I don't read much fantasy. I do enjoy reading science fiction, though, my favorite science fiction authors being Elizabeth Moon and Ursula Le Guin, both of whom have actually also written fantasy books (which I have not read). Sometimes, however, a fantasy book catches my attention and in those cases more often than not it is a book that somehow tells a story using alternative history, which I love! There is also wonderful alternative history science fiction out there, two of my favorite authors on this genre being Sophie McDougall (Romanitas and Rome Burning and the third upcoming part of the trilogy tell about the Roman Empire that never fell) and Jon Courtenay Grimwood (the Arabesk series where the Ottoman Empire never fell and also his earlier science fiction books where the Napoleonic Empire survived into the future).
It was because of the alternative history aspect that I some years ago bought Susanna Clarke's bestseller Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, or rather the Finnish translation of it which is called Jonathan Strange & Herra Norrell, herra being mister in Finnish. I also loved the fact that there were two different looking versions of this novel published, one with white covers and a white dust jacket with black text and the other with black covers and a black dust jacket with white text. White magic and black magic! I though it was a brilliant idea.
So, I bought the book, but I never read it. These past four years it has been sitting on one of my book shelves, occupying a very prominent place there, a place, where it has caught my eye more or less every day. Thus, when I was choosing what to read for the 9 books for 2009 challenge, I thought it was high time to give the two magical gentlemen a try!
I took the book with me, when I went to Slovenia for a week's holiday. (I always take two books with me, when I travel. This time the other one was Granford by Elizabeth Gaskell, a lovely book!) I got a good start reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in the airplane, and somewhat to my surprise I was soon captivated with the story. Before the week was over I had finished the book, all 793 pages of it!
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a story about how practical magic returs to the early 19th century Britain after many centuries, when magic has only been studied as something theoretical. It is an ambitious work of fiction successfully executed, and I am very happy I finally read it!
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was my book read for the strange-category in the 9 books for 2009 challenge, because of its genre and, well, of course also because of its name! :)
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