Read: Lev Grossman - The magicians; The magician king

Both of these books are a clever send-up of classic magical adventure stories. Too clever - the overall plot summary and occasional line of dialogue are amusing, but the lack of soul was dispiriting before long. And the books are long. There's something of a redemption at the end, but it only constitutes a fraction of a percent of the totality, and doesn't make it worthwhile.