I am a self-described nerd. I have always enjoyed reading, particularly mythology and fantasy. I relish trivia, particularly scholastically-themed trivia. And I play Dungeons & Dragons. I must add this as well (and I hope no one’s going to find me and revoke my Nerd Card). I dislike The Lord of the Rings. I read them all as well as most of the appendices and rather disliked them. I found the idea of creating one’s own world and filling in its history and so forth to be completely fascinating, but I dislike Tolkien’s execution. My primary complaint is that his writing is often far, far too dry for a novel.
All that said, I absolutely love Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. This novel is set in alternate Regency Period England where good ol’ King George is still mad as a hatter. The biggest change in this alternative history is that magic exists in England, but hasn’t been used for several hundred years. (To my memory, Clarke neither confirms nor denies that magic exists outside of England.) However, the titular Mr. Norrell has discovered how magic works and, along with Jonathan Strange’s help, is reviving the magic throughout the land.
The story starts in York where a society of magic exists, but no one is able to perform magic. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Norrell makes his appearance and starts to perform magic. He moves to London, offers his services to the government, and takes on an apprentice, Jonathan Strange. The two of them solve many problems together, but are eventually driven apart on certain disagreements between the publication of some articles in some magical journals. After their separation, however, some bad things start happening in the world, and they must decide whether or not they will forgo their differences in order to right the wrongs of the world.
The novel is not all serious matters like life, death, and government work. It also features a good deal of British humor and wit, particularly in its treatment of historical figures such as George III, the Duke of Wellington, and Lord Byron.
This is definitely a caricature of Regency England and the sorts of people that inhabited it. Throughout the story, we are treated to multiple points of view and many different side-stories that add to the overall mood. The text is accompanied by nearly 200 footnotes that outline the backstories and fictional history of this world, some of which are nearly chapter-length. Additionally, Clarke has chosen obsolete spellings such as shewed for showed and chused for choosed that add to the period feel of the novel. Above all, however, is Clarke’s authorial voice that invokes such other British authors as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.