Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
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- Create Date：2021-05-12 11:53:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Susanna Clarke
- ISBN：0747579881
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Summary
The year is 1806， England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon， and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation's past。 But scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains， the reclusive Mr Norrell， whose displays of magic send a thrill through the country。
Proceeding to London， he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French。 Yet the cautious， fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange。
Young， handsome and daring， Strange is the very antithesis of Norrel。 So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men which overwhelms that between England and France。 And their own obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine。
Proceeding to London， he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French。 Yet the cautious， fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange。
Young， handsome and daring， Strange is the very antithesis of Norrel。 So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men which overwhelms that between England and France。 And their own obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine。
Reviews
Teresa
，
Do not bother with this one if you don’t enjoy the voice on page 1， because it’s never going to do it for you。 That awful beginning is true to the nature of the whole book。 I get some people like that sort of thing but meh is the best I can give it。 Very little of interest ever happens。 I don’t know how a book with Lord Byron as a character and filled with high magic managed to be so damn dull。 It’s nothing like Jane Austen and anyone who tells you that is wrong。 It’s never clever or witty or an Do not bother with this one if you don’t enjoy the voice on page 1， because it’s never going to do it for you。 That awful beginning is true to the nature of the whole book。 I get some people like that sort of thing but meh is the best I can give it。 Very little of interest ever happens。 I don’t know how a book with Lord Byron as a character and filled with high magic managed to be so damn dull。 It’s nothing like Jane Austen and anyone who tells you that is wrong。 It’s never clever or witty or anything of the sort， but it’s clear the author thinks it is。 Even high war and drama is tedious。 There are no characters worth hearing more about。 What a waste of reading time。 。。。more
Destiny
，
"There is no word in the English language for a magician's garden two hundred years after the magician is dead。"For some reason this quote stood out to me as my favourite from the book and I have committed it to my heart。 This book was a lovely read， I fell in love with the characters and their quirks and for a time felt that I was really living in this world。 and I really enjoyed how the magical system was revealed， however the book was about six-hundred pages too long。 If I was the editor of t "There is no word in the English language for a magician's garden two hundred years after the magician is dead。"For some reason this quote stood out to me as my favourite from the book and I have committed it to my heart。 This book was a lovely read， I fell in love with the characters and their quirks and for a time felt that I was really living in this world。 and I really enjoyed how the magical system was revealed， however the book was about six-hundred pages too long。 If I was the editor of this book I would have cut so much out of this book to make it more readable。 I found myself consistently skipping the footnotes。 。。。more
Valerie
，
I'm not finishing this。 I'm just not vibing with it， even though it seems like something I'd really like。 The tone of the narration is really detached and dry， the world and characters aren't lively enough to justify all the backstory in the footnotes， I don't care about anything that's happening or anyone in the book 250 pages in， I'm not a faerie fan。 Etc。 Just not my thing。 I'm not finishing this。 I'm just not vibing with it， even though it seems like something I'd really like。 The tone of the narration is really detached and dry， the world and characters aren't lively enough to justify all the backstory in the footnotes， I don't care about anything that's happening or anyone in the book 250 pages in， I'm not a faerie fan。 Etc。 Just not my thing。 。。。more
Phillip
，
Obviously a masterpiece。 I feel myself kind of a Strangite， "to own the truth。" Obviously a masterpiece。 I feel myself kind of a Strangite， "to own the truth。" 。。。more
The Colonial
，
English novelist Susanna Clarke has brilliantly tied together the realm of fantasy with that of the history of the Napoleonic Wars and the Regency era of Great Britain， in which she uses a prose and descriptive technique similar to that found in a Jane Austen or Patrick O’Brian novel。 Cameos of the early-nineteenth century’s finest are found throughout， with a unique and rather entertaining alternative backstory to “Mad” King George III’s illness， as well as the frustrations and insights of Napo English novelist Susanna Clarke has brilliantly tied together the realm of fantasy with that of the history of the Napoleonic Wars and the Regency era of Great Britain， in which she uses a prose and descriptive technique similar to that found in a Jane Austen or Patrick O’Brian novel。 Cameos of the early-nineteenth century’s finest are found throughout， with a unique and rather entertaining alternative backstory to “Mad” King George III’s illness， as well as the frustrations and insights of Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington。 Clarke uses both her clever imagination and overall fondness for the era in a delightful manner—where the narrative follows two magicians whom are employed in the service of His Majesty King George III， in order to fend off the ever-strengthening empire of France under Napoleon Bonaparte。The crux of the story follows the magicians attempt to revitalize the lost magic produced centuries before by the illustrious Raven King， and they find themselves in the hunt with another evil force trying to thwart their plans as they delve further into the kingdoms and roads of “Faerie”—England’s invisible yet ever-present magical sister city。 While the plot is exciting in itself with twists and amazing character development， the fun can also be had in some of the alternate history produced， including such events as the Battle of Waterloo， and Clarke’s utter devotion to staying true to the social history of Regency London with themes on slavery， class， and politics:Yet somehow Stephen Black had found a way to thwart this universal principle。 He had， it is true， certain natural advantages: a handsome face and a tall， well-made figure。 It certainly did him no harm that his master was a politician who was pleased to advertise his liberal principles to the world by entrusting the management of his house and business to a black servant。 The other servants were a little surprized to find they were put under a black man–a sort of person that many of them had never even seen before。 Some were inclined to be indignant at first and told each other that if he dared to give them an order they would return him a very rude answer。Clarke accurately portrays the period in a manner that will leave the reader heavily aware of her determined pursuit in creating a world that’s both mystifying and intriguing—all the while creating a rather unique experience that she herself declares as a blending of genres。 Running in at roughly one thousand pages， this could be quite a task to undertake for the reader interested in a little spark and pomp with their historical fiction selection。 However， the humor， imagination， and excitement that fill each page make up for quite a page-turning adventure that will leave the audience eager for future arcs。 Hand drawn illustrations are found throughout， as well as unique endnotes that pertain to the “magical” history of London and the fictional kingdom of Faerie。 Read the Full Review and More 。。。more
Goodzillo
，
Yes！！ Waste my time！ Susanna Clarke understands that someone willing to read a fantasy book has nothing better to do with their time， so she figures they might as well sit through endless pages of characters sitting around talking about boring things， or interesting things in boring ways。 She KNOWS how to waste your time。 And I'm not kidding when I say all of this is a glowing review。 Nothing draws you into a character quite the same way as dozens of pages of them having unimportant conversation Yes！！ Waste my time！ Susanna Clarke understands that someone willing to read a fantasy book has nothing better to do with their time， so she figures they might as well sit through endless pages of characters sitting around talking about boring things， or interesting things in boring ways。 She KNOWS how to waste your time。 And I'm not kidding when I say all of this is a glowing review。 Nothing draws you into a character quite the same way as dozens of pages of them having unimportant conversations。 I love how the narrative subtly assures you of its moral ground， setting its story during one of the high points of British colonialism starring two loyal British magicians， by making one of them an obviously awful person and the other insane and more subtly evil。 And the way the worst， most monstrous of the Faeries imitate the genteel British， even as they condescend to them？ Intentional or not， it's phenomenal satire。 。。。more
Ash
，
DNF@2%No patience to read such a thick book about some supposedly magicians/men in England。 Yawn
Aviva Rosman
，
How fortunate are we readers to get a new 19th century novel written in the 21st century？ And what further good luck that is also deconstructs the 19th century novel at the same time？ And features dueling magicians？？Susanna Clarke writes with such inventiveness， humor， and confidence that I couldn't help but turn to Wikipedia every so often to see if the Battle of Waterloo could have possibly been won by magical means。 What I like most of all about Clarke's fantasy is how ordinary it is - bolste How fortunate are we readers to get a new 19th century novel written in the 21st century？ And what further good luck that is also deconstructs the 19th century novel at the same time？ And features dueling magicians？？Susanna Clarke writes with such inventiveness， humor， and confidence that I couldn't help but turn to Wikipedia every so often to see if the Battle of Waterloo could have possibly been won by magical means。 What I like most of all about Clarke's fantasy is how ordinary it is - bolstering sea walls， creating mud against an opposing army。 The two magicians lash out not with spells but with competing magical journals and much of the central conflict relates to the hoarding of a magical library。 This was the longest book I have read in quite some time， but I would happily read another couple hundred more in this world， or even just a couple more footnotes。 。。。more
Ravi Goyal
，
Such a splendidly written book！
Amelia G
，
4。5 stars Wow。 The amount of work that must have gone into this。 It's really impressive， and everything ties up so neatly in the end， despite the multitudes of storylines and the ways everything goes wrong。 4。5 stars Wow。 The amount of work that must have gone into this。 It's really impressive， and everything ties up so neatly in the end， despite the multitudes of storylines and the ways everything goes wrong。 。。。more
Sarah
，
meh。
Zoltán
，
Néhány órája fejeztem be a regényt， de még mindig azon töprengek mi is volt ez és vajon mi hajtott előre， hogy végig tudjam olvasni。 Hiszen semmire sem kapunk igazán választ az alapkérdések közül。 Hová tűnt a mágia Britaniából？ Hová tűnt a Hollókirály és miért？ Ki a tündér úr és volt-e bármi szerepe az előző kérdések előidézésében？ Ki is valójában a Hollókirály és mi volt a célja azzal， hogy újra beleavatkozott az eseményekbe？ Helyette kapunk egy lassan csordogáló， alternatív György korabeli， va Néhány órája fejeztem be a regényt， de még mindig azon töprengek mi is volt ez és vajon mi hajtott előre， hogy végig tudjam olvasni。 Hiszen semmire sem kapunk igazán választ az alapkérdések közül。 Hová tűnt a mágia Britaniából？ Hová tűnt a Hollókirály és miért？ Ki a tündér úr és volt-e bármi szerepe az előző kérdések előidézésében？ Ki is valójában a Hollókirály és mi volt a célja azzal， hogy újra beleavatkozott az eseményekbe？ Helyette kapunk egy lassan csordogáló， alternatív György korabeli， vagy viktoriánus brit társadalmat és a kornak megfelelő társasági élet anekdotáiból， életstílusából építkező sztorit。 De mégis van valahol mágia a könyvben， mert nem fullad unalomba， hanem kíváncsi leszel， hogy mi is sül ki az egészből。 Mint fentebb írtam sajnos csak nyitott kérdések。。。 。。。more
Pete Sterpe
，
I can see why it is considered a good book because it was technically well written but for me it was a slow plod and the characters lacked depth。 I didn't get invested in any of the characters at all。 It just wasn't for me。 I can see why it is considered a good book because it was technically well written but for me it was a slow plod and the characters lacked depth。 I didn't get invested in any of the characters at all。 It just wasn't for me。 。。。more
Magpie Lady
，
One of the best books I have ever read！ JS&MN is a beautiful ode to history and a playful take on magic， but it's also one of the best character studies I've seen in fantasy。 The ending may be divisive， but I ate it up。 It's an ending that's hopeful and yet in some ways unresolved。 Perfect for the tone of the novel。 One of the best books I have ever read！ JS&MN is a beautiful ode to history and a playful take on magic， but it's also one of the best character studies I've seen in fantasy。 The ending may be divisive， but I ate it up。 It's an ending that's hopeful and yet in some ways unresolved。 Perfect for the tone of the novel。 。。。more
VK Fox
，
One of my absolute favorite， top 5 books of all time。 Beautiful， funny， immersive。 Jane Austin meets JK Rowling。 The use of footnotes builds out the world without bogging down the narrative and the flawed but compelling characters are a joy to follow。
MDelva_
，
El libro es extremadamente lento， creo que es lo principal que puedo decir de él。 Para mi gusto， de las 800 páginas que tiene， 650 son una parte que podría resumirse en 200 para dar contexto y presentar a los personajes。 Parece mucho más una novela histórica y de academicismo antes que una novela sobre la propia magia （de aventuras y de fantasía que pensaba encontrar）。Lo que realmente me ha gustado ha sido la parte final y todo lo que se construye en torno a la figura del Rey Cuervo， pero no se El libro es extremadamente lento， creo que es lo principal que puedo decir de él。 Para mi gusto， de las 800 páginas que tiene， 650 son una parte que podría resumirse en 200 para dar contexto y presentar a los personajes。 Parece mucho más una novela histórica y de academicismo antes que una novela sobre la propia magia （de aventuras y de fantasía que pensaba encontrar）。Lo que realmente me ha gustado ha sido la parte final y todo lo que se construye en torno a la figura del Rey Cuervo， pero no se puede negar que la escritura de la autora y el detallismo que utiliza es absolutamente precioso y con una narración trabajada。 Se nota que ha habido una gran documentación sobre esa época， pero me he encontrado con algo que no era lo que venía buscando y que no me ha terminado de gustar; hubiese preferido mil veces un libro de leyendas sobre Josh Uskglass y Tierra de Duendes que lo que me he encontrado。Realmente me ha parecido mucho más interesante las notas a pie de página， todo el contexto que aportaban sobre historias de la magia que el protagonismo de Strange y Norrell。 Ninguno de los dos personajes me han terminado de gustar， por muy bien definidos que estén y por mucho que se puedan entender sus inquietudes。 Y， a pesar de la época， podía haberse incluido a algún personaje femenino que fuese más importante que alguien que ha sido raptado。 。。。more
Catface
，
You know when there's a musician or band so famous and influential that their sound becomes a part of the canon in which they work？ Later musicians may be influenced by the sound， but they put their own spin on it， change it， add and subtract from it。 That's what this book feels like to me， in a good way。 The length and style absolutely evoke mid-Victorian fiction， but things like 'reported speech in footnotes' are a fun twist because this isn't actually a serious academic work， despite being st You know when there's a musician or band so famous and influential that their sound becomes a part of the canon in which they work？ Later musicians may be influenced by the sound， but they put their own spin on it， change it， add and subtract from it。 That's what this book feels like to me， in a good way。 The length and style absolutely evoke mid-Victorian fiction， but things like 'reported speech in footnotes' are a fun twist because this isn't actually a serious academic work， despite being styled as one in places。This is my second time reading the book， as I bought it when it came out， read it and enjoyed it， and am now enjoying it again when both the world and I have changed。 That said， it's absolutely not for everybody。 It's not just long， it's verbose， and as someone else noted it can be a bit twee with the deliberately archaic word choices。 Do you think Neal Stephenson could put a bit more detail into his books？ You will like this :-）The slow build and verbosity works for me because the world is created almost incidentally as events happen。 After reading the book， I think I could predict reasonably well what Mr Lascelles or Mrs Brandy might do in any given situation; they're fleshed out and real。 In addition， solid dates given for events in the book ties in with the wealth of every day detail so the text isn't left swimming in some vague gears and top hats past。 Where the worlds aren't fully detailed this also works， as we see them from the character point of view， so if they don't know why the castle is in ruins， we don't either。As a side note， reviews never seem to mention the first section with the magicians of York， especially Honeycomb and Secundus， which is rather a shame as they're great characters。 The meeting in The Old Starre Inn is wonderful， these essentially well meaning but still pretty annoying old men all getting together as a social event as much as anything else。 Two stars were deducted because despite the story being very good， it's still just all about boys having boy adventures。 Again。 Even Lady Pole is really left as a side character despite [spoilers]。 One star was re-added for Stephen Black， as a valiant effort to reflect how BIPOC did in fact exist in Europe during the Victorian era。 。。。more
Tammy Maker
，
I could not wait for this book to end。。。 and not in a good way。 It was a rambling mess of nonsense that didn’t seem to have any real coherent plot progression。 Most of the characters were boring and lifeless。 There were a few parts that amused me or made me chuckle but， on the whole， this is the worst book I’ve read in an exceedingly long time which it pains me to say because it had so much potential when I read the synopsis。
Paul Clifford
，
I held off reviewing this immediately upon finishing it because I would have gushed endlessly rather than compose a brief （hopefully pithy） review as is my typical aim。 The truth is， as the days pass， the riveting plot and simultaneously archetypal yet somehow nuanced characters of this masterpiece further embed themselves in my consciousness。 I have begun watching the limited series on Amazon Prime with my wife （with considerable hesitation， admittedly -- it's excellent and faithful thus far！） I held off reviewing this immediately upon finishing it because I would have gushed endlessly rather than compose a brief （hopefully pithy） review as is my typical aim。 The truth is， as the days pass， the riveting plot and simultaneously archetypal yet somehow nuanced characters of this masterpiece further embed themselves in my consciousness。 I have begun watching the limited series on Amazon Prime with my wife （with considerable hesitation， admittedly -- it's excellent and faithful thus far！） because I simply want to inhabit the world Clarke has created for a little longer and I feel a compulsion to somehow share this story with my wife！Clarke has devised a world at once familiar yet purely fantastical that is internally consistent and wholly engaging from start to finish。 The language and cadence of her dialogue， the sights and sounds and smells of the locales， and the historical touchstones （ex。 Napoleonic wars， Lord Byron's appearance， etc。） combine to envelop the reader in an accomplished and rare fashion。 When I read reviews suggesting readers wished the book was longer， I struggled to see how that was possible -- I get it now！ A superbly-crafted narrative that contains wit， drama， intrigue， and firmly establishes itself in a literary tradition while retaining its originality and 'freshness'， "Jonathan Strange & Mr。 Norrell" is a delight I could expound upon for paragraph upon paragraph and still fail to encapsulate。 You simply must experience it for yourself！ 。。。more
Kate Ned
，
Несмотря на объем этой книги， ни одна глава， ни один герой не показался мне лишним。 Все события и герои формируют целостную историю， прекрасную и искреннюю。 Как нелюбитель фентези， от этой книги я не смогла оторваться！ Особенно полезны и необходимы в этой книге оказались примечания， которые позволили еще больше проникнуться в мир и историю магии в Англии。
lorelei224
，
Oh my god。 this book is so pretentious。 I don't understand the hype。 Oh my god。 this book is so pretentious。 I don't understand the hype。 。。。more
Jovana De
，
Uit！！Wat een uniek boek。 Ik denk niet dat iedereen er evenveel plezier aan zal beleven。 Het is een traag boek en lang vraag je je af waar het naartoe gaat。 Toch vind ik het zo’n uniek geschreven boek dat ik dat gedeelte gewoon omarmt heb。 Er zitten ontzettend veel voetnoten in dit boek。 Maar dat zorgt er juist voor dat er een uitgebreide wereld wordt gecreëerd en veel diepgang in de situatie komt。 Ook aan de personages wordt veel aandacht besteedt en je krijgt een duidelijk beeld van wie ze zijn Uit！！Wat een uniek boek。 Ik denk niet dat iedereen er evenveel plezier aan zal beleven。 Het is een traag boek en lang vraag je je af waar het naartoe gaat。 Toch vind ik het zo’n uniek geschreven boek dat ik dat gedeelte gewoon omarmt heb。 Er zitten ontzettend veel voetnoten in dit boek。 Maar dat zorgt er juist voor dat er een uitgebreide wereld wordt gecreëerd en veel diepgang in de situatie komt。 Ook aan de personages wordt veel aandacht besteedt en je krijgt een duidelijk beeld van wie ze zijn。 Met het verhaal kan je veel kanten op。 Lang vraag je je af waar het naartoe gaat en wat de schrijfster er mee bedoeld。 Ik heb denk ik nog even tijd nodig heb om hier voor mezelf helemaal achter te komen。 Ik heb het echt met veel plezier gelezen！！ 。。。more
Thom Coté
，
Not usually one for fantasy， but this is a wonderful slow-burn novel that smartly puts the voice and social comedy of Jane Austen into tension with creeping， inscrutable forces。
Kara
，
There are some books that have had a direct impact on my husbands life even though he never read them （we still find flyers from the #BringMarkHome campaign from time to time）。 Many dinners have included conversations around workplace relationship drama in the circus industry and how Elenore really does have great friends。 This book is a big book with a lot of interesting characters so my husband has been hearing about magician etiquette for a few months now。 I read this book after reading anoth There are some books that have had a direct impact on my husbands life even though he never read them （we still find flyers from the #BringMarkHome campaign from time to time）。 Many dinners have included conversations around workplace relationship drama in the circus industry and how Elenore really does have great friends。 This book is a big book with a lot of interesting characters so my husband has been hearing about magician etiquette for a few months now。 I read this book after reading another Susanna Clarke book I really enjoyed， Piranesi。 This did have a completely different feel to it but still had the same brilliance。 And as an American the heavy British culture was entertaining。 I thought the footnotes were hilarious， often with a feel like most readers would know this but I'll put this here for you in case you aren't familiar with the history of British Magic。 Often the footnotes referenced something I forgot a billion pages ago so they were kinda helpful as well。 So I actually finished this book about a week before this review。 I was a little sad to do the review。 I missed my book friends。 Dinner conversations included how much potential Childermass has and how I wish I could know how he is doing。 But good news！ There is a BBC mini series！！ 2 episodes in and now my husband is starting to make sense of my concerns over the gentleman with the thistle down hair。 I make sure to provide him with the necessary footnotes he might need since while my husband is very well educated in English magic his knowledge is more of modern magic like dementors and time-turners and stuff。 Long book， I normally hate long books。 But never felt I was powering through。 Always wanted more。 Loved the character development。 Even evil characters were written so well it was entertaining to hate on them。 I try to give 5 stars only to books I would read more than once and while I loved it I don't think I would go that far。 I would absolutely love a sequel though！！ Series is fantastic so far but no substitute for the book。 Which isn't an opinion I usually hold with long books （best example， Lord of the Rings。 Movies are so much better）。 。。。more
Todd
，
WAY TOO LONG！ What started as a cute and charming Roald Dahl-esque sort of storytelling， turned into a page after same page after nothing is happening but the same nothing that happened already way too long book。 And the pointless footnotes really should just be eliminated or put at the end of the book where you can skip the whole lot in one go。So sad， it started out with promise。
Hannah Watson
，
What a piece of work！ I read this after thoroughly enjoying Piranesi and this is definitely the longest book I’ve ever read， which in itself brings so many new joys to my reading experience。 I loved the depths and detail Clarke goes to in order to create such a realistic and charming magical world。 Her meshing of the historical with the fantastical makes for a really mature and eloquent read - as somebody who struggles with the cliché magical side of these kinds of books， this made it much easie What a piece of work！ I read this after thoroughly enjoying Piranesi and this is definitely the longest book I’ve ever read， which in itself brings so many new joys to my reading experience。 I loved the depths and detail Clarke goes to in order to create such a realistic and charming magical world。 Her meshing of the historical with the fantastical makes for a really mature and eloquent read - as somebody who struggles with the cliché magical side of these kinds of books， this made it much easier to get along with。 The prose is beautiful throughout， the way the world is imagined and described is enchanting and immersive， and the characters are wildly original and intriguing to say the least。 I was slightly disappointed by the ending， I would have loved it to lead up to a duel or a clash of powers but it didn’t quite do this and I was left feeling slightly deflated。 This being said， I loved how Clarke tied everybody’s storylines up at the end and nothing was left undone。 A real epic。 。。。more
Ren Auletta
，
Rich and dense。
Trevor Litwin
，
Overly drawn out novel with little in terms of a plot to justify。 The world-building and historical aspect of the novel is phenomenal， but overall feels like wasted potential。
Nick Dablin
，
To lump this book into the fantasy genre feels trite and dismissive。 Instead it is an intricate pastiche of classic literature that uses ideas of magical realism to explore a kaleidoscope of issues such as class， race， gender， matrimony and Englishness。 But this is never at the expense of story， and at its heart is a thrilling and intricate tale that kept me hooked all through its 1000+ pages。 The central premise is that magic is an accepted fact of medieval England， but has waned almost to non- To lump this book into the fantasy genre feels trite and dismissive。 Instead it is an intricate pastiche of classic literature that uses ideas of magical realism to explore a kaleidoscope of issues such as class， race， gender， matrimony and Englishness。 But this is never at the expense of story， and at its heart is a thrilling and intricate tale that kept me hooked all through its 1000+ pages。 The central premise is that magic is an accepted fact of medieval England， but has waned almost to non-existence in the 19th century present day。 Attempting to restore English magic to prominence is the only remaining magician - Mr Norrell， a nervous， fussy， self-important character who would， in a lesser work， be a buffoon of comic relief。 Here he is given such nuanced depth of character that he is by turns pitiable， exasperating， despicable and relatable。 As the tale progresses， we are introduced to Strange， who is in many ways the antithesis of Norrell， but equally well developed as a character。 He is an ostensibly likeable "hero" who is nonetheless arrogant， careless and foolish。 By themselves， they make for an extraordinarily enjoyable study of character， but they are woven into a world so rich with details of world building that you will find yourself sinking into its universe， not questioning its authenticity。 The supporting cast are also spectacularly multi-faceted， and the plot is as engaging as it is complex。 Myriad disparate mysteries are slowly teased out over the course of the book， and come rattling to a page-turning culmination that doesn't fail to satisfy despite the length。The writing， despite deliberately aping classic literature in its archaic spelling and waffling sentence structure， is eminently readable。 Descriptions are cinematically vivid， the dialogue smart and witty， with a wry sense of humour helping to elevate and contrast the terrifying otherness of some of the story's magical encounters。 All in all， this is a stunning novel， and is highly recommended。 。。。more
Elin Nilsson
，