Product Description
Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me Centuries ago, when magic still existed in England, the greatest magician of them all was the Raven King. A human child brought up by fairies, the Raven King blended fairy wisdom and human reason to create English magic. Now, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, he is barely more than a legend, and England, with its mad King and its dashing poets, no longer believes in practical magic. Then the reclusive Mr Norrell of Hurtfew Abbey appears and causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. News spreads of the return of magic to England and, persuaded that he must help the government in the war against Napoleon, Mr Norrell goes to London. There he meets a brilliant young magician and takes him as a pupil. Jonathan Strange is charming, rich and arrogant. Together, they dazzle the country with their feats. But the partnership soon turns to rivalry. Mr Norrell has never conquered his lifelong habits of secrecy, while Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous magic.He becomes fascinated by the shadowy figure of the Raven King, and his heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens, not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear. Elegant, witty and utterly compelling, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell creates a past world of great mystery and beauty that will hold the reader in thrall until the last page.

Amazon.com Review
It's 1808 and that Corsican upstart Napoleon is battering the English army and navy. Enter Mr. Norrell, a fusty but ambitious scholar from the Yorkshire countryside and the first practical magician in hundreds of years. What better way to demonstrate his revival of British magic than to change the course of the Napoleonic wars? Susanna Clarke's ingenious first novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, has the cleverness and lightness of touch of the Harry Potter series, but is less a fairy tale of good versus evil than a fantastic comedy of manners, complete with elaborate false footnotes, occasional period spellings, and a dense, lively mythology teeming beneath the narrative. Mr. Norrell moves to London to establish his influence in government circles, devising such powerful illusions as an 11-day blockade of French ports by English ships fabricated from rainwater. But however skillful his magic, his vanity provides an Achilles heel, and the differing ambitions of his more glamorous apprentice, Jonathan Strange, threaten to topple all that Mr. Norrell has achieved. A sparkling debut from Susanna Clarke--and it's not all fairy dust. --Regina Marler

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 730 reviews)

Very good reading

I didn't think I would like this book becuz it seemed for women, but I was wrong. It is very long book but so good a read. It is about a magician, but not at all like Harry Potter, so don't think it is. It is so much better than Harry Potter. I found myself thinking more of Jim Butcher's excellent DRESDEN FILES series, that I also think is great. There is no romance stuff in it, so don't worry about that.

It takes place in the 1850s or so and follows the exploits of Jonathan Strange on his quest to explore the world that cannot be seen. He makes "jumps" into a vast unknown area to go to other places and follow a mysterious figure that eventually begins to wreck havoc on the world of humans.

These characters come to life and is hard to put the book down, even though it is very very long. But you will be glad it was long when it is done and you will still want more. I am waiting for a sequel
December 04, 2008

Best Book I have ever read...

This is quite simply the best work of fiction I've ever read. Ok, yes, I admit, Harry Potter is a very close second and yes, I do think that the widely used "Harry Potter for Adults" is accurate enough.

This is a book that the reader may have to put a bit of work into - it is very long, heavily footnoted, and quite complex. The footnotes are a great enrichment to the world of the story, but they could be skipped I suppose. I personally enjoyed them. The payoff for the investment in time and attention is an immersion in a world that is at once historically accurate, but with an open door through which magic and the fairy world flows out to merge and change the nature of reality.

I also enjoy the 'nonfiction' occult genre. I think this book will appeal to readers of that genre as well. It draws upon such a wealth of mythos and folklore that an occultist will recognize that Ms. Clarke is obviously well acquainted with magical practice, folklore, and history...could she at times be modeling some of the book after Doreen Valiente's Magickal Battle of Britain (an account of a real magickal battle) and could it be that her stuffy magical societies reflect a bit the Golden Dawn with A. Crowley coming in saying I don't want sit around and talk, talk, talk about it, I want to DO IT? Oh yes, I DO think so. :) So, if you have been studying the history of the occult, I really, really think you will enjoy this book even more with that knowledge.

This lady has really done her research well. I look forward to the movie, which I understand is in pre-production now.

I do recommend you get the hardback. It is a beautiful book and to me enhanced the read, as it is a treasure for me as I love the look and feel of this particular book. I'm not sure if a paperback could hold up, my experience with books this thick is that they do not for me.

I'm on my second copy now. My first copy was borrowed, loved, and never returned.
November 23, 2008

Instant Classic

This evocative tale of English magicians who become associates and eventual rivals/enemies is one of the most impressive literary debut-novels in any genre, ever. Every atmospheric detail is rich and crucial; there is nothing that is not essential to this mesmerizing, often frightening tale. Clarke's graceful-yet-tight writing is to be venerated--she has composed a masterwork to rival that of Tolkien, though in a much different context, of course. Each character, even the most minor, comes to life in a way that mirrors the famous "cathedral statuary" scene at the book's beginning. Much can be said about plot and subplots, but it suffices to reiterate that this is a book about two English magicians who become associates and, eventually, bitter rivals. That should imply enough to get you to buy it NOW.

This should be read by anyone who admires excellence in fiction/historical-fiction, etc. More than just a fantasy, JS&MN is (or will one day be regarded as) a true English-language classic. Without question. Now, let's see what the author has got next, because the little 'Ladies of Grace Adieu' book was ~not~ a good follow-up. Indeed not.
November 10, 2008

Wonderfully Clever Book

Pros: Immerses the reader in the nineteenth century, but still manages the fantasy elements very well. Pulls off the writing style perfectly. Has well drawn characters.

Cons: The pacing is a little off. Begins very slow, but has a rushed ending.

If you are a reader who has to love a book from page one, then you may have a bit of trouble with Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It is certainly never bad, but one is left with the feeling that the story hasn't quite picked up yet for the first 300 - 400 pages. If you are willing to stick it out, however, then this book is certainly worth the trouble.

Once Clarke manages to get all the interlinked plots and subplots going, the story is full of interest. Magic, done up in a polite nineteenth century style, abounds. Clarke creates a rich alternate history complete with stories of magicians that stretch back to the middle ages. The scholarly Norrell is set on bringing magic back to England in his own very modern way. Norrell is a fascinating character, especially when juxtaposed against the much more vibrant Strange. The characters in general are very well drawn and even side characters like Stephen provide a good deal of interest.

Somehow, Clarke has found the perfect balance between writing in a nineteenth century style and writing in a way that will please modern audiences. One gets the feeling that her book could be read by people from either time.

Though the ending is a tad bit rushed, it creates a high degree of excitement. This book is recommended to anyone looking for something different in the world of fantasy. 5+ stars.

October 17, 2008

The Line Between the Mystical and the Physical

There are few novels that can walk the line between the fantastic and the real, where the outstanding becomes inseparable from the common-place, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is one of these books. Susanna Clarke has succeeded in creating a 19th Century England full of magic and mystery, while still being anchored in the realities and histories of 19th Century Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. The novel can best be described as an alternative-history. In this world northern England was once ruled by a magician-king, referred to, among other names, as the Raven King. He is responsible for bringing magic to England, ruling for over 300 years before mysteriously disappearing.

The novel opens long after the departure of the Raven King, magicians are nothing more than glorified scholars, pouring over books about magic, unable themselves to preform any. Magic is gone from England and no one really understands how or why. The great acts of magic performed by the Raven King and the other great magicians has long been sequestered to books and fables. However, an old man appears and performs an extraordinary display of magic, sending all of England into an uproar.

The characters in the novel, on the surface appear rather stereotypical. Mr. Norrell is an old, scholarly magician bent on preserving tradition and pouring over his numerous tomes. His pupil, Jonathan Strange is young and brash, eager to push the boundaries of magic, to experiment rather than read about magical pursuits. However, as the novel wears on you discover each as a depth of character unlike their outward persona's. Each is driven by different fears and passions, and they both have much more in common than they realize.

The novel's greatest strength lies in how believable and tangible the world Mrs. Clarke portrays is brought to life. The novel is littered with footnotes outlining interesting facts and fables (some of which span multiple pages). These are never tedious and all serve to annunciate the "believability" of the story. In this fashion she reminds me of another great English author, J.R.R. Tolkien who went through great pains to add color and depth to his world, expanding upon small details, evening creating a language of his own. Mrs. Clarke also has a keen sense of mixing humor with drama, adding the right touch of levity at appropriate times. Her humor is very much like that of Jane Austen, poking fun at the social dilemmas gentleman and ladies found themselves in during the 19th century, where morality and social acceptability ran counter to emotions.

The novel is broken into three volumes, each segmented into many chapters, with few running more than twenty pages. This does a good job of making the 846 page novel easily digestible. This is Susanna Clarke's first novel and pacing is one issue she has yet to master. The novel lags during a few places (notably during the beginning and end of volume I), and the ending seems to flow in a torrent. However, it is very easy to get lost in the prose, which is succinct and well constructed. Her descriptions of magical acts are particularly well written, with metaphors that precisely illustrate the events at hand in perfect detail.

In the end this is a tremendous novel, one of the best constructed literary worlds I've had the pleasure of exploring.
October 13, 2008

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