The Chatwins, central to Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” series, were a group of siblings who discovered a magical land called Fillory. Over time, they faced various personal and magical challenges, with some meeting tragic ends.
In Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” trilogy, the Chatwin children—Martin, Fiona, Rupert, Helen, and Jane—find a magical world called Fillory through a grandfather clock in their aunt’s house. Each child has their own series of adventures in Fillory, which are initially chronicled in a series of fictional children’s books within the novels.
Martin Chatwin, the eldest, becomes obsessed with Fillory and seeks a way to stay there permanently. His desire leads him to make a dark bargain, transforming into the malevolent “Beast” and severing his ties with humanity. Martin’s transformation and his subsequent actions as the Beast have significant repercussions throughout the series.
Fiona and Rupert’s fates are less detailed in the books, but it is implied that they eventually grew apart from Fillory and lived out their lives in the real world.
Helen Chatwin’s story is the least explored, and her ultimate fate remains largely a mystery within the series.
Jane Chatwin, the youngest, becomes a key figure in the trilogy. With the help of a magical time-traveling device known as the “Watcher’s Clock,” she manipulates events across different timelines to find a way to stop her brother Martin. Jane’s interventions are crucial in the formation of the story’s main characters’ paths and the eventual resolution of the conflict with the Beast.
The Chatwins’ experiences in Fillory are both wondrous and tragic, reflecting the complex relationship between fantasy and reality, and the consequences of escaping into a magical world. Their legacy continues to influence the characters and events within the series, long after their own stories have ended.
