Published Apr 29, 2026, 8:45 PM EDT
Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.
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An all-time great fantasy book trilogy combines elements of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis' series are among the most pivotal in the history of the genre. The Chronicles of Narnia books are foundational to portal fantasy, in which characters travel from one world to another, especially with the titular wardrobe in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Lewis' novels use portal fantasy to make religious allegory and timeless moral messages accessible to both younger and older readers. From the land of Narnia being created in The Magician's Nephew to its end in The Last Battle, the series also contains rich world-building, with audiences getting to see the setting's full evolution. The enduring nature of these stories has led to numerous adaptations, with the latest being Greta Gerwig's upcoming Narnia movie.
The Harry Potter books were published decades after The Last Battle, but they still proved to be deeply influential for the genre. Fantasy, especially fantasy targeted toward children and young adults, became far more mainstream as a result of Harry Potter's massive popularity. It became the defining Hero's Journey for an entire generation, launched a blockbuster movie franchise, and is now being revisited again in HBO's upcoming television adaptation.
While it's not as well known as Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia, The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman is also among the best to ever come out of the genre.
The Magicians Is A Perfectly Dark Mashup Of Harry Potter & Narnia
The Magicians begins with Quentin Coldwater, a 17-year-old who is dissatisfied with the world he lives in and who is obsessed with a Narnia-esque book series called Fillory and Further. His life changes when he learns that magic is real and begins attending Brakebills, which is a school for magic. This is only the tip of the iceberg, though, as he goes on to learn the stories of Fillory may not be as fictional as he believed.
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01
What spell is used to disarm an opponent, famously becoming Harry Potter’s signature move throughout the series?
AStupefy BExpelliarmus CProtego DPetrificus Totalus
✓ Correct! Expelliarmus is the Disarming Charm. Harry used it so often that it became his trademark spell — even using it in his final duel against Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Expelliarmus. Stupefy is a Stunning Spell, Protego is a Shield Charm, and Petrificus Totalus is the Full Body-Bind Curse. Expelliarmus forces an opponent’s wand out of their hand.
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02
In “The Prisoner of Azkaban,” Hagrid introduces his Care of Magical Creatures class to a proud hippogriff. What is the creature’s name?
AFang BNorbert CBuckbeak DAragog
✓ Correct! Buckbeak the hippogriff became a key part of the story when Draco Malfoy insulted him and got injured. Harry and Hermione later saved Buckbeak from execution using the Time-Turner.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Buckbeak. Fang is Hagrid’s boarhound, Norbert is his baby dragon from the first book, and Aragog is the giant Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest.
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03
What potion allows the drinker to assume the physical appearance of another person, and plays a major role in “The Chamber of Secrets” and “The Goblet of Fire”?
APolyjuice Potion BFelix Felicis CVeritaserum DAmortentia
✓ Correct! Polyjuice Potion transforms the drinker into someone else for about an hour. Hermione brewed it in their second year to infiltrate the Slytherin common room, and Barty Crouch Jr. used it to impersonate Mad-Eye Moody.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Polyjuice Potion. Felix Felicis is liquid luck, Veritaserum is a truth serum, and Amortentia is a powerful love potion. Polyjuice Potion is the one that changes your appearance.
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04
How many Horcruxes did Lord Voldemort intentionally create to split his soul and achieve immortality?
AFive BSeven CFour DSix
✓ Correct! Voldemort intentionally created six Horcruxes: the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, the diadem, and Nagini. Harry became an accidental seventh Horcrux, making the total number of soul fragments seven — the most magically powerful number.
✗ Not quite! The answer is six. Voldemort deliberately created six Horcruxes: Tom Riddle’s diary, Marvolo Gaunt’s ring, Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, Ravenclaw’s diadem, and Nagini. Harry was an unintentional seventh piece.
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05
How many points is the Golden Snitch worth when caught by a Seeker during a Quidditch match?
A50 points B150 points C100 points D200 points
✓ Correct! Catching the Golden Snitch awards 150 points and ends the match. This is why the Seeker position is so crucial — catching the Snitch almost always wins the game, though famously at the Quidditch World Cup, Viktor Krum caught it but Bulgaria still lost.
✗ Not quite! The answer is 150 points. The Golden Snitch is worth 150 points and also ends the match. At the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, Krum caught the Snitch for Bulgaria but Ireland still won because they were more than 150 points ahead.
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06
What form does Severus Snape’s Patronus take — revealing his lifelong love for Harry’s mother, Lily?
AA phoenix BA wolf CA doe DA stag
✓ Correct! Snape’s Patronus is a doe — the same as Lily Potter’s. When Dumbledore asked “After all this time?” Snape famously replied, “Always.” It’s one of the most emotional reveals in the entire series.
✗ Not quite! The answer is a doe. Snape’s Patronus matches Lily Potter’s because of his deep, enduring love for her. James Potter’s Patronus was a stag — the male counterpart. The doe is what led Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor in the frozen lake.
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07
What magical object must you look into to see the Mirror of Erised’s true purpose — and what does it show the viewer?
ATheir deepest, most desperate desire BTheir future self at their most powerful CTheir greatest fear DTheir happiest memory
✓ Correct! The Mirror of Erised (“desire” spelled backward) shows the deepest desire of whoever looks into it. Harry saw his parents, Ron saw himself as Head Boy and Quidditch captain, and Dumbledore claimed he saw himself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks.
✗ Not quite! The answer is their deepest, most desperate desire. “Erised” is “desire” spelled backward. The inscription reads: “I show not your face but your heart’s desire.” Dumbledore warned Harry that the mirror gives neither knowledge nor truth, and men have wasted away before it.
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08
The three Deathly Hallows are the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and which third object that Harry himself possessed?
AThe Marauder’s Map BThe Sorting Hat CThe Pensieve DThe Cloak of Invisibility
✓ Correct! The Cloak of Invisibility was passed down through Harry’s family — he inherited it from his father, James. Unlike ordinary invisibility cloaks, this Hallow never fades or weakens, making it a true relic of Death from “The Tale of the Three Brothers.”
✗ Not quite! The answer is the Cloak of Invisibility. Harry inherited it from his father on his first Christmas at Hogwarts. Together with the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, these three objects make up the Deathly Hallows from “The Tale of the Three Brothers.”
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The setup of Quentin going from an ordinary life to attending a magic school is intentionally reminiscent of Harry Potter, as are the blatant parallels between The Chronicles of Narnia and Fillory and Further. Instead of the Pevensie siblings, it's the Chatwin children who travel to Fillory and become kings and queens, and instead of Aslan, Ember and Umber are the gods who created the magical land.
What sets The Magicians apart is how it cleverly and darkly subverts Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. Unlike Hogwarts, which becomes Harry's true home and changes his life for the better, Brakebills does not provide the same kind of meaning and comfort for Quentin. Learning magic turns out to be largely boring and complicated. It does not fix the true problems in his life or the lives of his friends, and when he pushes the boundaries of magic too far, there are real and often deadly consequences.
As Quentin learns more about the Fillory and Further books, it becomes clear that they are not the fun adventures they seemed to be. Disturbing truths are revealed about the Chatwins and how the books came to be. These revelations also have a devastating impact on Quentin and his loved ones in what often feels like a nightmarish version of Narnia.
The Magicians Trilogy Is Great From Start To Finish
The first book in the trilogy, The Magicians, is the best, but the entire series ends up being phenomenal too. If not for the cliffhanger at the very end, The Magicians feels as though it could be a complete and satisfying standalone story. The sequels, The Magician King and The Magician's Land, prove that it was the right decision to continue the story, with there being far more to say about the fantasy genre and the established characters.
While Quentin and his point of view remain central to the narrative, the sequels take time to explore other characters with nuance, especially where Julia Wicker and her perspective are concerned. During Quentin's time at Brakebills and after graduating, Julia is on an entirely different kind of magical journey, which expands the world far beyond what is seen in the first novel.
Along with being entertaining and subversive from start to finish, the trilogy also sticks the landing with The Magician's Land. All lingering questions are answered, the character arcs have conclusions that feel natural and earned, and the resolution feels thematically fitting.
There is a television series adaptation of The Magicians that aired for five seasons on Syfy, and it was generally well-received. In many respects, the show is very different from the novels, though, which are valuable in their own distinct way, and are must-reads for fantasy fans.
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