Susanna Clarke’s genre-bending debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was a literary sensation in 2004. It garnered many rave reviews and spent three months on the New York Times Best Seller list while nabbing a litany of nominations for coveted awards. It would go on to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel–the most prestigious award in science fiction and fantasy–as well as the World Fantasy Award and Locus Award. It’s a big book with big ideas, and there hasn’t really been anything quite like it since.

If you haven’t read it or if you’re looking for an excuse to dive back in, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is getting a 20th Anniversary Edition with gorgeous new cover art. The new hardcover edition will be published by Bloomsbury on October 22 and is available to preorder now at Amazon for a 17% discount, dropping the price from $31 to $25.61.

Long-time fans of Clarke’s debut novel will also be happy to learn that the 20th Anniversary Edition will be published the same day as an illustrated short story set inside the same world as the book. The Wood at Midwinter is available to preorder in hardcover and Kindle ebook formats. Plus, a new paperback edition of The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, a 2006 short story collection set in the same world, will release October 22, too. Yes, Bloomsbury is really celebrating this anniversary.

Meanwhile, the upcoming reprint of The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories contains 10 fairytales centered on characters from the novel such as Jonathan Strange as well as real-life historical figures and people you’ll meet for the first time. The Ladies of Grace Adieu features illustrations by award-winning artist Charles Vess. You technically don’t need to wait for the new release, as an earlier paperback edition is available to ship for the same price ($18) right now. The same goes for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, which is available in paperback for $16.60 at Amazon.

Clarke’s follow-up to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell didn’t release until 16 years after a superb debut, but Piranesi was well-worth the wait. Published in 2020 to critical acclaim, Piranesi is a brilliantly inventive novel about a man who lives in a home with infinite halls and rooms. Piranesi is alone in this endless maze of a home. Well, there is a guy who finds him a couple times each week to talk about A Great and Secret Knowledge. Piranesi is every bit as impressive as Clarke’s first novel, though it’s much shorter at 272 pages. Once again, Clarke deftly weaves fantasy tropes with magical realism while also injecting some psychological horror into the mix. You can pick up a paperback copy of Piranesi for $10 and the hardcover for $22.

Susanna Clarke Novels & Collections

Preorder: All three release October 22

Available now



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