The Steampunk Harry Potter

Lev Grossman’s The Magicians grabbed attention two years ago due to its intentional resemblance to the Harry Potter series. Lev AC Rosen’s All Men Of Genius owes a similar debt to J.K. Rowling, but the parallels seem less deliberate. In Rosen’s debut novel, precocious adolescents attend an illustrious school in a steampunk version of Victorian London. Rosen’s surrogate for Hogwarts is Illyria College, which teaches brilliant young inventors. There, students grapple with intrigue, imminent adulthood, and the aching blush of romance; the faculty skulks in the school’s darkest corridors with motives that may be noble or nefarious; and secrets literally rattle within the walls. ButAll Men Of Genius’ biggest secret is one neither Grossman nor J.K. Rowling used: The star pupil of Illyria’s all-male student body is a girl.