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Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell is a slightly glum, complex but ultimately intriguing drama about two magicians attempting to return magic to England. The plot itself is unpredictable with many compelling twists which result in massive impacts on each of the characters. Although, it can be rather confusing for me at times.

Speaking of the characters, they are superbly cast and believable. Bertie Carvel is excellent as the mysterious Jonathon Strange, Eddie Marsan fits the role of the reclusive Mr Norrell perfectly, and Marc Warren is exceptional as the malicious Gentleman. The other actors including Charlotte Riley, Alice Englert and Ariyon Bakare also give commendable performances.

The visuals are stunning and clearly the creators put a lot of money and effort into making them seem as realistic and jaw-dropping as possible. From the swarm of agitated ravens to the voluminous black tornado formed by Mr Strange himself, there is nothing to fault.

Overall, Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell is an exquisite series which I'm sure admirers of the book will adore. As for those individuals who have not read the book, (such as myself) this is a fresh, thrilling and mesmerising story which will capture the imagination of all ages.

After the first two episodes I'm hooked! The first episode started out a little slow, developing the characters and establishing the plot. I was sufficiently entertained and interested so that I watched the second episode. By the mid-point of the second episode the pace of the story quickly picked. The main characters feel real, as people, colleagues and competitors. The magic seems natural too. I found it very entertaining without being forced or too fantastic. The acting, costumes, locations, photography and CGI all are first class. I can't wait for the rest of the series and I will probably get the book too. I would consider this much more adult and better than the Harry Potter franchise. Which makes me wonder if we'll hear objections from religious conservatives? There's a lot of magic here but it's such lighthearted fun, I think it will be a shame if people miss this one.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

After watching the first episode and wondering if the series was a little bit dry and a shade too dull for me, I had a feeling that it might just be taking it's time and laying a good foundation for what was to come, and I am so glad I stayed with it, because in episode two, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell starts to reveal just how deep and interesting the story is to become. By the end of the third episode I was beside myself with excitement to see the next one - so deeply drawn into it's weirdly wonderful atmosphere! The actors here are first class, and all of them really know how to 'sell' a scene! I don't think this amazing story could have come to life quite so well and in such completeness if it weren't for the commitment of these incredible actors to the material. I am amazed that TV can still knock my socks off once in a while! Well done to all involved, I can't wait to get the set! SO much love for this show.

I read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell about a year ago, which helped a lot in terms of following the story. My girlfriend, who read the book many years ago, found it more confusing.

The book is terrific, wonderfully combining history and fiction, and the author had a wonderful ear for writing of the time.

The movie generally tells the story well, but it can be episodic and at times truncates elements in a way that makes them seem almost extraneous.

The actors are quite good, particularly Marc Warren as "The Gentleman" and Ariyon Bakare as Stephen Black.

While it's all pretty good, the series never quite grabbed me as the book had. There is something a little murky about it all, both in the lighting and in the story. I would have liked it more if it had shown the meticulousness you get in series like Downton Abbey, but the series never quite felt like history and I wish it had.

I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it.

It's very seldom we get shows that have a body of beauty and intelligence in them. Most of TV today is quick gratification, recycled imagery, and predictable turn of events. Strange & Norrel is like reading a Dickens novel... slow romantic build-up with thorough insight to its characters. It's not a show for everyone but for people who enjoy investing time on a good universe, this is it. I read the book a decade ago probably... and loved it. It's a joy to see it on screen, portrayed by the right actors. If you're looking for Harry Potter-esque or LOTR-esque magic, then this is NOT a show for you. But please do try watching Strange & Norrel, it will broaden your magical imagination to a more mature perspective ;)

What happened? The first five episodes of this series were absolutely fantastic! Like a Harry Potter for grownups (who don't like Harry Potter much). The alternative history aspects were intriguing, the production design and values were fabulous and the acting top-notch (especially from Bertie Carvel and Charlotte Riley, who were superb). I honestly thought it was the best thing BBC had made in years…

Then I sat down and watched the final two episodes. … And the whole thing just descended into utter nonsense. Everything promising about the show crumbled into dust, and it became like watching the last hour of one of the poorer Harry Potter movies. I haven't read the JS & Mr N novel, but can only imagine the overriding plot about the Raven King and the world of the Fairies was explained better in the book, because it made absolutely no sense at all here. After the show worked hard to establish some great characters and relationships, the final two episodes abandoned all this for a series of "get this thing here" "do this spell" and "fight this" set pieces, which made no sense at all.

Hugely disappointed. Can't remember seeing something so promising end so badly. What a missed opportunity.

Riley and Carvel were great though.

No sir, I did not read the book first but in some circles of criticism that is not a detriment to the work of the writer, but rather an aid. That is, the work is seen with fresh eyes.

I ask you sir in the history of TV how many attempts have been made to tell a suspenseful tale, a tale that mixes the normal and the abnormal, the seen and the unseen, in just the right proportions to thrill and enthral the viewer? The answer, starting perhaps with Twilight Zone and jumping to the several series still in production even now, in 2015, is hundreds, possibly thousands.

Yet as many as they are, they all have a common goal, to keep the viewer interested, entertained, un-nerved and offguard at all times.

I watch a lot of TV -- friends say too much -- but this gem is in a class by itself. I never knew what was coming next but I was having much too much fun to care.

One of the best of the best in its class.

If all TV was this good, there would be no need for talk shows to discuss what people had recently SEEN because the time would be better spent actually WATCHING it.

Good acting, captivating sets and cinematography. Unfortunately the sly magical promise of mystery and rivalry amongst wizards it suggests in the beginning never materialises and just wander around unsure of itself.

Scenes n scripting are disjointed, pacing is inconsistent, relationships and tensions between characters flips about and don't build properly, dialogue is often not focussed enough to provide clarity of flow and interest. The 'magic' is way over the top and jars badly with the underwhelming pooh-pooh reactions of all the witnessing characters who doesn't seem to care two hoots apart from the mundane. In one scene characters may scream grandiosity and immediately in the next they become silly and petty.

Many pretty interesting bits, but as a whole ... simply doesn't gel.... just feels flat and underwhelming.

Really could have been great but .... 😔

The BBC made a big thing of trailing this show, so I thought it was reasonable to expect something a bit special. The book is one of my favourites, must have read it 10+ times, once or twice back-to-back. I suppose knowing the story so well I expected most or all of the detail and complexity to show up on screen. But it didn't. Some of the BBC's contractions were just crass and diminished the impact and importance of the event in the storyline. Still, the cast was pretty good...potentially. But not even a fine actor like Eddie Marsan could make a fist of Gilbert Norrell with the limitations of the role imposed. The Gentleman, Stephen Black, John Uskglass, Vinculus, Lascelles, Drawlight...all missed opportunities. Well, Bertie Carvel was a reasonably good Jonathan Strange and Arabella (Charlotte Riley) was very watchable for any number of reasons. So I will still stick to the book for my doses of English Magic, at least until somebody has a go at making it properly on-screen.

I was mesmerized by, and highly enjoyed, the snarky quality of Strange and Norell. Totally believable characters are developed within the context of an "alternate history" whereby magic, long dormant in England resurfaces in time to the first Napoleonic war. In this way, magic meets becomes tested in the "Sense and Sensibility" of that era.

The dialog and acting lends credibility to what would be unbelievable as we are challenged to think of magic in the gentile society of a previous era.

"This is most frustrating, I am of the opinion that a Gentlemen's dreams are of his own concern!"

"We should do all our power in time of war to make sure that English magic remains respectable."

"Mr. Honeyfoot, to think this house was built with stones from the Raven King himself."

Folks looking for "Harry Potter" won't find anything here, and they will think that Strange and Norrell is just too confusing!

Maybe it is two kinds of magic ... kidding aside, this is a very well written and filmed show about Magicians and how they might have been perceived. While it does name check real life figures/people (like Napoleon), I am not a scholar of the time to tell you what it does get right about the time this is supposed to play in.

Having said that, it does start quite slow (as I reckon almost anyone on here will have stated already too), but becomes quite the beast along the journey. It really ups the ante and it really has some high stakes when it comes to the characters and their fates. Intriguing storytelling mixed with really well thought of characters ... and a mini series too! For those who like to binge watch and all that. Costumes are great and performances are very good too. Special effects are decent as well - which was needed considering the nature of the show.

Having anticipated this show for quite some years, I was anxious about what the BBC would make of my my favourite book. However, I had no need to worry, as they captured the tone of Susanna Clarke's masterpiece of a novel perfectly: dark and creepy, yet at the same time eerily beautiful. All of the cast are superb, never have I seen actors bring such life and vibrance to a character as Enzo Cilenti has done to the relatively small role of Childermass. Bertie Carvel is also an astounding Jonathan Strange, played perfectly alongside satisfyingly mousy Eddie Marsen as Mr. Norrell. Very pleasing performances by Charlotte Riley and newcomer Alice Englert as the two female leads. The combination of music and setting brings a wonderful charm to this work of art, creating an enchanting atmosphere. All in all 10 out of 10.

A near masterpiece as others have indicated.

Also true that it takes a couple episodes to really get traction. But the payoff is one of the most complete shows I've seen in ages.

Everything has a purpose in the show. There is no wasted writing. And there are no eye rolling inconsistencies so common in script writing these days.

The flawed characters with good intentions ring true. They are true to their characters throughout.

You will need to suspend belief for the magical elements, but not for the writing. There is rarely to never any moments where you think to yourself that an action or a phrase by a character doesn't make sense and was just a lazy connection to further the story like we see so often in writing these days. Everything here makes sense and is believable for the characters taking the action.

The fairy elements and the english world are presented with such texture and beauty despite their starkness. The devil is in the details and all the imperfections of the world. There is something rough and natural in the sets, costumes, and cgi that is missing from todays polished, clean, and characterless cgi and productions we're all having to get used to these days.

On a whole, this is a very comprehensive and well told story of a very rare quality. I was giving it an 8, but bumped that up to a 9 after the final episode. I have never given a 10 from what I recall, almost never a 9, and 8 is very rare for me. So my nine is near a masterpiece rating

Disclaimer: I've never heard of or read the book. This is easily a self contained watch which requires no prior knowledge of the written material as some have suggested might be the case.

Well, not exactly boring, but unnervingly slow in the beginning. So I never read all of it. The series though is interesting for me: Magic more of a philosophy than the way to gain power, used only by two people, who do not always get all the consequences of their actions. Good characters, interesting plot development and more detail than a movie could deliver. I like this one.

This will be spoiler free.

I only just finished watching this series over the course of the weekend. As is evident by my rating, I enjoyed it tremendously.

I did not know the book existed until I saw it mentioned in the credits, so I watched with no preconceived notions apart from what could be gleaned from the synopsis and cover image. In other words, a period piece set in England with magic playing some part. I did not know whether there would be magic performed, or just talked about. Whether it would be a costume drama, or something more.

What a ride it turned out to be. I enjoyed literally every single character, which is unusual for me. For the most part, there tends to be some that just annoy me for one reason or the other. In this case, I even found the character that appeared designed to be annoying to be strangely entertaining. Multiple characters were believably multifaceted and conflicted with regards to their place in the unfolding events. This is something the British seem to be consistently far superior at compared to the Americans' penchant for more caricatured portrayals.

I found the setting and world building to be a breath of fresh air. Granted, it touched on some familiar themes, but rarely in a straight forward fashion.

I so wish television were filled with shows of this caliber. Sadly, reality will likely remain that a show like this comes around once in a while, gets poor ratings in comparison to shows that are so bland they appeal to everybody, and then time passes until someone is brave enough to try something new once again. We can do little but treasure these rare gems.

I am so surprised that Amazon didn't bring another season of this show to light. The lead actors picked were amazing, and the emotional depth they gave outstanding. I am so sick of watching shows that go on forever with their fluffiness and no substance, and shows like this are cut after one season - shame on the makers for not fighting more for it.

A friend of mine recommended this series to me, mostly because I like Eddie Marsan, so I gave it a go.

I have not read the book it's based upon, so I can not tell how much the series deviates from the original source, but after watching this I just might pick up the book.

When I started with the first two episodes, I was not quite sure where the story would take the series and I was slightly put off by the whole setup: early 19th century, Napoleonic wars, onset of the industrial revolution... and magic. I kind of hoped it would go into the direction of classic steam-punk. After that I was very pleasantly surprised that it was not a steam-punk setting and rather thankful in the end.

The entire story revolves around "English Magic": its absence over the last 300 years, and its sudden and somewhat violent return. Summing up the story without any spoilers is rather difficult, so I'll stick to general topics covered. As mentioned, it's about the return of magic to the 'modern' world and how it can change the lives of people and reshape history.

Further to this there is a lot about prophecies (self fulfilling or not), friendship vs. competition, abuse of power (given or earned), faith in oneself, love and loyalty and most of all, IMO, the yearning for 'the good olde tymes' - I think that is why they always talk about "English Magic", maybe even the English want to be more English? Whatever that means ;)

The entire story arc is well written out and, this is a huge bonus, it does define its own confines and does not leave them. Some authors tend to pull a rabbit out of a hat when they notice that the story is stuck, instead of making it coherent. In this case the entire story line adheres to its own rules and is still comprehensive.

In terms of production the entire series is well done and most certainly en par with other modern productions. Only here and there there are a few CGIs that could have been done better. The characters seem transparent in their motivations and are easy to relate to. My personal favourite is Mr. Childermass.

Almost all actors do really good in their roles and the overall casting was very good. Paul Kaye was a good choice, I like him when he plays the slightly nutty characters.

However, there are small things that could have been done better. Jonathan Strange's backstory, i.e. how he became a magician, could have been a bit more elaborate. Also, the entire sub-plot with the Napoleonic wars was a bit short, as it is right now it seems a bit like a forced gap filler - maybe the book is more helpful there. One thing I did not understand was the reaction to Magic by the general populace - imagine you see an alien ship landing downtown: okay, you shrug, slurp your 5 o'clock tea and go on with life. That's more or less the extent of what is shown when "English Magic" returns. Well, maybe you have to be English to get it, I would not have been so calm about it, then again, I prefer coffee...

Also, some of the characters could have used a bit more backstory (or screen time), notably Arabella Strange and the Lady Pole, after all, both are the reason for some of the story's most dramatic decisions.

As said, I have not read the book, so I can not tell if this is the same, but the end of this series is obviously a cliff-hanger. Personally I hope they do a follow-up. Six to seven episodes to conclude the loose ends and perhaps give a bit more insight into the past would be appreciated.

It was, in general, a fun series to watch, and most certainly something different than the "usual suspects" these days: crime drama, superhero or the endless soaps. If you want something else, with a truly dapper English flair, give it a go.

Well, actually, this is something quite modern and quite bad. Essentially, this series is an almost pointless music-video-style cutting - where the base, the book was a long and highly coherent legendarium, one of the best written since the Arthurian Legend (I don't mention here Tolkien's books because they tend to be more universal than strictly English).

And almost no magic, gentlemen. Nothing of that poetry, that 'something changed in the room', which is, by the way, _can_ be adequately transferred to a film. Why doesn't that Toby Haynes go and see some Antonioni or Kumel?

Bertie Carvel and Eddie Marsan and Enzo Cilenti did their parts admirably. But otherwise, unfortunately - this series is a sad, miserable failure.