It's 1808 and that Corsican upstart Napoleon is battering the English army and navy. Enter Mr. Norrell, a fusty but ambitious scholar from the Yorkshire countryside and the first practical magician in hundreds of years.
What better way to demonstrate his revival of British magic than to change the course of the Napoleonic wars?
The first time you read this book is a challenge. The second time is a delight. By the third time you've finally figured out all of the characters and all of the plot, and you realize fully how... more
The first time you read this book is a challenge. The second time is a delight. By the third time you've finally figured out all of the characters and all of the plot, and you realize fully how hilarious, suspenseful, moving, and insanely creepy this book is. My favorite book for going on three years, I don't know what go-through I'm on at this point but each time it's better.
God, I love this book. I've read this twice in ten years and can't wait another ten years to forget it so I can read it again. Such an amazing novel, perfectly written, heartbreakingly strange.