Reddit reviews Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel

You cannot do better than [Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0765356155/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506275496&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=jonathan+strange+mr+norrell&dpPl=1&dpID=41j7tFeKRvL&ref=plSrch), by Susanna Clarke. Gaiman is on board with it being the best English fantasy in the last hundred years, and even wrote the intro to one of the editions. It's part history, part fantasy, and part traditional English drama (think Dickens). It is simply amazing

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I think they are quite different for the most part. You can usually tell a genre novel by it's cover.

Aesthetics do not overly influence my choice. I do like some covers more than others, but it will not prevent me from reading it's contents if I was already interested. When I was younger and aimlessly wandering around libraries, I would pick up and read a book if it looked neat. Lately, my tastes have been more defined and I have many recommendations to go off of, from this site and others. I usually have a pretty good idea whether I will like the book or not before I buy it, and the aesthetics are not a factor.

I do most of my shopping online, so the cover is not a big factor. I do like them to be consistent, however. I am sure others can share my frustration when a series changes it's style part way through...

I really like books that have illustrations. One of my all time favorites is Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess' Stardust. I think it would be great if more started adding more artwork as I feel it can enhance the story. At the end of the day though, it is all about the story, so if that is quality, I am content.

I do not know how much improvement there has been. I think there is room for it. I think overall they are a bit too busy. I prefer more a minimalist approach, personally.

Regarding the Movie Covers...is loathe a strong enough word? I am not a fan. However, even they are not a deal breaker. I own a few, and while I would obviously prefer them to look differently, I can and have enjoy the story.

I do not think e-books will affect it too much over all. For the people it matters to, it will continue to matter, no matter the format.

I think they may be, slightly. But I do not know by how much. Personally, I will take my story in whatever format I can get, be it paper, electronic or audio. I prefer physical books though.

For an example of what I personally consider to be an aesthetically pleasing book, take a look at Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. The cover, the footnotes, the chapter titles, the scattered illustrations. All serve to heighten what is already a remarkable book.

I know some of these have already been mentioned, so just consider this a second vote for those titles. Also, my list skews heavily towards sci-fi/fantasy, because that is what I tend to read the most of.

By women, featuring female protagonists:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

The Female Man by Joanna Russ

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Circus in Winter by Cathy Day (It's not entirely fair to characterize this as a book about women; it's really a set of interconnected stories featuring both male and female characters. On the other hand, many of the most memorable characters, IMO, are women, so I'm filing it in this category anyway. So there!)

The Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce, beginning with First Test (Really, anything by Tamora Pierce would fit the bill here. They're young adult novels, so they're quick reads, but they're enjoyable and have wonderful, strong, realistic female protagonists.)

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (Heyer wrote really fun, enjoyable romances, typically set in the Regency period, though These Old Shades is actually Georgian. This one is probably my favorite, but they're really all quite wonderful. Not super heavy stuff, but don't write her off just because of the subject matter. She was a talented, witty writer, and her female protagonists are almost never the wilting "damsel in distress" type - they're great characters who, while still holding true to their own time and place, are bright and likeable and hold their own against the men in their lives.)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Another young adult book. And, again, I think it's worth noting that L'Engle's books almost always feature strong and interesting female characters. This one is probably her most famous, and begins a series featuring members of the same family, so it's a good jumping off point.)

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi


By men, featuring female protagonists:

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (This is another one that is perhaps not a perfect fit for this category; the titular unicorn is female, but the book is as much about Schmendrick the magician as it is about her. However, there's also Molly Grue, so on the strength of those two women, I'm classifying this book as having female protagonists.)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (It's a children's book, but there's plenty to enjoy about it as an adult, too.)

By women, featuring male protagonists

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

If you looking for in depth characters and story, but not necessarily horror try Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765356155/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wK6XCbT15W2BZ

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is an excellent tale of the resurgence of magic in 19th century England and it is just amazing.

I'm just going to keep editing this post until I think of 5.

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The Bear and the Nightingale - a recent read, beautifully written, retelling.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - I like classic literature, and Clarke's writing is known for how reflective it is of that. A wonderful story. Plus, magic. Long.

The series was really good! It's a book though, first and foremost, by Susanna Clarke: https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Strange-Mr-Norrell-Novel/dp/0765356155

You should check out Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It's got magicians, but more in a real life sense. Has been described to me as a more sophisticated and grown up version of Harry Potter. It's long, has great characters, and the epic cranks out more and more as the book progresses. I loved it.

This immediately made me think of the fantastic novel by Susanna Clarke Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell wiki
I don't want to go into detail because spoilers. I think I can get away with saying that someone is half-given to a faerie who transports the person magically every night - they end up sleep deprived and no-one can understand why they are so tired and lose all strength to live with. You could certainly spin it around some similarly dark invisible drawback.
I HIGHLY recommend the book. It's also available in a well regarded TV series
Perhaps the pixie might even pass on her 'ownership' as a gift to a higher ranking and more powerful fae Lord or Lady?

I like my feywild to be based off of old irish fairy tales. This is my fey. and the fairy-land is like a hodged podged Alice in Wonderland world and Johnothan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

As for the Shadowfell, I'm a big fan of it being the Upside Down from Stranger Things. With a few more conscious undead and ghosts.

I've read that The Thinking's Woman's Guide to Real Magic is like an adult oriented Harry Potter book.

The Night Circus is a fantasy romance novel involving magic and a circus. This is set in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Monstrumologist and its' sequels are really interesting monster hunting novels. This is set in the late 1800s.

Have you read the Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman yet?

Jonathan Strange & Mr.Norrell was a great read. It's another book about magic. I have a copy and I really like it.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is fantastic and exactly what you're looking for. I got hooked from the first pages on amazon - it reminds me of the Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy, or what would happen if Jane Austen and Terry Pratchett had a lovechild.

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean is really good and set very much in the modern day (ignore the crappy cover). I am pretty sure it was part of the whole Terri Windling gang.

Also, it's not a fairy tale exactly, but Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke is one of the best books I've read in the last several years. It's awesome.

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My goal is to find the proper doctors so I can fix my depression. I'm doing my best to keep my head up (even bought myself a mala to meditate and keep positive) but it's a day to day thing. I'd like to feel normal for once sometime in the future :)

Forgot to link amazon items, derp! This or [this](http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Vol-Brian-K-Vaughan/dp/1607066017/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2WSLHM9JYNVDB&coliid=I2YG8R3KXF2ZDR] or this would be lovely :)

http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Strange-Mr-Norrell-Novel/dp/0765356155

You might enjoy The Golem and the Jinni...It's set in turn of the century New York, and has strong cultural and religious overtones. The magical aspects of it are quite secondary to everything else.

A Winters Tale...the movie apparently sucked, but the book has stuck with me for quite some time. It's a lyrical piece of magic realism, much stronger on the realism. Another book on turn of the century New York.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell may be a bit more magic than you'd like, but it's astonishingly good. It's what Jane Austen would have produced if she'd decided to write a fantasy novel.

The Night Circus is good.

The best fantasy book I ever read was Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It's a slow burn, but the world building is second to none. There was a BBC miniseries as well. I haven't watched it but it's well-reviewed.

Some others I really like:

Hoity toity literature: Moby Dick (way more fun than it's reputation lets on), Notes From the Underground by Dostoevsky.

Non-fiction: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (chronicles the building of the World's Fair in Chicago alongside HH Holmes building his Murder Castle), The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddartha Mukherjee (history of cancer).

Great sci-fi: Dune, Canticle for Leibowitz, Fahrenheit 451.

Books that are really fun to read: Anything by Neil Gaiman, Dresden Files series.

I recommend the book Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell to anyone who likes deep fantasy. This book, however, is really not for you if you love action scenes, or descriptive violence. This book has a big, big weird world. It's influenced by "faerie" stuff and lore. It's not a black and white morality book like a lot of fantasy.

Mostly, it's totally interesting, and weird, and funny, British dry-humoury. I recommend it if you like fantasy, but not necessarily traditional tropes of sword-carrying, dragon-slaying heroes.

EDIT: Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Strange-Mr-Norrell-Novel/dp/0765356155
The first review is pretty helpful to get a gauge on how you'll like it (or not!).

A couple of suggestions for you, as a fellow lover of magical realism:

Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith by Gina Nahai

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaimen (my favorite of his - it is more magic realism than most of his other fantasy/slipstream style books)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Nights at the circus by Angela Carter

The King in Yellow was arguable Lovecraft's biggest influence.

Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books might be a good fit.

Haruki Murakami in my opinion does "dreamlike" better then anyone else I have read. The Wind up Bird Chronicles, might be a good start.

For something like Stardust, I would recommend John Crowly, particularly Little Big, Winters Tale, and maybe Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

I think Clive Barker hits the tone you are looking for sometimes, but not in all of his work, maybe someone who has read him more can give a better recommendation.

If you have not read China Miéville Perdido Street Station would be a good start.

I just started The Drowning Girl so can't really give a full review, but so far it seems like it would also be a good fit.

For something that is not really what you asked for, but is a fun read for a Lovecraft fan I would recommend Charles Stross' The Laundry Files Series, Starting with The Atrocity Archive A semi comic story about the bureaucratic side of the secret agency that deals with the impending lovecraftian nightmare apocalypse, a little pulpy, but lots of fun.