Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

By: Susanna Clarke

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman, Richard Armitage, V.E. Schwab

Bloomsbury presents Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, read by Richard Armitage with Neil Gaiman and an introduction by V E Schwab.

The 20th anniversary edition of the fantasy classic.

‘The book I wish I'd written’ R F Kuang
‘Susanna Clarke writes with an intelligence and beauty that seems at times miraculous’ Katherine Rundell

1806. England is beleaguered by the long war, and centuries have passed since magicians faded from view. But one remains: the reclusive Mr Norrell. Proceeding to London, he raises a woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French.

Yet the cautious Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician. Young, handsome and daring, Jonathan Strange is his very antithesis. So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men – which overwhelms that between England and France. And soon their own secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine…

'Like Hilary Mantel, Clarke has made the very notion of genre seem quaint' Guardian©2004 Susanna Clarke (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Critic reviews

Clarke creates a world beyond our wildest imagination that also tells us something profound about what it is to be human (BERNARDINE EVARISTO)

This is a great huge long book that will change your life ... One of my all-time favourite books (ANN PATCHETT)

A modern masterpiece ... It is that rare beast, a cult novel that is also a mainstream smash hit and continues to beguile its legions of readers to the present day … An indelible, fascinating story, one to lose oneself in for days, even weeks

What a world Susanna Clarke conjures into being (DAVID MITCHELL)

A miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling (MADELINE MILLER)

Clarke’s imagination is prodigious, her pacing masterly

One of the greatest and most interesting writers of fantasy in the past hundred years or more

Full of epic sweep and intimate human drama … An imaginative treat

Many books are to be read, and a few are meant to be lived in for weeks. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is of this last kind

Purely joyful reading (NAOMI ALDERMAN)

Ravishing ... Combines the dark mythology of fantasy with the delicious social comedy of Jane Austen into a masterpiece that rivals Tolkien

Admirably inventive, frequently delightful (MICHEL FABER)

Feels unduly classical and nostalgic and yet timeless at the very same time and it has, at the heart of it, that thing which every truly great novel needs: a brilliant story … I adored this book

A triumph of imaginative storytelling

Perfection.

A truly great novel read brilliantly by Richard Armitage & Neil Gaiman. Five stars across the board.

A masterpiece of the new century.

This is easily my favorite book written in the last 25 years. And this audio production is a masterpiece on every level. The book itself is so well written, gripping, mysterious, deep, and funny that I can’t stop thinking about it. I go to bed at night hoping I’ll dream about the world. It’s long but I wish it had been twice its length, I was so caught up in the world. This audio version just takes things to the next level with Neil Gaiman reading the footnotes.
I pray that Clarke will find the strength to write another novel length story set in this world.
My highest recommendation.

Superb book, excellently narrated

This is as close to perfect as it gets. A magnificent story, told by an expertly talented narrator. I will never tire of listening.