Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

In Susanna Clarke’s fabulous fantasy novel, two rival magicians’ secret dabblings with the dark arts cause more trouble than they could have imagined.

The year is 1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon. But a new conflict has arisen - a dangerous battle between two great magicians. The reclusive Mr Norrell, whose displays of magic send a thrill through the country, is challenged by the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange, who is young, handsome and daring - the antithesis of his older rival. Their struggle for supernatural supremacy soon overwhelms the one between the warring nations…

"Clarke's imagination is prodigious, her pacing is masterly and she knows how to employ dry humour in the service of majesty... With a cheery tone, Clarke welcomes herself into an exalted company of British writers — not only, some might argue, Dickens and Austen, but also the fantasy legends Kenneth Grahame and George MacDonald — as well as contemporary writers like Susan Cooper and Philip Pullman ...prose can be rummy and startling ... In this fantasy, the master that magic serves is reverence for writing."  -  Gregory Macguire, The New York Times

Susanna Clarke has only written two novels - Piranesi was published in 2020 - but both have been critical and commercial hits. Jonathan Strange took her 10 years to write and was inspired by attending a fantasy-writing workshop. At least two publishers rejected the book before she sold the still unfinished manuscript to Bloomsbury for £1 million.