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Lev Grossman’s new fantasy book continues a major trend in the Magicians trilogy

Lev Grossman’s new fantasy book continues a major trend in the Magicians trilogy

Summary

  • The bright sword
    subverts a common fantasy narrative and offers a more grounded approach to the Arthurian legend.
  • Lev Grossman’s new fantasy book continues
    The Magicians
    The trend of the trilogy to take a well-known story and turn expectations on their head.
  • The bright sword
    proves that heroes are not always brave by humanizing legendary figures and emphasizing the impact of ordinary people.



Lev Grossman is best known as an author The Magicians Trilogy, but the author has a new fantasy Book hits the shelves – and The bright sword continues a great trend from his previous series. The bright sword is one of the most highly anticipated fantasy books of July 2024, and given Grossman’s impressive track record, the excitement surrounding this release is not surprising. Although The bright sword is a standalone fantasy story rather than a series. It spins a compelling narrative that immerses readers in its fictional world and complex cast of characters.

A reinterpretation of the Arthurian legend, The bright sword follows 17-year-old Callum as he pursues his dream of becoming a Knight of the Round Table. However, King Arthur dies before Callum has the chance to meet his hero – and the other knights are not quite what he imagined. They are flawed and even offensive, but they are the only ones who can save Camelot from the threats that are falling upon it. Needless to say, The bright sword offers a unique perspective on the classic Arthurian stories. That is why it is one of the most anticipated books of 2024, and that is why it is also comparable to The magicians.


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“The Bright Sword” by Lev Grossman continues the best trend of the Magicians trilogy

It subverts expectations of a standard fantasy narrative

The covers of The Magicians, The Magician King and The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
Custom image by Yailin Chacon

The bright swordThe premise of is a major selling point of the book, and it continues the best trend of Grossmans wizard trilogyBoth works take a common fantasy narrative and subvert the reader’s expectations by offering a more grounded – and sometimes darker – approach to such stories. The Magicians delivers a more realistic depiction of magical school environments and fantastic worlds and feels like a darker version of Harry Potter or The chronicles of Narnia. The bright sword unravels the Arthurian legend in a similar way and shows what these heroic stories would have looked like with more identifiable characters.


Both works take a common fantasy narrative and subvert the reader’s expectations by offering a more grounded – and sometimes darker – approach to such stories.

It is Grossman’s ability to exceed expectations that keeps his stories fresh and excitingand readers are not the only ones who are shocked by the results. Main characters like Callum and Quentin experience similar journeys to those who read their stories, as they start with idealism and are thrown into more realistic and disappointing circumstances. In both The Magicians And The bright sword, Grossman masterfully answers the question of what would happen if the real world merged with the fantasy worlds we so often read about.


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How the bright sword undermines the typical Arthurian legend

It proves that heroes are not always brave

The cover of “The Bright Sword” by Lev Grossman with blue background and sword

The bright sword subverts the typical Arthurian legend in some important ways, but the main point is that heroes are not always as brave as they are portrayed. By portraying legendary figures with a good reputation as human, The bright sword underlines that it is usually the ordinary people who make the difference – even if they are later exposed as something”greater.” Grossman’s new fantasy The book also modernizes the legends of King Arthur and makes them more relatable for today. This means exploring the darker elements of these stories that are not as commonly covered.