Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell


Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is the 800+ page, historical fiction, 1st novel from Susanna Clarke. The plot, though as twisted as a King's Road, fulfilled every complex question and desire the reader could have while creating the vivid worlds (both Fairy and Christian) of the early 19th century. Clarke incorporates real events, such as the war against the French, with her fantasy world of practical magicians so beautifully, it's almost hard to tell exactly where the history stops and the fantasy begins. It's dark without dwelling on the darkness, and light without being silly. Perhaps my favorite thing about this novel was the language. She stays true to the almost-stuffy banter of 19th century gentlemen and ladies while occasionally changing the spelling of certain words. Whether it is the old way or her own way of spelling, I cannot say, but it is fun to read a word like "connexions" on the page of a modern book. The characters are all complex, the story moves along like a river, never stopping or slowing, and the magic is restrained for the sake of realism. I loved this book. I'm not sure if there is anything that could have made it better. I will probably read it again, even with the near 1000 page commitment.

Here is a picture of this book on my head.

5/5

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly



Well, things haven't really been going my way lately, and you know what that means for my reading life... FAN-TA-SY TIME!

I picked up The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly based on its cover and boy did it deliver. The story follows a coming-of-age boy through his mother's death and father's remarriage and into fairy land. Fairy land is the story world where all the humans who enter bring their own monsters and heroes. It's a simple hero's journey across a dangerous landscape. The scenes are vivid, the villains frightening, and the story exciting. While the whole story wasn't exactly groundbreaking or terribly, fresh, Connolly did put a nice old fairy tale spin on a more modern story and it did exactly what it was supposed to do - take me out of this world.

4.75/5