Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

In the year 1806, England is at war with Napoleon—and magic, once a proud and practical tradition, has long been reduced to dusty scholarship and theoretical debates. That is, until a reclusive and book-obsessed gentleman named Mr. Norrell steps forward and proves that true magic has not vanished after all.

Summoning spectral fleets and restoring life to the dead, Mr. Norrell takes London by storm, instantly becoming both a national curiosity and a strategic asset. But his vision for English magic is cautious, orderly, and deeply controlled.

Then comes Jonathan Strange—young, daring, and entirely unlike Norrell. Though he begins as Norrell’s pupil, it soon becomes clear that Strange is drawn to a different kind of magic: wild, intuitive, and dangerously untamed. Their alliance fractures as Strange digs deeper into the forgotten, darker roots of England’s magical past—into tales of the Raven King, the mysterious fae roads, and bargains that should never be made.

As the two magicians shape the course of history—on battlefields and in enchanted mirrors—their rivalry threatens to unravel not only their own lives, but the fabric of the world itself. Sprawling, elegant, and unforgettable, Susanna Clarke’s masterwork is a tale of obsession, power, and the perilous cost of forgotten knowledge.