Quentin had an obsolete sailing ship that had been raised from the dead. He had psychotically effective swordsman and an enigmatic witch-queen. It wasn't the Fellowship of the Ring, but then again he wasn't trying to save the world from Sauron, he was trying to perform a tax audit on a bunch of hick islanders.
Lev GrossmanStop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else.
Lev GrossmanEscapism has value, even if I don't know what its value is, exactly. Maybe it's just part of some healthy way that we deal with the world.
Lev GrossmanDo you promise to hate my parents as much as I do?" "Oh, absolutely," Quentin said. "Maybe even more.
Lev GrossmanWasn't there a spell for making yourself happy? Somebody must have invented one. How could he have missed it? Why didn't they teach it? Was it in the library, a flying book fluttering just out of reach, beating its wings against some high window?
Lev Grossman