Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

About seven years ago I had to work away from home for three weeks, so I needed a decent book to read. I decided on Susanna Clarke's massive, doorstop of a novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. It was recommended with a glowing review by Neil Gaiman and that was a good enough recommendation for me. At over a thousand pages I thought that it would keep me company for the entire three weeks and more. After ten days I needed to find another book. It was the first book in years that I had been totally engrossed in and also one which has stayed with me for much longer than the ten days it took me to read it. I have championed this book wherever I've lived and it is certainly one of the top five books I've ever read. I'm not a huge fan of fantasy literature, finding most of it turgid and unreadable, but because Susanna Clarke grounds her fantasy firmly in its own reality it was totally original and unique, like nothing I'd ever read before or since, and so when I heard that it was being adapted for television I was at first excited then worried that they would mess it up. After watching the first episode I can now say that not only did the BBC NOT mess it up but it exceeded my expectations. It was brilliantly designed, capturing the the flavour of the book's feel and it was superbly cast - Eddie Marsan is good in anything he's in, and he perfectly captures Norrell's isolationist magician. Bertie Carvel, who I've never heard of, was the flibbertigibbet Jonathan Strange I imagined from the book and Marc Warren was suitably sinister as the Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair. A great start to a series that is going to get weirder and weirder as it goes on, if it continues to follow the book. Marvellous.

This is BBC drama at its very best and a great showcase for why the licence fee is such good value. The quality of acting is superb with brilliant casting, lighting, costumes and direction. Hats off to Peter Harness, Nick Hirschkorn and Toby Haynes for writing, producing and directing respectively such a complex book into television drama of the highest quality. Those who have read the complex and sonorous book will be aware of the feat this adaptation has required. This production oozes class and looks set to grip viewers under its spell.

And all this without a single shirt needing to be torn off. At least, thus far.

The book won the Hugo and was nominated for the Nebula, which is why I decided to read it. It is an awesome if extremely challenging read. It took me several passes before I was able to get into the meandering story and actually finish it. But, hey, it took the author a decade to write! Who am I to complain? One of the reasons the book is so challenging, if not off-putting, is its style. It is written in the venerable style of the great 19th century British authors, so if you hated reading Jane Austin in high school, you probably won't like this book, and you may not like the show.

For many reasons, I didn't expect the television show to be an easy, far less effortless, thing to watch. And it isn't. I can't quite imagine what it would be like to come into it without the benefit of having read the book. But I'm sure many have. Like the book, I think you need to be in a certain "suspend disbelief and be patient" mindset.

On the other hand, in the last decade since it was published, we've all gotten use to alternative histories, haven't we, with "Merlin" and "Atlantis" and "Dracula" -- the list goes on and on. The Brits do these exceedingly well. From that early and rather silly "Robin Hood" up to the present with "The Musketeers" (the latter sharing an actor with this show) these series are nothing but improving. The genre is getting perfected. We've grown accustomed to the idea of alternative histories.

And a retelling of the Napoleonic wars is basically what the story is about. It is an alternative history about a time that (to be honest) I'm not very interested in. But I am interested in fiction about magic -- from Butcher's Dresden books to the Neal Stephenson mystical masterpieces, and so this is right up my alley. I like the show, having watched the first two episodes. It is gearing up to do what the books do so brilliantly -- which is allow you to get lost in this strange universe where nothing is as you expect it or remember it, and where these two very odd (and very different) men partake in a very strange dance.

I'm impressed, actually, that someone even tried to put the book to film. One might wonder if a story about friendship and insanity would translate well, but with the wonderful actors and the fantastic writing, I am looking forward to see how this all shakes out. The story, if it follows the book, will just keep getting weirder and weirder.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is set in the early 1800s, in a universe where historical events somewhat match our own but with the added dimension of magic, real magic which once ran rampant in ancient England. The only problem in the 19th century English magic is very much dead, that is until Mr Norrell appears.

This kind of fantasy is a fusion old folk tales such as the Grim brothers or fairy folklore set in a beautiful period drama, I love it.

If you cannot grasp this concept perhaps the fantastical isn't for you and it pains me to see people calling it an adult Harry Potter (not that I have anything against HP), as it shows what an utter lack of understanding and knowledge some viewers have. I have rarely ever come across an adapted show or film that captured so much of the original book and carried out with such care to detail and casting. The actors are are all outstanding, the storyline slowly reels you in and it looks beautiful too. I cannot praise this show enough.

It is very difficult to sum up of even describe Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell without it sounding lame, which it most certainly isn't. I was unsure what to expect from the title and few screen shots I had seen. There was no promotion for it at all in Australia, as it has yet to be screened here on terrestrial TV. I wasn't sure whether to expect a comedy, a drama, or fantasy. In the end I got all three in some measure, and more. Set in the early 1800's, magic is known of, but rarely practiced in England, that is until a long time practitioner Mr Norrell arrives on the scene to try and bring credibility to real magic. Jonathan strange emerges around the same time, as a newly fledged Magician, and the two inevitably meet. I'll give away no more of the story, but it is written in such away that makes the occurrence of actual magic in the early 19th century believable, as it is accepted as fact by the general public. The weaving of the story with historical events and excellent acting throughout just sucks in those viewers who are willing to suspend their belief and enjoy the ride. Highly recommended, but you have to accept the premise to fully enjoy.