History Literature / TheMagicians

--> "That's what she wants everybody to think! So you won't realize what a howling cunt she is!"

--> "That bloody cunt of a Watcherwoman is still at it, with her damned clock-trees."

* CanadaEh: Near the beginning of the first book, two people taking the test are said to have come from 'the same Inuit reservation in Saskatchewan. There are no Inuit reservations. And if there were, they wouldn't be in Saskatchewan. [[AWizardDidIt Maybe it's an all-magician Inuit reservation that's hidden from muggles by the masquerade]], or maybe it's just Quentin not understanding what he's hearing.

* LibraryOfBabel: The first book hints the Neitherlands is this but this book confirms it.

* SchmuckBanquet: There's an extremely long table laden with food in Ember's Tomb. The guys GenreSavvy enough to know not to touch it but Janet eventually ends up drinking some of he wine to no ill effect.

!!''The Magician King''has examples of:

* SeriesContinuityError: In the first book Quentin can use magic to steal money from [=ATM=]s and the narration mentions that this is really easy for him to do but in this book Julia has to show him how to do it.

* WizardingSchool: Brakebills, a magical university. It's mentioned that there are others in other countries. The hedge witch safe houses in the sequel also count.

!!The sequel has examples of:

!!The third has examples of:

* {{Crossover}}: WordOfGod [[http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/08/a-brief-guide-to-the-hidden-allusions-in-the-magicians says]] that the Neitherlands was either built over The Wood Between the Worlds from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' or that the woods will eventually grow over The Neitherlands. In the second book Josh says he visited a world in the multiverse that was inhabited by ''Series/{{Teletubbies}}''. [[http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2012/03/cage-match-2012-round-1-julia-versus-kull.html In this story]] Julia fights Literature/{{Kull}}.

* {{Flight}}: One of the powers that Quentin and the other Physical Kids have mastered by the end of the book, though it's difficult to maintain and takes a lot of energy.

* {{Golem}}: In her final fight with [[spoiler: The Beast/Martin Chatwin]], Alice turns the sand in the room into a glass golem.

* MagiciansAreWizards: Quentin accidentally does real magic while performing sleight-of-hand coin tricks, which is what initially attracts the attention of Brakebills. It is also mentioned that some hedge wizards make a living as stage magicians.
* MagicalLand: Fillory, an unearthly realm of fantasy creatures and adventure modelled off Narnia. Unsurprisingly, it operates on NarniaTime.
* MagicalNativeAmerican: Professor Foxtree, who is specifically noted to be of Native American descent.

* SecretlyEarmarkedForGreatness: The administration of [[WizardSchool Brakebills School of Magical Pedagogy]] selects its students well in advance from only the most intelligent and obsessive teenagers across America - not just via the records of other elite schools, but through stranger methods. Protagonist Quentin Coldwater was earmarked by Brakebills three years before his enrolment, back when he was [[IJustWantToBeSpecial learning how to perform sleight-of-hand]]; the man who sold Quentin the props was actually one of the faculty's talent-spotters. And up until he's finally whisked away to Brakebills, Quentin and many of the other potential students aren't even aware that real magic exists.

* HairRaisingHare: The Seeing Hare, which can apparently see the future; it forecasts the end of the world and ends up killing a royal courtier in the process.

* PlanetEngland: Like Narnia, Fillory seems to be the name of the entire world and also one particular country in it.

* RefusalOfTheCall: Despite feeling that he shouldn't, Quentin declines the quest that the clock tree is obviously a part of in the first meadow. [[spoiler: Later averted, as when he returns to Fillory he finds Eliot in the midst of the quest that the clock tree meadow started, and Quentin joins the quest-in-progress.]]

* ADateWithRosiePalms: {{Discussed}}.
--> [Quentin] did the trick with the nickel in his pocket again.
--> "Are you playing with your wang, Quentin?" James asked.
--> Quentin blushed.
--> "Are you playing with your wang."
--> "Nothing to be ashamed of." James clapped him on the shoulder. "Clears the mind."

* AbsurdlyExclusiveRecruitingStandards: Because of the borderline insane requirements for safely working magic, [[WizardSchool Brakebills]] has a [[IncomprehensibleEntranceExam notoriously complicated entrance exam]] designed to weed out anyone who doesn't have what it takes... and the fact that the students might be taking the exam without even being aware that magic exists isn't considered grounds for leniency. As such, out of an entire class of potential students, only Quentin and Penny pass, with all others - including Julia - having their memories of the day erased.

** TheChick: Quentin (oblivious to any possible negative tension within the group, the only one to really believe in magic according to Alice).

* EnigmaticInstitute: In ''The Magician King'', the already-secret magical society in which legitimate magicians live and work is revealed to feature a WainscotSociety of safehouses and fight clubs in which Hedge-Witches can work their own illegal magic... and hidden in the most secretive regions of ''this'' underground is the Free Trader Beowulf Group, a covert magical research group buried a SafelySecludedScienceCenter in the south of France. Once Julia Wicker becomes worthy of joining them, it turns out the secrecy is due to them studying the deepest secrets of magic - some of which have the potential to backfire messily. Their ultimate project is [[spoiler: the summoning of a Goddess.]]

* ShoutOut:
** ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': The basis of the magical world of Fillory. [[spoiler: Though the real Fillory (and all the counterpart characters) turn out to be a cynical, worst-case-scenario version of a Narnia-type setting.]]
** ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': Jason mentions Quidditch, and there are other small allusions throughout.
** ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'': The part in the first book when the Brakebills students are transformed into geese is a ShoutOut to the ''Literature/TheSwordInTheStone''. Myth/ArthurianLegend, in general, is referred to frequently throughout the second book.
** ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The basis of some spells our heroes cook up and the "level system" used by the hedgewitch safe houses.
** ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy''
** ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Josh wants to see if he can find Middle Earth at the end of the first book.
** ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'': The name of the group Free Trader Beowulf (and the text of their recruiting pitch) are direct references to a famous ''Classic Traveller'' scenario—THE introductory adventure for many players in the early 80s once it became clear to GDW that their WorldBuilding was as much of a draw as their ruleset.
** ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' and ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}'' are both explicitly mentioned by Josh in the second book as examples of worlds he found or was looking for via the Button.

!!This work mentions and references:

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': The basis of the magical world of Fillory. [[spoiler: Though the real Fillory (and all the counterpart characters) turn out to be a cynical, worst-case-scenario version of a Narnia-type setting.]]
* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': Jason mentions Quidditch, and there are other small allusions throughout.
* ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'': The part in the first book when the Brakebills students are transformed into geese is a ShoutOut to the ''Literature/TheSwordInTheStone''. The Myth/KingArthur mythos, in general, is referred to frequently throughout the second book.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The basis of some spells our heroes cook up and the "level system" used by the hedgewitch safe houses.
* ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy''
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Josh wants to see if he can find Middle Earth at the end of the first book.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'': The name of the group Free Trader Beowulf (and the text of their recruiting pitch) are direct references to a famous ''Classic Traveller'' scenario—THE introductory adventure for many players in the early 80s once it became clear to GDW that their WorldBuilding was as much of a draw as their ruleset.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' and ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}'' are both explicitly mentioned by Josh in the second book as examples of worlds he found or was looking for via the Button.

* BalefulPolymorph: Brakebills students in their fourth year are involuntarily transformed into geese so that they can make the long and harsh journey to Brakebills' Antarctic campus.

* SexuallyTransmittedSuperpowers: PlayedForHorror: a group of magicians attempt to summon a benevolent demigoddess in the hope of learning from her... only to get the attention of a monstrous TricksterGod who kills most of them. Then, [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor as a sick joke]], he gives one of the survivors all the divine knowledge the group wanted by brutally raping her, tearing her soul out for good measure. Once it's all over, the victim staggers away, naked and covered in blood... and then, drawing on powers unknown to her, [[IBelieveICanFly takes flight]]. [[spoiler: The victim is none other than Julia Wicker, Quentin's old friend.]]

* [DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: The sullen Benedict appears to be gearing up to become a hero after a year of questing and training with a master swordsman. However, just when it looks like he's going to fight his first proper battle and prove his worth, he dies—shot through the throat before he can even reach the enemy. Even Benedict's ghost thinks this was an undignified way to go.]]