Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke
Bloomsbury
2004
Pages: 800
Price: 17.99 pounds
ISBN: 0747570558
Hardcover
Jane Austen died and came back as a fantasy writer. In her new avatar, she calls herself Susanna Clarke, lives in Cambridge, and has authored a fat historical fantasy novel set in the year 1860. The book, which she now calls her “debut”, began attracting media attention long before publication and on release it’s been universally lauded. Unlike her previous avatar, the 21st century Ms Clarke (nee Austen) seems to be enjoying the attention showered upon her and far from publishing her first book under a pseudonym, has been a central performer at her own media circus.
The book itself has been called, by a media ever eager to summarise even 800-page hardcover tomes into a snappy catch-phrase, “Harry Potter for adults”. It’s also been praised by perhaps the best living author of British fantasy novels (though he’s now moved to the USA), Neil Gaiman, as “Unquestionably the finest English novel of the fantastic written in the past seventy years.”
It helps that it’s published by Bloomsbury, the very people who bought and believed in the maiden effort of a certain Joanna Rowling not many years past and who were then stamped with the label of the “world’s biggest fantasy publisher” on the strength of that Hogwartian breakthrough. At first appearance, this book would seem to have everything to recommend it: a great publisher, a promising new author (who spent an alleged 10 years on the book), a beautifully produced book design (the white covers were restricted to only the first 40,000 copies, so if you get one, know that it’s a collector’s item), and a book that seems perfect in every respect.
{{/usCountry}}It helps that it’s published by Bloomsbury, the very people who bought and believed in the maiden effort of a certain Joanna Rowling not many years past and who were then stamped with the label of the “world’s biggest fantasy publisher” on the strength of that Hogwartian breakthrough. At first appearance, this book would seem to have everything to recommend it: a great publisher, a promising new author (who spent an alleged 10 years on the book), a beautifully produced book design (the white covers were restricted to only the first 40,000 copies, so if you get one, know that it’s a collector’s item), and a book that seems perfect in every respect.
{{/usCountry}}So you really want to like this book. Love it in fact. Especially if fat fantasy tomes are your buzz-biz. And discovering a great new author gives you the kind of kick that television viewers must get everytime a new ‘KKK’ serial goes on air. You settle into your favourite ergonomically designed seating, and crack the spine.