The Magician's Niblings

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke.

This novel, a masterpiece of modern fantasy, was around for quite a while before I brought myself to give it a try, and then I couldn’t get my own Hardback copy fast enough. “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is the debut novel by British writer Susanna Clarke. Published in 2004, it is an alternative history set in 19th-century England around the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Its premise is that magic once existed in England and has returned with two men: Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange. Centred on the relationship between these two men, the novel investigates the nature of "Englishness" and the boundaries between reason and unreason … It has been described as a fantasy novel, an alternative history, and a historical novel. The narrative draws on various Romantic literary traditions, such as the comedy of manners, the Gothic tale, and the Byronic hero. The novel's language is a pastiche of 19th-century writing styles, such as those of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Clarke describes the supernatural with careful detail. She supplements the text with almost 200 footnotes, outlining the backstory and an entire fictional corpus of magical scholarship.” – Wikipedia. What they don’t mention is that it is like a cross between “Lud-in-the-Mist” and “Little, Big”, and worthy to stand beside them. Illustrations by Portia Rosenberg.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardback.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other Stories, by Susanna Clarke. Illustrated by Charles Vess.

A collection of short stories in the magical milieu of “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”. That fact that it is illustrated by Charles Vess reminds me of the connection Clarke has to Neil Gaiman, her longtime friend and supporter. The stories also remind me of Sylvia Townsend Warner’s “Kingdoms of Elfin”. A pleasant read.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Anthology. Fantasy. Hardback.

The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician’s Land, by Lev Grossman.

I don’t know why I decided to give Grossman a try. I can only surmise that having heard good things about it, I decided I would give it a try … at the right price. I specifically went into Goodwill looking for it, on the very remote chance it would be there, and THERE IT WAS, a hardback copy for $1. The only other time I can remember that happening is when I went grimly through the staggering piles of kids books at Half’s, in specific hopes  of finding “The Pedant and the Shuffly” (an obscure book which had been published at least twenty years before, and THERE IT WAS! To explain the series, a guy (Quentin) discovers 1) there is a secret school of magic and 2) that the fantasy land of Fillory that was his favorite childhood reading is real, the books being based on the actual visits of five English children as told to their adult ‘friend’. He and his friends at magical school (‘Brakebills’) find a way to go to Fillory, kill ‘the Beast’ that threatens it, and become kings and queens (shades of Narnia!) The second book covers their attempts to rule, and the third is a “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”-like tour of the outer islands. The books are full of fantasy allusions from T. H. White to Adventure Time. Has been adapted into an increasing disappointing TV series that I ceased to watch after the first season. But these books are really good and, well, magically delicious.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardbacks.

 Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

“The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch.” I already knew Terry Pratchett was a good, funny writer, so I decided to give this collaboration a shot. The opening was very promising – a dedication to G. K. Chesterton, “a man who knew what was going on.” When a misplaced Anti-Christ grows up without proper demonic influence, his powers may still bring about the end of the world. It’s up to Crowley, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and Aziraphale, the angel who had the flaming sword, to protect their cushy assignments on Earth and avert the Apocalypse with the help of a band of concerned humans and the detailed (but hard to understand) prophecies of a 16^th century witch. When it came out it was compared to Douglas Adams or if “The Omen” had been written by Monty Python. Death (one of the Four Horsemen) is almost exactly like Discworld’s Death, CAPITALS AND ALL. Got this copy in the early 90’s. There’s a TV series on Amazon, which I haven’t seen, but it was adapted by Gaiman (Pratchett being dead now), so you never know.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Softcover.

Nibling: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-were-watching-nibling#:~:text=Nibling%20is%20a%20gender%2Dneutral,niece%22%20or%20%22nephew%22.&text=That's%20right%3A%20nibling.,comes%20from%20niece%20and%20nephew.