Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell | 2004 | Susanna Clarke | Buy |
| 2 | Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Part 2 | 2004 | Susanna Clarke | N/A |
| 3 | The Wood at Midwinter | 2024 | Susanna Clarke | Buy |
| 4 | Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Part 3 | 2004 | Susanna Clarke | N/A |
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004) is Susanna Clarke’s debut novel and remains one of the most celebrated fantasy novels of the 21st century. Set in an alternate Regency-era England, the book imagines what would happen if magic returned to a country that had forgotten how to practice it. The reclusive Mr Norrell hoards magical knowledge in his Yorkshire library, while the talented but reckless Jonathan Strange wants to push the boundaries of what English magic can do. Their relationship forms the backbone of a novel that runs nearly 800 pages, written in the style of a 19th-century narrative complete with footnotes.
The novel won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2005 and was adapted into a seven-part BBC television series in 2015. Due to its length, some editions split the book into two or three parts for ease of reading; Parts 2 and 3 on this list are those split editions, not separate stories.
The Wood at Midwinter (2024) is a companion novel set in the same world, published twenty years after the original. Clarke has said she spent many of those intervening years dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome, which made sustained writing difficult. Readers should start with the original novel before picking up The Wood at Midwinter, as it draws on characters and events established in the first book.