Published Oct 29, 2026, 4:00 AM EDT

A graduate school for magicians and a Narnia-like fantasy world become an adult fairy tale about wonder, grief, and friendship

The Magicians turned Harry Potter and Narnia into a twisted fairy tale for adults

Carole Segal/Syfy

I think far too much about the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , in which the outgoing and incoming Ministers of Magic meet the British prime minister at 10 Downing Street. A bridge has collapsed, and one of the PM’s junior ministers has started quacking like a duck. Truly nefarious stuff. The wizards explain that these and other disasters are connected to the return of the evil Lord Voldemort.

“But you’re wizards! You can do magic!” the prime minister says. Surely they can sort out anything. Cornelius Fudge, the outgoing Minister of Magic, answers with a strained smile: “The trouble is, the other side can do magic too.”

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