Susanna Clarke

The year is 1806. England is beleagurered by the long war with Napoleon, and it is hundreds of years since practical magic faded into the nation's past. The reclusive Mr. Norrell of Hurtfew Abbey is the one practicing magician still remaining. Challenged to demonstrate his powers, Norrell causes statues to speak and sing, and sends a thrill through the country. He proceeds to London, where he raises a beautiful young woman from the dead and summons...

Presents an anthology of stories set in a mysterious, fantastical version of England populated by petulant princesses, vengeful owls, and endless paths in the dark woods, and features the Duke of Wellington and other colorful characters.

Magician, Mr. Norrel of Hurtfew Abbey, uses his powers against Napoleon and the French in 1806 and is soon challenged by Jonathan Strange, a novice magician, who becomes obsessed with the Raven King, the twelfth-century founder of English magic and bizarre forms of magic.

This fantasy series tells the alternative history of 19th-century England, where magic once existed and has returned with two men: Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange, who pit their skills against the might of Napoleon, the mythical Raven King and death. The clash between these two British magicians is about to become a dangerous duel of the dark arts where, in the midst of the Napoleonic wars, the real battle is between their oversized egos.