Book · 2004
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by Susanna Clarke
England forgets it ever had real magic, until one book-obsessed magician brings the practical kind back from decades of theory-only study.
What does Reddit think of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell?
7,191 recognized references make this one of the largest entries in the dataset, though r/Fantasy is doing more of the specific talking than the raw total suggests: 2,733 of the mentions live there, against 3,126 on r/suggestmeabook that mostly go unscored. The strongest individual claim is a favorite-magic-system nomination (↑762): rules that are 'firm, knowable,' yet beyond what the characters themselves can fully grasp. A separate r/Fantasy defense of literary fantasy as a real category (↑616) reaches for War and Peace as its scale comparison, with this book offered as the proof text. Plot-wise, the recurring description is specific and consistent: practical magic returns to England after a long era where only theoretical, academic study of it remained (↑601). One more comment (↑440) draws the contrast that matters: magic here is bookish and academic, an ability studied rather than an innate power a hero unlocks. Overall sentiment sits right at the edge of this dataset's positive threshold, not comfortably past it.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · A magic system with rules its own characters can't fully explain
- · The case for 'literary fantasy' as a real category
- · Practical magic returning after an era of theory-only study
- · Academic, book-based magic instead of an innate power to unlock
Common praise
- + One commenter names it their favorite magic system outright (↑762): rules that are firm and knowable, but beyond the characters' own understanding.
- + r/Fantasy's literary-fantasy defense (↑616) reaches for Tolstoy's War and Peace as the scale comparison, then holds this book up as the example that the genre can do that.
- + Gets set apart from typical power-fantasy structure (↑440): the magic is academic and book-based, something studied rather than an ability waiting to be unlocked.
Common criticism
- − Several of the top-upvoted excerpts (↑995, ↑484) are trivia or bare title-drops rather than arguments for the book, thinning out what the top of the sample actually says.
- − None of the displayed excerpts touch on pacing or length directly, even though the book is famously slow to start; if that complaint exists on Reddit, it isn't visible here.
Who it's for
Want a magic system with real internal logic that the characters themselves don't fully grasp? That's the specific praise here (↑762), not vague world-building. Bored of magic that's really just an innate power waiting to be unlocked, r/Fantasy's academia-focused framing (↑440) is the explicit alternative on offer. Looking for proof fantasy can be 'literary' in the Tolstoy sense, not YA-adjacent, one r/Fantasy defense reaches for War and Peace as the comparison point.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/suggestmeabook 3,126
- r/Fantasy 2,733
- r/booksuggestions 979
- r/printSF 231
- r/TrueLit 57
- r/horrorlit 41
- r/RomanceBooks 18
- r/YAlit 13
Which Reddit comments matter for Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“I spent ages researching this a few years ago and came up with the following: 1. *Varney the Vampire* (1845) by James Malcolm Rymer & Thomas Prest: 667,000 words 2. *Atlas Shrugged* (1954) by Ayn Rand: 645,000 (you may argue about whether it's SFF or not, but it's listed in *The Encyclopedia of Sci…
“My favorite magic system is from Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. It seems like there are firm, knowable rules; however, it's beyond the characters' understanding and can possibly never be laid out in an understandable way.
“Literary fantasy ABSOLUTELY exists, as does literary sci-fi and literary horror. However, you probably wouldn't want a fantasy War and Peace, since that book is a slog about how much it annoyed Tolstoy that Russian people wanted to be French. Anyways. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a stunnin…
“*Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel* deals with the *return* of practical magic to England. It was gone and all that was left was the study of theoretical magic as a kind of hobby for rich eccentric nobility in the country.
“Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
“I enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, though it’s less High Fantasy and more alternative history. I wish there were more fantasy tv shows but I think they’re extremely expensive to make. The Sandman on Netflix is excellent, series 2 should be coming out this year.
“*Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell*. It's a thousand-page exercise in narrative voice, historical analysis, and mythologic application. It's literary AF.
“I'm going to second Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. It's exactly the book for this request, as the language its written in is the same. Part of me wonders if the reason some people find it slow and boring is they're not picking up on all the shade being thrown around. But if you get Jane Austen, y…
“It will always blow my mind that Susanna Clarke’s first book was Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Being that good out of the gate is wild.
“I cannot recommend Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell enough.
“Toss up between *Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel*, or any of a half dozen Neil Gaiman novels, from *American Gods* to *Neverwhere* to *The Graveyard Book*. Just depends on the day of the week.
“This is it, like the build up went beyond overhype to melodrama. I remember when Babel was first marketed it was called a thematic response to The Secret History and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, which have been classic pillars of their respective genres for many years. The actual book was fine w…
“I tried Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell 3 separate times. I just couldn’t do it!
“Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell came highly recommended to me by a friend who shares much of my taste in books and is the only DNF I have in over a decade.
“Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell does this particularly well I think!
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Readers also mention
All books like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell →Books that share discussion threads with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell — counted from the comments, not curated.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell — frequently asked
Is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell's magic system actually good?+
Per the top-upvoted take here (↑762), yes: one r/Fantasy commenter names it their favorite magic system, specifically because the rules are firm and knowable but still beyond what the characters themselves can fully grasp.
Is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell considered literary fiction or genre fantasy?+
r/Fantasy argues it's both at once. One defense of 'literary fantasy' as a real category (↑616) reaches for War and Peace as the comparison point, with this book offered as the proof that the genre can operate at that scale.
What is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell actually about, per Reddit?+
The recurring description (↑601) is specific: practical magic returns to England after a long stretch where only theoretical, academic study of it remained. r/Fantasy's summary comment (↑452) adds the setting: an alternate 19th-century England around the Napoleonic Wars.
Is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Reddit's favorite fantasy magic system?+
One commenter says exactly that (↑762), but it's an individual claim, not fleet-wide consensus — the book's overall scored sentiment sits right at the edge of this dataset's positive threshold, not comfortably above it.