Sunday, December 20, 2009

"Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke

"Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke (2004)

This was one of those random books I picked up at a used bookstore. I had seen it at new bookstores when it was published and it looked to be very popular, but I never heard anything about it, good or bad. After reading it, I can say without reservation that it was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it.

I saw a fine reasonably priced (cheaper than a paperback) hardcover edition and after reading the front flap, decided to risk buying it. Later that week, I heard that a friend was reading and enjoying it. It sat on my bookshelf for quite a while, waiting for me to work up the state of mind for reading such a heavy tome. Finally, after burning myself out on reading all of the Dune series (1965-2007), I decided I was ready.

"Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" was a joy to read. It is the story of how two practical (rather than theoretical) magicians work (with and against each other) to bring magic back to 19th-century England. In this England, the classic English fairy tales (sources for George MacDonald, Andrew Lang and inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis) are historical. And so are many of the events of our world, such as the Napoleonic wars, in which one of the magicians assists Wellington in his campaigns.

Most of the story centers around the magic of John Uskglass, the king of Northern England from about 1100 to 1400; also known as the Raven King. He is credited for developing a systematic method for practicing magic. Most of the spells used by later magicians were invented by him.

Stephen R. Lawhead, an excellent author, has written a retelling of the legend Robin Hood called The Raven King Trilogy. I am very curious if there is any historical significance connected to the title The Raven King and if Clarke and Lawhead drew upon the same legends in telling their tales. I haven't been able to find anything on the internet besides these two books. If you know of any tales or legends or even mentions of a Raven King in English history, I'd be very interested to know about them as well. Please leave a comment or send me an email.

This was Susanna Clarke's first novel but it felt like it was written by a seasoned author. It was written in a style that reminded me of classic English literature, like that of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. It also reminded me of Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle (2003-04), focusing on magic instead of science. To add to the realism, Clarke added many elaborate footnotes to the text, filling in references to other texts in her world, even quoting sections of them to flesh out the world for the reader. It reads like historical fiction, fantasy and classical literature all in one.

Clarke has also written "The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories" (2006), a collection of short stories that take place in the same world as "Jonathan Strange" but dealing instead with women and magic. In interviews she has said that she is working on a sequel that follows two of the minor characters in the first book. Now my copy of "Jonathan Strange" sits upon it's shelf, waiting with me for the rumored sequel to be published.

Next: "Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction" edited by Douglas A. Anderson (2008).

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