Jonathan
Strange & Mr Norrell
By
Susanna Clarke
Since
Harry Potter burst onto the book scene, everybody has been waiting
for Bloomsbury to produce another mold-breaking fantasy. You could
almost hear the roll of drums when this one appeared - an original
fantasy for adults this time. Like Harry Potter (with which it has
little else in common) it bears no resemblance to other fantasy
novels, no nods towards Tolkein or Dune. Instead, it transports
the reader to an alternative Regency England where the study of
magic is as commonplace a subject for gentlemen as that of medicine
or divinity. Centuries earlier, the Raven King had come out of Fairyland
and ruled the northern half of the country for three hundred years,
defining English magic. For the last couple of centuries, magical
study has all been of that theory - until Mr Norrell bursts onto
the scene and makes the statues of York Cathedral speak. It is his
aim to return practical magic to the realm, but he has reckoned
without his antithesis, Jonathan Strange, and the prophecies that
are going to come to pass.
A melancholy Venice, mad King George, Lord
Byron, the Peninsular War, and fashionable London are the backdrop
of this extraordinary work. Told in the style of a novel of those
days (possibly the most impressive feature is how well the author
has done this), complete with archaic spellings, this is a rambling,
sometimes fairly loose novel of almost 800 pages. Much is made of
the theme of exploitation and morality - it is a world of gentlemen,
where women, servants, and non-English folk are subservient. Magic
appears to make the masters of this world even more masterful, but
at what cost? Faustian bargains are struck, and it is up to the
reader to discover who profits from all this arcane power. This
is the sort of work that is likely to also appeal to historical
novel fans, and those looking for a midlist/literary book that is
something out of the ordinary. Ms Clarke’s Regency world is
utterly convincing, by turns chilling or charming, cozy or cruel.
Despite the book's size, there is quite a small cast of major characters,
and all seem very real indeed. For me, the book’s only true
drawback was its vast length, which swamped the story at times and
repeated itself needlessly. But you can’t call yourself a
true fantasy reader - and perhaps not a true historical reader,
either - if you don’t read this book. Wonderfully original
and yes, mold-breaking. What Ms Clarke will do for an encore is
beyond me to guess…
|
The
Book |
Bloomsbury |
30
September 2004 |
Hardback |
0747570558 |
Fantasy
[1806-17 London, Yorkshire, Spain & Italy] |
More
at Amazon.com ||
UK
|
Excerpt
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NOTE:
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The
Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed
2005 |
NOTE:
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