Introduction

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England--until the reclusive Mr. Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.

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 opposite of Norrell. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.

Time #1 Book of the Year
Book Sense Book of the Year
People Top Ten Books of the Year
Winner of the Hugo Award
New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Salon.com Top Ten of 2004
Winner of the World Fantasy Award
Nancy Pearl's Top 12 Books of 2004
Washington Post Book World's Best of 2004
Christian Science Monitor Best Fiction 2004
San Francisco Chronicle Best Books of 2004
Winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel
Chicago Tribune Best of 2004
Seattle Times 25 Best Books of 2004
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Top 12 Books of 2004
Village Voice "Top Shelf"
Raleigh News & Observer Best of 2004
Rocky Mountain News critics' favorites of 2004

Editorial 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

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