Just finished up another book Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. The book is quite imposing at 750+ pages. I bought it on the bargain rack at Barnes & Noble for $2, the price per page was hard to pass up, I figured if it was awful then it could always be economically used to start fires. I was surprised to find it one of the better, more imaginative books I have read in quite a while.
Reviews of this book seem hesitant, they are always reserved, I had wondered after I bought it why. While it could properly be called a "fantasy" it is distinct from that genre. The story involves magicians that talk more about magic than actually do it. There is a whole alternate history involved in the book that is only briefly mentioned. Characters spend the majority of the novel unaware of their antagonist. You spend as much time loathing the protagonists as rooting for them. It is a hard book to classify, or even completely follow. Now that I've finished the book I believe I understand why, the story involves magic and magicians but it's interest is in relationships.
There are some interesting comments about relationships in the book, very practical ones. There is the question of sacrifice in relationships for the sake of careers, country, and a cause. The heroes pour their heart's into what they consider a public service and their wives, friends, and servants pay the greater price for it.
I really enjoy books like this, they may not be to everyone's taste, but I personally love the way they blend fantasy with the real. The further from reality a tale gets often the more boring it becomes to me. Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell has some pretty outlandish stuff in it, but it is grounded in the very real relationships among the characters. That is the secret all good fairy tales share, they are true to the nature of the characters and relationships, even if they create a fantastical view of nature and physics.
