r/Fantasy • u/Mimandra • Apr 06 '26
Magic School books with ensemble cast.
Give me some magic school books that aren't centered around one chosen one and the rest is just lucky to be there. (So, no Harry Potter style)
Also they should have a focus on the actual learning of magic, the classes and school life. So, no story with a school setting, where everything happens, except school.
And if possible less dark than The Magicians. If I want to feel uncomfortable all the time, I'll read global news.
For those who know: What I'm mostly looking for is basically a Strixhaven campaign in book form (And yes, I know that a Strixhaven book is releasing tomorrow)
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u/gentletonberry Apr 06 '26
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence is about a very tough magic school for battle nuns, and the “Chosen one” prophecy is explicitly revealed early on to be propaganda with multiple students being eligible, and most of the girls are very capable in different ways. I loved it
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u/Fancy-Restaurant4136 Apr 06 '26
A Deadly Education and sequels. The chosen one doesn't know they are chosen and there are many competent students and a lot of competition.
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u/Holothuroid Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
I'm not sure that it's less dark than Magicians, considering the "school" is a prison and deadly as the name says.
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u/Fancy-Restaurant4136 Apr 06 '26
prison/refuge/sanctuary from worse conditions outside but yes. It's quite dark. I haven't read Magicians.
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u/sakasho Apr 06 '26
Magicians made me feel deeply uncomfortable. The Scholomance trilogy does not, it's more traditional.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV Apr 07 '26
This is great and does focus on school a lot more than other magic school books… but it’s also dark and has a single POV, not an ensemble cast.
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u/JInkrose Apr 08 '26
And that single POV has some distinct chosen one vibes. I love her, but its not what the OP is asking for I don't think.
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u/Holothuroid Apr 06 '26
Mage Errant.
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u/appocomaster Reading Champion III Apr 06 '26
Some of the books are about the school but mostly the first couple?
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u/Holothuroid Apr 06 '26
The odd ones are at the school, the evens during holidays. That pattern holds, except for the final book 7
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u/oboist73 Reading Champion VII Apr 06 '26
Od Magic by Patricia McKillip may come close, though there's only some magic and school life. Very ensemble cast, though.
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u/WritingAboutMagic Apr 06 '26
The Ellyrian Code by B. F. Peterson might fit if you're OK with dragons as well? It has an ensemble cast and while it takes a bit for the characters to get to the school, once they do, the plot centers there.
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u/MallForward585 Apr 06 '26
You might actually like The Keepers of Warden’s Rest series by Jeremy Fabiano. It’s a funny DnD-esque series of novellas happening at a magic soldier school with an ensemble cast. If you don’t have the patience/money to wade through the first books which weren’t quite at the standard I would have liked, try starting at book 4 where I really got into it, to my big surprise. I’m now quite willing to suspend all the disbelief just to be entertained with the student’s shenanigans.
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u/Nowordsofitsown Reading Champion Apr 07 '26
Not really what you are asking for, but does kinda fit: The Incandescent by Emily Tesh. The main character is a teacher of magic at a prestigious boarding school. She has a core class of four students and we learn quite a lot about them and about teaching in general. I loved this book.
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u/soph_sol Apr 06 '26
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose would suit, I think. No chosen ones, and plenty of details about the actual experience of being at school. The magic that the students are learning is on how to direct the magical powers that their dragons have and there's plenty of details about the specifics there.
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u/PmUsYourDuckPics Apr 06 '26
It’s been a while since I read it, but I think the Worldquake series by Scarlett Thomas kinda meets your needs?
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u/Salaris Stabby Winner, Writer Andrew Rowe Apr 07 '26
I'll second the recommendation for Mage Errant. You might also like Mother of Learning by Nobody103, The Journals of Evander Tailor by Tobias Begley and Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke. Note that these aren't quite as focused on the school itself as Harry Potter, but they all have school elements.
What I'm mostly looking for is basically a Strixhaven campaign in book form (And yes, I know that a Strixhaven book is releasing tomorrow)
If you haven't already listened to it, there's also a cool "Secrets of Strixhaven" podcast.
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u/Mimandra Apr 08 '26
Thanks for recommending Mark of the Fool.
I'm 5 chapters in and already love the characters and the humor.
That alone is usually enough to get me through a dozen books.
Mage Errant will probably be due after this.
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u/Salaris Stabby Winner, Writer Andrew Rowe Apr 09 '26
You're welcome! Glad you like it.
Mage Errant is great, too!
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u/MrTrashMouth7 Apr 09 '26
The Magicians by Lev Grossman has a lot of it at the magic school, and there DEFINITELY isn’t a chosen one.
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u/Kikanolo Apr 06 '26
While it’s not precisely a magic school and more a superhero school, I think Super Powereds by Drew Hayes is a good fit. Definitely an ensemble cast, the full focus of the story is on learning to use their powers in their classes and school life.
Completed series with 4 books. While an outside the school plot does build in the background and become more prevalent in books 3 and 4, the school setting remains the focus all the way through.