Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

What is there to say about the book that everyone in fantasy circles has read, or pretended to read?

It's a novel of the return of magic to England, in the years that stretch from 1806 to 1817, through two magicians--the Strange and Norrell of the title, the only two magicians in England since the disappearance of English magic--and their various associates. The most frequent comparison that seems to come up is Jane Austen, perhaps because of the omniscient narrator, time period, and very tightly written and dignified prose, but Jane Austen's books are much more personal and familial books, and this is very largely a book of politics, until, at the end, it truly becomes a book of magic.

It took me fifteen months to read this book, in fits and starts. It's a very long book, almost 800 hardcover pages, and a much denser read than the similarly-sized brick that was the latest Harry Potter. Often I didn't have enough patience for all of its threads to come together. Honestly, it didn't become compelling until the end, which is all right--anyone who buys a book with footnotes should be prepared for a book whose virtues lie beyond compelling the reader to keep turning pages. In symphonic fashion, the author brings up themes, develops them, and moves on. At the end, which is magical and perfect, everything comes together in crashing, harmonious chords. But I think that truly enjoying Strange & Norrell requires having the patience for all the buildup and development; the attention to keep all of the threads in your head at once; and not putting the book down for several months at a time.

That said, Clarke's accomplishment is undeniable. I may not have loved the first 500 pages, but this book is something truly rare, and something great, in the world of fantasy. Its magic is real, and magical, not Deus ex machina or Dungeons and Dragons dice-rolling. "Stone speaks to water'--simple words, solid words, words that have magic in them. Definitely a book for those who are losing patience with genre fantasy.