.
February 22, 2018
Yeah... this is not very good. It isn't even down to the writing -- the writing is not bad; there are occasional glimmers of Grossman's later brilliance. It's that these character are boring and unsympathetic, and the plot, structure, and messaging (what little there is of these things) are super pretentious. I wouldn't, and didn't, want to hang out with these sort of people in real life when I was their age, nor did I enjoy reading about them now.
It's vaguely worth reading this book if you're a huge fan of Grossman's other work, just to see his evolution -- and his preface to the 2016 edition, which is probably the best thing in it -- but that's kind of all.
It's vaguely worth reading this book if you're a huge fan of Grossman's other work, just to see his evolution -- and his preface to the 2016 edition, which is probably the best thing in it -- but that's kind of all.
February 28, 2021
I didn't like Holden Caulfield, so I probably shouldnt have expected to like Hollis. I found the whole book boring and annoying. The ending perplexed me completely, and not in a good way. It didn't make me think, it just made me scratch my head and go "huh?" Or "why?" I'm embarrassed to be in the same generation as this dude.
September 27, 2017
There is no story arc in this book. It’s more of a character vignette than a full story. Left me wondering why so many details were dropped in then abandoned. Very odd.
May 26, 2024
I should've known better
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