abstract
| - Susanna Clarke's highly acclaimed novel about magicians and fairies in alternate Britain of the Regency era. Centuries ago, magic thrived in England. John Uskglass, a human who had been raised in Faerie, waged war against England and took the northern half for his kingdom. Uskglass himself was the greatest magician to ever live, and his 300-year reign was the golden age of magic in both halves of England--the union of fairy power and human organization. By 1806, England has been reunited, and magic is primarily the domain of scholars and theorists. The Learned Society of York Magicians sets out to discover why magic is no longer practiced in England, and finds that there is one practicing magician: the reclusive Mr. Norrell, who has very particular views on what is and is not proper for an English magician. When Norrell goes public, this sets in motion a chain of events. The young landowner, Jonathan Strange, discovers that he has a natural talent for magic, and begins practicing as an amateur. He becomes Mr. Norrell's first and only student, but as Strange begins to rival Norrell in ability, their differences in opinion intensify until they become bitter rivals. The activities of the two magicians, and the revival of interest in magic spurred by them, causes one fairy, the gentleman with thistle-down hair, to take a renewed interest in England. In particular, he becomes convinced that Jonathan Strange is his worst enemy ...
|