RaveSFReviews.netBreathtakingly original, it defies conventions and expectations at every turn while all you get to do is sit back and watch its story unfold with a big fat smile on your face. It's no surprise that the back of the dust jacket features a fawning quote from Neil Gaiman... a sprawling, Dickensian story of a great magical rivalry in early 19th century England. Susanna Clarke confidently establishes her alternate-Earth setting as one in which magic once played an extremely commonplace role in the history of England...the story is episodic, but every event is precisely positioned in the narrative to build upon previous events and lead smoothly into upcoming ones. Rooted in two unique and memorable characters, the story just sweeps you up and carries you along, never lapsing to tired clichés nor trading in sentimentalism for its emotional depth.
