a book I love: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
I talk about this book to everyone. It is freaking AMAZING, and I will talk about this book until I die.
Imagine Jane Austen's England. An England at war with France/Napoleon. An England with a mad king, George III, and the Prince of Wales acting as Regent. Now shift its history so the king is only King of Southern England. He acts as a steward in the North, but he does not rule it. The Raven King ruled the North for three hundred years and vanished a couple of centuries ago, but he will return, so the North has no other king. And since the Raven King vanished, he took English magic with him. Magicians nowadays discuss magic. They study magic. They write lengthy and useless essays about magic. Anyone who claims to be a "practical magician" sooner or later proves to be nothing more than a trickster or con artist. Occasionally, a magician will try to perform magic and encourage others to do the same, but he fails in both endeavors.
Until one cold winter morning, a magical scholar makes all the statues in York Cathedral come alive and speak for half an hour.
These events kick off my absolute favorite book that I have ever read. The scholar is Gilbert Norrell, and he moves to London because he is convinced he can help his country in the war against Napoleon. He sets in motion events that lead the other title character, Jonathan Strange, to his own career as a practical magician. Their story leads us to the Iberian Peninsula, Waterloo, London, and Faerie. The lives of at least nine different characters are presented in detail and woven together in the most beautiful language, like handmade lace. I have read it four times, and the ending still makes me cry.
This is an epic book that took eight years to write. It is a masterpiece of fantasy, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Imagine Jane Austen's England. An England at war with France/Napoleon. An England with a mad king, George III, and the Prince of Wales acting as Regent. Now shift its history so the king is only King of Southern England. He acts as a steward in the North, but he does not rule it. The Raven King ruled the North for three hundred years and vanished a couple of centuries ago, but he will return, so the North has no other king. And since the Raven King vanished, he took English magic with him. Magicians nowadays discuss magic. They study magic. They write lengthy and useless essays about magic. Anyone who claims to be a "practical magician" sooner or later proves to be nothing more than a trickster or con artist. Occasionally, a magician will try to perform magic and encourage others to do the same, but he fails in both endeavors.
Until one cold winter morning, a magical scholar makes all the statues in York Cathedral come alive and speak for half an hour.
These events kick off my absolute favorite book that I have ever read. The scholar is Gilbert Norrell, and he moves to London because he is convinced he can help his country in the war against Napoleon. He sets in motion events that lead the other title character, Jonathan Strange, to his own career as a practical magician. Their story leads us to the Iberian Peninsula, Waterloo, London, and Faerie. The lives of at least nine different characters are presented in detail and woven together in the most beautiful language, like handmade lace. I have read it four times, and the ending still makes me cry.
This is an epic book that took eight years to write. It is a masterpiece of fantasy, and I cannot recommend it enough.
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