Commentaires client les plus utiles
|
|
1 internautes sur 1 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
A Fantastic Flight into Another World!, Aoû 10 2008
This is one masterpiece of modern fiction that I recommend young and old alike to read. It certainly exceeds anything the Harry Potter series has to say about the realm of ancient magic as it impinges on the affairs of the modern state. There is a virtual cornucopia of serious history interwoven with delightful, off-the-wall fiction to create a world that will certainly dazzle the senses and make you laugh at the other side of life. I started out listening to the audio rendition and ended up buying the book because it was so good. The story is both simple and complex in nature. It is the late eighteenth century England, and the magical power of sorcerers and the clandestine activities of fairies that once dominated the land centuries before have now fallen silent. Sure, there are thousands of books full of spells and enchantments stored away in dusty, cobwebbed old libraries throughout the kingdom, but who can understand them? The true practice of magic has fallen to a lot of charlatans and quacks who know little of the true power of the ancient formulas. That is until Mr. Norrell, an obscure magician from backwoods England steps forward to breathe new life into the profession and answer to an ancient prophecy that true magic would eventually return to save the kingdom. With the help of a young upstart named Jonathan Strange, Norrell undertakes an assignment to save the British Empire from that pestiferous Napoleon. This is where the story really takes off, and the reader gets to see the fabulous and not-so-fabulous goings-on in the world of magic happen before their very eyes. Norrell, the keeper of the secrets, is willing to take on Strange as his apprentice only if he obeys the master's instructions. While initially accepting these terms of employment, Strange quickly reinvents himself as a magician who is daring, innovative and risk-taking. The sorcerer's apprentice then quickly goes out to slay his dragons in a way that soon becomes a direct threat to Norrell. The reader should be prepared for anything as Strange roams the face of Europe putting a different complexion on the geopolitics of the times. Clarke's prose is so smooth that it might actually transport the reader into realms that he or she never thought possible, so beware of falling asleep with this book on your unconscious mind.
|
|
|
4.0étoiles sur 5
A rare gem, Déc 26 2008
I came across this by chance, opened it up, and was immediately swept away. I don't believe I've ever read anything like it - many of the elements are common to many different works of fantasy, but no one has worked them together in such a way as Susanna Clarke. For a modern novelist to be able to adopt a Victorian narrative voice without seeming stilted is an accomplishment all by itself, and the narrative itself is (forgive me) enchanting.
The only thing I would say against this work is that I think it drags on a bit too long. However, that may not be true for everyone. The drag notwithstanding, this is an absolutely brilliant read.
|
|
|
4.0étoiles sur 5
Something rich and strange, Janv. 24 2008
Most fantasy strikes for the bad ripoffs of Tolkien, or other well-known (though not always great) authors.
But Susanna Clarke dazzles in a subtle way in her debut novel, "Jonathan Clarke & Mr. Norrell," a sprawling opus that took a decade to write. Think if Jane Austen had written fantasy about feuding magicians, and you'll have a pretty good idea of how this reads.
It's the early 19th century, in England. The Napoleonic wars threaten England, but that's not the only struggle going on. Magic is all but dead in England; the so-called magicians don't actually want to handle it, but want to leave it to old books and stories. Once the English magicians were powerful and respected, but now they just write boring essays about magic. Except for Mr. Norrell, a cautious little Yorkshire man who taught himself how to do magic.
However, things take a twist when he gives his help in the battle against Napolean -- a new magician enters the scene, the enthusiastic and charming Jonathan Strange. The two magicians begin to work together, but things begin to go awry when Mr. Norrell realizes that Jonathan is attracted to all magic -- including the more dangerous varieties. He's increasingly fascinated by the legend of the Raven King, a changeling child who ruled Faerie and Earth...
Historical fantasies have rarely been as detailed and rich as this one -- usually either the "historic" or the "fantasy" is abused. Often the best authors can do is write alternate universe stories where America lost the Revolution, the Roman Empire never fell, and so on.
But Susanna Clarke shatters that with her richly-realized look at 19th-century Britain, with unique magic and a slight mythologic twist. This is an England where, even though magic is stagnant, it's still something of rich power, awesome presence, and the creatures involved in it are completely otherworldly.
Clarke keeps her writing solid, detailed and dignified, also footnoting extensively, with little wry winks and nudges to keep the book from being too serious. It does get tedious at times, and the finale gets a bit stretched out, but the positive far outweighs the negative. She has a flair for the historical parts of the book, keeping dates, battles, and political movement entwined in the plot.
But she doesn't neglect the fantasy either; there's a mythic flavor in the story of the Raven King and the old magicians, reminiscent of old legends from ancient times. Her handling of magic is especially good -- less is more, and hints of past greatness make the magic all the more stunning.
The title characters are the best of the book -- both are products of their times. Mr. Norrell is cautious, studious, ingenious and quiet, the sort of person you could imagine chatting with some classic author. Strange has more of the wild, society-be-damned wit that characterized some great artists of that time. And Norrell's faithful servant is just one of many solid supporting characters.
If Jane Austen had written like Diana Wynne-Jones, the result would have been something like "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell." Well-written, enticing and thoroughly original, this is a keeper.
|
|
|
Commentaires client les plus récents
|
de Vernor Vinge
de Robert Charles Wilson
de Michael Chabon
de Michael Chabon
de Peter F. Hamilton
