Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (2004) by Susanna Clarke is a sprawling, enchanting alternate-history fantasy set in 19th-century England during the Napoleonic Wars. The novel follows the reclusive Gilbert Norrell, who aims to restore “practical magic” to Britain, and his charismatic pupil Jonathan Strange, whose reckless brilliance unleashes forces beyond their control—including the ominous Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair, a capricious faerie who ensnares Strange’s wife, Arabella.
Clarke’s prose mimics Jane Austen’s wit and Dickens’ scope, complete with faux-scholarly footnotes detailing a rich magical past. Themes of obsession, rivalry, and the cost of knowledge crescendo in a haunting climax where the boundaries between worlds blur.
A modern classic that won the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards, Jonathan Strange marries historical fiction with gothic wonder.
