Book summary

Both the publisher and critics have attempted to pigeonhole this charming fantasy, winner of the 2005 Hugo Award for best novel and a New York Times Notable Book for 2004, as "Harry Potter for Adults." However, their only point of similarity is that both books feature British magicians. Set in an alternate early 19th-century England and written in the prose of that time, the book is constructed as a heavily footnoted academic work concerning the careers of two magicians who helped the British win the war against Napoleon. The plot and tone are a satiric mix of a scholarly tome, an old-fashioned fairy tale, and a comedy of manners. In this version of England, everyone knows that fairies exist and that magicians actively employed their craft during the Middle Ages. However, practical magic has currently fallen into disuse, and all the people claiming to be magicians are theoretical ones, writing about magic, but not actually casting any spells. Therefore, it's quite astonishing when Mr. Gilbert Norrell, a pedantic, book-hoarding recluse, enters London society as a fully practicing magician. Not long after, the dashing dilettante Jonathan Strange discovers an unexpected aptitude for magic and also arrives in London, to act both as pupil and rival to Mr. Norrell. The book contains several black-and-white illustrations, again in an early 19th-century style.

Media reviews

"...[E]xtraordinary...[M]esmerizing...[W]ill enchant readers of fantasy and literary fiction alike." (starred review)