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Susanna Clarke

There are several ways of looking at Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but however you look at it, it's an extraordinary first novel and a remarkable piece of fantasy.

Firstly it's an epic. It's a big book. It would be an excellent cockroach squisher. Yet, on the whole, it flows sufficiently well that you don't notice the fact it's a bit too long. (It only really sinks in during the last third, when Strange is in Venice and things occasionally get a little tedious.)

Secondly it's a wonderful pastiche medley, combining the style of Jane Austen with characters and situations that would not be out of place in a Mervyn Peake novel. Just occasionally the faux-Austen writing becomes a little irritating, but mostly it works very well.

And thirdly it's a classic use of a fantasy twist, putting in one change in history - in this case that there was an accepted school of English magic that had been strong several hundred years ago, but in the "now" of George III is a historical oddity that is brought back to life, amongst other things to help Wellington win against Napoleon's armies.

Perhaps the most interesting character apart from the magicians themselves and the decidedly Peakesque assistant is the fairy who causes mayhem and disruption (fairy of the large, male human-like variety, not a la Tinkerbell). It's a shame that the fairy was probably the most two dimensional of the characters - it would have been nice to give him more depth, but perhaps fairies are inherently shallow.

Overall it's a delightful book - don't be put off by the way it has been hyped to the hilt and clearly has a huge marketing budget - this is a book that deserves to do very well from one of the most promising authors to hit fantasy in a long time.

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