Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

[Jorkens]

I've just finished reading this and thought it was good enough to merit its own thread. It's one of the most interesting and atmospheric fantasy books I've read in a while.

For people not familiar with it, the basic setting is in an alternate England where magic became a major part of life in the medieval period, before withering away until by the time when the book is set, during the Napoleonic wars, the only 'magicians' left are 'theoretical magicians' who study and discuss and analyze the historical records of the magic of the past, but never actually cast a spell themselves. The titular gentlemen have other ideas, and set about restoring magic to it's postion in english society, in the process making a powerful enemy.

It's a reasonably interesting premise, and the details of the setting - the mysterious and faerie haunted nature of English magic, the occasionally cryptic references to great magicians of the past, the smattering of period detail and historical characters (Wellington, Byron et al), the stories of the Raven King who founded English magic as we know it, the well drawn characters and their social world - are great. But I guess that what sets it apart for me is the style - the writing owes more to Austen or Dickens than to Tolkein or Moorcock. As far as I know, this is a pretty unique trick, and helps keep the story clear of fantasy cliche. The flipside is that it also fails to fit the expectations of fantasy pacing - it's a long book, and you have to be prepared to move slowly through it and enjoy the scenery. I think some people seem to get stuck on this, but once you get used to it it's part of the interest - the characters and the setting get a chance to breathe rather than just being means to keep the plot moving.

So yeah, I liked it. :smallsmile:

Has anyone else read it? Thoughts?

[Baerdog7]

I read this book sometime last year after seeing it on somebody's "must read" list. I'm gonna be honest, the first third of the book moved really slow for me due to the simple fact that Norrell is not a very interesting character (in the beginning). Once Strange got introduced, however, things really started picking up. By the end of the book, I was glued to the pages and couldn't wait to see how Strange and Norrell were going to handle the main "villain."

All in all, it was a very enjoyable book and one that I would recommend to others. I found myself really empathizing with some of the characters and hoping against hope that things would turn out alright for them.

[Eldan]

I loved it, it was great.
One question, though: There was the prophey about the black servant becoming king. I thought, the result of that prophecy was really obvious, was that just me, or what did you think? (I don't want to spoiler anything, so the vague wording)

[Tamburlaine]

I read it, I loved it. Then I read it some more, and loved it some more. It has to be one of my all time favourite books. I think the best part is her writing style; it really brings the book to life in my mind.

I also read the collection of short stories set in the same world The Ladies of Grace Adieu which is, again, pretty damn good, and well worth the read.

[Jorkens]

I loved it, it was great.
One question, though: There was the prophey about the black servant becoming king. I thought, the result of that prophecy was really obvious, was that just me, or what did you think? (I don't want to spoiler anything, so the vague wording)
You mean about

where he becomes king of, and what he does to get it?
Not entirely, imo. But then, I'm the sort of person who gets surprised when the boat sinks in Titanic. And looking back, there was a line shortly beforehand about
how one becomes king under Faerie lawthat should maybe have been a giveaway.

The thing I found a bit weird with the ending was
how little stuff actually had an impact on what eventually happened. Of all the action in the last couple of chapters and everyone rushing round at a great speed doing magic left right and centre, only Stephen and Strange and Norrell themselves really do anything that directly brings down the Gentleman - I kept expecting Uskglass, Vinculus, Childermass or Segundus to do something a bit more dramatic to that end. I guess the point is that the development of English Magic to its next stage is as much the point as the rescue of the captives from Lost Hope...

[Jorkens]

I read it, I loved it. Then I read it some more, and loved it some more. It has to be one of my all time favourite books. I think the best part is her writing style; it really brings the book to life in my mind.
It's great, isn't it. I think it's the fact that she's self consciously writing 19th-century-novel rather than epic fantasy. Epic fantasy style seems really well adapted to writing plot and action and really fantastic scenes, whereas the style of JS&MN seems to be built as much on shades of character and on the moderately fantastic juxtaposed with the entirely realistic - it's a lot more closely grounded in everyday experience so it's vivid and immersive in quite a different way.

It's interesting, for instance, that most of the chapters and chapters of stuff relating to the Napoleonic wars does almost nothing to advance the plot - the interest is that we can see how Strange and Norrell develop through it and how people react to them. You have to wonder how many writers would have condensed the whole thing to a couple of pages. (And how many readers would have preferred that too. :smallwink:)

Knowing some of the locations is quite cool, too. Bretton really is a couple of houses and an inn perched on the side of a moor, looking out over the lower and more pastoral side of the Peak District, the church tower at Chesterfield really doesn't look quite right...


I also read the collection of short stories set in the same world The Ladies of Grace Adieu which is, again, pretty damn good, and well worth the read.
Ooh, cool. Will look out for that.

[Oslecamo]

I greatly loved the book.

Specially because, like refered above, the story doesn't only happens in the 19th century, it follows the 19th century style of life.

Most of the problems the duo solves aren't really action based. Create illusion of a fleet so your own boats can go around whitout trouble, create roads to allow your troops to move faster, cure the insanity of the king ect, ect.

For god's sake, for once, the magic users aren't melee specialists. I'm really tired of the whole "master of blade and magic" that seems to be poping from everywhere lately.

And one of the wizard is actually an old grizzled man who likes to sit alone at home reading books.

Plus, the magic system is one of the most well constructed I ever readed.

Really great book.