Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

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.

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.

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 book of the same name by Susanna Clarke is one of my favourite fiction stories. In the world of Britain during the Napoleonic Wars, an alternative history where magic exists beings. Coming off the fantasy world and success of Harry Potter, JS&MN felt like a grounded, historical alternative work on magic and wizardry and it completely changed what I expected from fiction. Due to these high praises of the book, I was long to hold off on watching this BCC series. I shouldn't have waited, the show was phenomenal. The casting and set pieces were near exactly of those I imagined in the books, and I knew every second what world I was watching unfold. However I had the strong advantage of knowing the source material, and I can't imagine the difficultly of the later episodes of this series without it. Cramming a >1000 page story into 7 hours of television is a feat in its own, and unlike the book, the show speeds up to a degree it was quite hard to follow. It felt like a 10+ hour version existed and they just cut out 3 hours without bridging any narrative gaps, which is likely close to what actually happened. If you haven't read the book and are looking for some amazing magic based historical fiction, I would highly highly recommend reading that. If you've read the book I would highly recommend this show, it will make you want to read it again.

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.