THE YEAR OF MAGICAL READING
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
By Susanna Clarke
Reviewed by Ted Gioia
Remember that ridiculously long novel on
magicians in a fantastical England that came out
in 2004? Who would have thought that a
supersized work of imaginative fiction—almost
900 pages long!—would find such an enthusiastic
audience? That British lady
certainly deserved her Hugo
Award for best novel, no?
What’s that you say? Harry Potter?
Hogwarts? I don’t know what
you're talking about. I’m referring
to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell,
that exemplary 2004 fiction by
Susanna Clarke.
Let’s make this clear from the start:
Clarke was no J.K. Rowling imitator.
She began work on Jonathan Strange & Mr
Norrell back in 1993, four years before the
publication of the first Harry Potter novel. No
less an authority than Neil Gaiman backs up this
chronology—and let’s allow Mr. Gaiman to
continue the story. "For the next decade, people
would ask me who my favourite authors were,"
Gaiman has recalled, "and I would place Susanna
Clarke on any lists I made, explaining that she
had written short stories, only a handful but that
each was a gem, that she was working on a
novel, and that one day everyone would have
heard of her."
Gaiman’s prediction was finally validated when
Clarke completed the massive manuscript.
Editors at Bloomsbury had so much confidence
in the book’s success that they offered a £1
million advance for Jonathan Strange & Mr.
Norrell—but only after two other publishers
turned it down as unmarketable. The book
climbed as high as number three on the New
York Times bestseller list and won a half-dozen
prestigious awards.
Certainly Pottermania helped pave the way for
this novel's commercial success. But in many
ways, Clarke delivered a far more peculiar and
daring book than any of Rowling's behemoths.
Even classifying this novel presents issues.
Certainly it is a work of high fantasy and magical
realism, but it is also, in some degree, a
historical novel as well as an alternate history. It
is also a bit of an anachronism: not only is
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell set in the early
19th century, but it reads like a novel written
during that same time period. Fantasy fiction
fans beware: there's more Jane Austen and
William Thackeray in this novel than Middle-
earth and Narnia.
Clarke’s approach to characterization, pacing and
plotting all show deep roots in the literary
conventions of the Georgian and Victorian eras.
Even her word choices, turns of phrase and
allusions share this pedigree. "Davey was so
liberally coated in snow that one might have
supposed that someone had ordered a wax-
works model of him and the plaster mould was
being prepared." An author today would hardly
think of comparing someone to a waxworks
model, but Madame Tussaud's wax figures were
the sensation of London during the period in
which Clarke's novel is set, and in the context of
this novel the description is perfectly apt. Here’
s another telltale passage, the opening of chapter
nine, which could very well come out of a book
that mixed Jane Austen with zombies:
"It has been remarked (by a lady infinitely
cleverer than the present author) how kindly
disposed the world in general feels to young
people who either die or marry. Imagine then
the interest that surrounded Miss Wintertowne!
No young lady had such advantages before: for
she died upon the Tuesday, was raised to life in
the early hours of Wednesday morning, and was
married upon the Thursday; which some people
thought too much excitement for one week."
Clarke’s story begins in 1806, when magic is in a
sad state of decline throughout Britain.
Magicians can still be found in every city, but
they are all theoretical magicians—who merely
study the history of magic and are not capable of
practicing it. They look back with nostalgia at
the golden or Aureate age when spells had not
lost their efficacy. They speak with reverence of
Martin Pale, Ralph Stokesey, Catherine of
Winchester, Thomas Godbless and, above all, of
the Raven King—the master magicians of
centuries past. The tradition is dead and only
the memory of former greatness lingers on—yet
many are still inspired to study the surviving
spell books and dream of a revival of wizardry.
In the midst of this age of diminished
expectations, a new magician with remarkable
powers appears on the scene. Gilbert Norrell,
who lives in seclusion in Yorkshire, has amassed
the largest collection of magical books and
manuscripts in England. But Norrell claims that
he is more than a mere scholar, but a true
practicing magician. When his skills are put to
the test, he stuns the gathered onlookers by
making all the statues in York Cathedral briefly
come to life. In the aftermath of this
extraordinary demonstration, Norrell moves to
London and begins advising the government on
the use of magic in domestic affairs and the
ongoing war against Napoleon.
But Norrell overreaches when he attempts to
bring the dead fiancée of a government minister
back to life. He enters into a compact with a
devious fairy, only to find that his dealings have
led to the bewitching of the resurrected young
lady. Eventually a host of unintended
consequences result from this misguided
endeavor, setting up conflicts and complications
that continue throughout the duration of the
novel.
A rival magician soon appears on the scene, a
brash young man named Jonathan Strange.
Strange lacks Norrell’s erudition and extensive
library, but possesses a powerful innate capacity
for magic. The two wizards enter into an uneasy
partnership, with Norrell offering to tutor the
younger Strange—but only in the most cautious
manner. Norrell is drawn to Strange, finding in
him a kindred spirit. Despite this emotional
connection, he remains a stubborn, elusive
teacher, and keeps the bulk of his library of
magical books out of Strange’s hands.
These two main plots—the rivalry between the
two magicians and the enchantments practiced
by the sly fairy—serve as the core stories that
propel the novel forward over the course of 850
pages. But much of the fun in this book comes
from the subplots and throwaway tales that
Clarke liberally provides. Often these show up
in footnotes—there are close to 200 in this book,
some of them stand alone stories in their
own right. Other interludes bring our key
characters into contact with historic personages
and momentous events. Strange is enlisted to
treat the madness of King George III and assist
the Duke of Wellington at the battle of
Waterloo. Lord Byron appears as an occasional
character, and even draws inspiration from
Jonathan Strange for his dramatic poem
Manfred.
As Clarke’s meandering narrative moves towards
its conclusion, the tone becomes darker and the
plot takes a macabre turn. More characters fall
under the spell of the malevolent fairy, and both
Norrell and Strange realize that they may have
let loose forces beyond their ability to contain or
control. By this point, the charming Potter-
esque qualities of Clarke’s novel have been
subsumed by a tormented Faustian theme.
Perhaps the theoretical magicians had it right in
the first place: magic may well be too dangerous
for mere mortals to practice.
But even if spells are suspect, don't
underestimate the spell Susanna Clarke casts on
her readers over the course of this momentous
book. By any measure, she has delivered one of
the great fantasy works of the modern day.
Even so, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell strikes
me as a one-of-kind work, quirky and
unprecedented—creating its drama and effects
by following a formula that other authors
imitate at their own peril. Yet that, too, may be
a measure of its greatness.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
By Susanna Clarke
Reviewed by Ted Gioia
Remember that ridiculously long novel on
magicians in a fantastical England that came out
in 2004? Who would have thought that a
supersized work of imaginative fiction—almost
900 pages long!—would find such an enthusiastic
audience? That British lady
certainly deserved her Hugo
Award for best novel, no?
What’s that you say? Harry Potter?
Hogwarts? I don’t know what
you're talking about. I’m referring
to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell,
that exemplary 2004 fiction by
Susanna Clarke.
Let’s make this clear from the start:
Clarke was no J.K. Rowling imitator.
She began work on Jonathan Strange & Mr
Norrell back in 1993, four years before the
publication of the first Harry Potter novel. No
less an authority than Neil Gaiman backs up this
chronology—and let’s allow Mr. Gaiman to
continue the story. "For the next decade, people
would ask me who my favourite authors were,"
Gaiman has recalled, "and I would place Susanna
Clarke on any lists I made, explaining that she
had written short stories, only a handful but that
each was a gem, that she was working on a
novel, and that one day everyone would have
heard of her."
Gaiman’s prediction was finally validated when
Clarke completed the massive manuscript.
Editors at Bloomsbury had so much confidence
in the book’s success that they offered a £1
million advance for Jonathan Strange & Mr.
Norrell—but only after two other publishers
turned it down as unmarketable. The book
climbed as high as number three on the New
York Times bestseller list and won a half-dozen
prestigious awards.
Certainly Pottermania helped pave the way for
this novel's commercial success. But in many
ways, Clarke delivered a far more peculiar and
daring book than any of Rowling's behemoths.
Even classifying this novel presents issues.
Certainly it is a work of high fantasy and magical
realism, but it is also, in some degree, a
historical novel as well as an alternate history. It
is also a bit of an anachronism: not only is
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell set in the early
19th century, but it reads like a novel written
during that same time period. Fantasy fiction
fans beware: there's more Jane Austen and
William Thackeray in this novel than Middle-
earth and Narnia.
Clarke’s approach to characterization, pacing and
plotting all show deep roots in the literary
conventions of the Georgian and Victorian eras.
Even her word choices, turns of phrase and
allusions share this pedigree. "Davey was so
liberally coated in snow that one might have
supposed that someone had ordered a wax-
works model of him and the plaster mould was
being prepared." An author today would hardly
think of comparing someone to a waxworks
model, but Madame Tussaud's wax figures were
the sensation of London during the period in
which Clarke's novel is set, and in the context of
this novel the description is perfectly apt. Here’
s another telltale passage, the opening of chapter
nine, which could very well come out of a book
that mixed Jane Austen with zombies:
"It has been remarked (by a lady infinitely
cleverer than the present author) how kindly
disposed the world in general feels to young
people who either die or marry. Imagine then
the interest that surrounded Miss Wintertowne!
No young lady had such advantages before: for
she died upon the Tuesday, was raised to life in
the early hours of Wednesday morning, and was
married upon the Thursday; which some people
thought too much excitement for one week."
Clarke’s story begins in 1806, when magic is in a
sad state of decline throughout Britain.
Magicians can still be found in every city, but
they are all theoretical magicians—who merely
study the history of magic and are not capable of
practicing it. They look back with nostalgia at
the golden or Aureate age when spells had not
lost their efficacy. They speak with reverence of
Martin Pale, Ralph Stokesey, Catherine of
Winchester, Thomas Godbless and, above all, of
the Raven King—the master magicians of
centuries past. The tradition is dead and only
the memory of former greatness lingers on—yet
many are still inspired to study the surviving
spell books and dream of a revival of wizardry.
In the midst of this age of diminished
expectations, a new magician with remarkable
powers appears on the scene. Gilbert Norrell,
who lives in seclusion in Yorkshire, has amassed
the largest collection of magical books and
manuscripts in England. But Norrell claims that
he is more than a mere scholar, but a true
practicing magician. When his skills are put to
the test, he stuns the gathered onlookers by
making all the statues in York Cathedral briefly
come to life. In the aftermath of this
extraordinary demonstration, Norrell moves to
London and begins advising the government on
the use of magic in domestic affairs and the
ongoing war against Napoleon.
But Norrell overreaches when he attempts to
bring the dead fiancée of a government minister
back to life. He enters into a compact with a
devious fairy, only to find that his dealings have
led to the bewitching of the resurrected young
lady. Eventually a host of unintended
consequences result from this misguided
endeavor, setting up conflicts and complications
that continue throughout the duration of the
novel.
A rival magician soon appears on the scene, a
brash young man named Jonathan Strange.
Strange lacks Norrell’s erudition and extensive
library, but possesses a powerful innate capacity
for magic. The two wizards enter into an uneasy
partnership, with Norrell offering to tutor the
younger Strange—but only in the most cautious
manner. Norrell is drawn to Strange, finding in
him a kindred spirit. Despite this emotional
connection, he remains a stubborn, elusive
teacher, and keeps the bulk of his library of
magical books out of Strange’s hands.
These two main plots—the rivalry between the
two magicians and the enchantments practiced
by the sly fairy—serve as the core stories that
propel the novel forward over the course of 850
pages. But much of the fun in this book comes
from the subplots and throwaway tales that
Clarke liberally provides. Often these show up
in footnotes—there are close to 200 in this book,
some of them stand alone stories in their
own right. Other interludes bring our key
characters into contact with historic personages
and momentous events. Strange is enlisted to
treat the madness of King George III and assist
the Duke of Wellington at the battle of
Waterloo. Lord Byron appears as an occasional
character, and even draws inspiration from
Jonathan Strange for his dramatic poem
Manfred.
As Clarke’s meandering narrative moves towards
its conclusion, the tone becomes darker and the
plot takes a macabre turn. More characters fall
under the spell of the malevolent fairy, and both
Norrell and Strange realize that they may have
let loose forces beyond their ability to contain or
control. By this point, the charming Potter-
esque qualities of Clarke’s novel have been
subsumed by a tormented Faustian theme.
Perhaps the theoretical magicians had it right in
the first place: magic may well be too dangerous
for mere mortals to practice.
But even if spells are suspect, don't
underestimate the spell Susanna Clarke casts on
her readers over the course of this momentous
book. By any measure, she has delivered one of
the great fantasy works of the modern day.
Even so, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell strikes
me as a one-of-kind work, quirky and
unprecedented—creating its drama and effects
by following a formula that other authors
imitate at their own peril. Yet that, too, may be
a measure of its greatness.
The Year
of
Magical
Reading
(click here)
of
Magical
Reading
(click here)
| conceptual fiction Exploring the Non-Realist Tradition in Fiction |
Welcome to my year of magical
reading. Each week during the course
of 2012, I will explore an important
work of fiction that incorporates
elements of magic, fantasy or the
surreal. My choices will cross
conventional boundary lines of genre,
style and historical period—indeed,
one of my intentions in this project is
to show how the conventional labels
applied to these works have become
constraining, deadening and
misleading.
In its earliest days, storytelling almost
always partook of the magical. Only in
recent years have we segregated
works arising from this venerable
tradition into publishing industry
categories such as "magical realism"
or "paranormal" or "fantasy" or some
other 'genre' pigeonhole. These labels
are not without their value, but too
often they have blinded us to the rich
and multidimensional heritage
beyond category that these works
share.
This larger heritage is mimicked in
our individual lives: most of us first
experienced the joys of narrative
fiction through stories of myth and
magic, the fanciful and
phantasmagorical; but only a very few
retain into adulthood this sense of the
kind of enchantment possible only
through storytelling. As such,
revisiting this stream of fiction from a
mature, literate perspective both
broadens our horizons and allows us
to recapture some of that magic in our
imaginative lives.
The Year of Magical Reading:
Week 1: Midnight's Children by
Salman Rushdie
Week 2: The House of the Spirits by
Isabel Allende
Week 3: The Witches of Eastwick
by John Updike
Week 4: Magic for Beginners by
Kelly Link
Week 5: The Tin Drum by Günter
Grass
Week 6: The Golden Ass by Apuleius
Week 7: The Tiger's Wife by Téa
Obreht
Week 8: One Hundred Years of
Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Week 9: The Book of Laughter and
Forgetting by Milan Kundera
Week 10: Gargantua and
Pantagruel by François Rabelais
Week 11: The Famished Road by
Ben Okri
Week 12: Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
Week 13: Winter's Tale by Mark
Helprin
Week 14: Dhalgren by Samuel R.
Delany
Week 15: Johnathan Strange & Mr.
Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Week 16: The Master and
Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Week 17: Dangerous Laughter by
Steven Millhauser
Week 18: Conjure Wife by Fritz
Leiber
Week 19: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Week 20: The Hobbit by J.R.R.
Tolkien
Week 21: Aura by Carlos Fuentes
Week 22: Dr. Faustus by Thomas
Mann
Week 23: Orlando by Virginia
Woolf
Week 24: Little, Big by John
Crowley
Week 25: The White Hotel by D.M.
Thomas
Week 26: Neverwhere by Neil
Gaiman
Week 27: Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Week 28: Fifth Business by
Robertson Davies
Week 29: The Kingdom of This
World by Alejo Carpentier
Week 30: The Bear Comes Home
by Rafi Zabor
Week 31: The Color of Magic by
Terry Pratchett
Week 32: Ficciones by Jorge Luis
Borges
Week 33: Beloved by Toni
Morrison
Week 34: Dona Flor and Her Two
Husbands by Jorge Amado
Week 35: Hard-Boiled Wonderland
and the End of the World by Haruki
Murakami
Week 36: What Dreams May Come
by Richard Matheson
Week 37: Practical Magic by Alice
Hoffman
Week 38: Blindess by José
Saramago
Week 39: The Fortress of Solitude
by Jonathan Lethem
Week 40: The Magicians by Lev
Grossman
Week 41: Suddenly, A Knock at the
Door by Etgar Keret
Week 42: Cloudstreet by Tim
Winton
Week 43: The Obscene Bird of
NIght by José Donoso
Week 44: The Fifty Year Sword by
Mark Z. Danielewski
Week 45: Gulliver's Travels by
Jonathan Swift
Week 46: Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Week 47: The End of the Affair by
Graham Greene
Week 48: The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis
Week 49: Hieroglyphic Tales by
Horace Walpole
Week 50: The View from the
Seventh Layer by Kevin Brockmeier
Week 51: Gods Without Men by
Hari Kunzru
Week 52: At Swim-Two-Birds by
Flann O'Brien
reading. Each week during the course
of 2012, I will explore an important
work of fiction that incorporates
elements of magic, fantasy or the
surreal. My choices will cross
conventional boundary lines of genre,
style and historical period—indeed,
one of my intentions in this project is
to show how the conventional labels
applied to these works have become
constraining, deadening and
misleading.
In its earliest days, storytelling almost
always partook of the magical. Only in
recent years have we segregated
works arising from this venerable
tradition into publishing industry
categories such as "magical realism"
or "paranormal" or "fantasy" or some
other 'genre' pigeonhole. These labels
are not without their value, but too
often they have blinded us to the rich
and multidimensional heritage
beyond category that these works
share.
This larger heritage is mimicked in
our individual lives: most of us first
experienced the joys of narrative
fiction through stories of myth and
magic, the fanciful and
phantasmagorical; but only a very few
retain into adulthood this sense of the
kind of enchantment possible only
through storytelling. As such,
revisiting this stream of fiction from a
mature, literate perspective both
broadens our horizons and allows us
to recapture some of that magic in our
imaginative lives.
The Year of Magical Reading:
Week 1: Midnight's Children by
Salman Rushdie
Week 2: The House of the Spirits by
Isabel Allende
Week 3: The Witches of Eastwick
by John Updike
Week 4: Magic for Beginners by
Kelly Link
Week 5: The Tin Drum by Günter
Grass
Week 6: The Golden Ass by Apuleius
Week 7: The Tiger's Wife by Téa
Obreht
Week 8: One Hundred Years of
Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Week 9: The Book of Laughter and
Forgetting by Milan Kundera
Week 10: Gargantua and
Pantagruel by François Rabelais
Week 11: The Famished Road by
Ben Okri
Week 12: Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
Week 13: Winter's Tale by Mark
Helprin
Week 14: Dhalgren by Samuel R.
Delany
Week 15: Johnathan Strange & Mr.
Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Week 16: The Master and
Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Week 17: Dangerous Laughter by
Steven Millhauser
Week 18: Conjure Wife by Fritz
Leiber
Week 19: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Week 20: The Hobbit by J.R.R.
Tolkien
Week 21: Aura by Carlos Fuentes
Week 22: Dr. Faustus by Thomas
Mann
Week 23: Orlando by Virginia
Woolf
Week 24: Little, Big by John
Crowley
Week 25: The White Hotel by D.M.
Thomas
Week 26: Neverwhere by Neil
Gaiman
Week 27: Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Week 28: Fifth Business by
Robertson Davies
Week 29: The Kingdom of This
World by Alejo Carpentier
Week 30: The Bear Comes Home
by Rafi Zabor
Week 31: The Color of Magic by
Terry Pratchett
Week 32: Ficciones by Jorge Luis
Borges
Week 33: Beloved by Toni
Morrison
Week 34: Dona Flor and Her Two
Husbands by Jorge Amado
Week 35: Hard-Boiled Wonderland
and the End of the World by Haruki
Murakami
Week 36: What Dreams May Come
by Richard Matheson
Week 37: Practical Magic by Alice
Hoffman
Week 38: Blindess by José
Saramago
Week 39: The Fortress of Solitude
by Jonathan Lethem
Week 40: The Magicians by Lev
Grossman
Week 41: Suddenly, A Knock at the
Door by Etgar Keret
Week 42: Cloudstreet by Tim
Winton
Week 43: The Obscene Bird of
NIght by José Donoso
Week 44: The Fifty Year Sword by
Mark Z. Danielewski
Week 45: Gulliver's Travels by
Jonathan Swift
Week 46: Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Week 47: The End of the Affair by
Graham Greene
Week 48: The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis
Week 49: Hieroglyphic Tales by
Horace Walpole
Week 50: The View from the
Seventh Layer by Kevin Brockmeier
Week 51: Gods Without Men by
Hari Kunzru
Week 52: At Swim-Two-Birds by
Flann O'Brien
Follow Ted Gioia on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/tedgioia
Conceptual Fiction:
A Reading List
(with links to essays on each work)
Home Page
Abbott, Edwin A.
Flatland
Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Allende, Isabel
The House of the Spirits
Amado, Jorge
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
Amis, Martin
Time's Arrow
Apuleius
The Golden Ass
Asimov, Isaac
The Foundation Trilogy
Asimov, Isaac
I, Robot
Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid's Tale
Banks, Iain M.
The State of the Art
Ballard, J.G.
The Atrocity Exhibition
Ballard, J.G.
Crash
Ballard, J.G.
The Crystal World
Ballard, J.G.
The Drowned World
Barth, John
Giles Goat-Boy
Bester, Alfred
The Demolished Man
Blish, James
A Case of Conscience
Borges, Jorge Luis
Ficciones
Bradbury, Ray
Dandelion Wine
Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
The Illustrated Man
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Brockmeier, Kevin
The View from the Seventh Layer
Bulgakov, Mikhail
The Master and Margarita
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
Carpentier, Alejo
The Kingdom of This World
Carroll, Lewis
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Chabon, Michael
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chiang, Ted
Stories of Your Life and Others
Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood's End
Clarke, Arthur C.
A Fall of Moondust
Clarke, Arthur C.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Clarke, Susanna
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Crowley, John
Little, Big
Danielewski, Mark Z.
The Fifty Year Sword
Danielewski, Mark Z.
House of Leaves
Davies, Robertson
Fifth Business
Delany, Samuel R.
Babel-17
Delany, Samuel R.
Dhalgren
Delany, Samuel R.
The Einstein Intersection
Dick, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Dick, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle
Dick, Philip K.
Ubik
Dick, Philip K.
VALIS
Disch, Thomas M.
Camp Concentration
Disch, Thomas M.
The Genocides
Doctorow, Cory
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Donoso, José
The Obscene Bird of Night
Ellison, Harlan (editor)
Dangerous Visions
Ellison, Harlan
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
Esquivel, Laura
Like Water for Chocolate
Fuentes, Carlos
Aura
Gaiman, Neil
American Gods
Gaiman, Neil
Neverwhere
Gibson, William
Burning Chrome
Gibson, William
Neuromancer
Grass, Günter
The Tin Drum
Greene, Graham
The End of the Affair
Grossman, Lev
The Magicians
Haldeman, Joe
The Forever War
Hall, Steven
The Raw Shark Texts
Harrison, M. John
The Centauri Device
Harrison, M. John
Light
Heinlein, Robert
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heinlein, Robert:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough for Love
Helprin, Mark
Winter's Tale
Herbert, Frank
Dune
Hoffman, Alice
Practical Magic
Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
Keret, Etgar
Suddenly, A Knock at the Door
Keyes, Daniel
Flowers for Algernon
Kundera, Milan
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Kunzru, Hari
Gods Without Men
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Dispossessed
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Lathe of Heaven
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Leiber, Fritz
The Big Time
Leiber, Fritz
Conjure Wife
Leiber, Fritz
Swords & Deviltry
Leiber, Fritz
The Wanderer
Lem, Stanislaw
His Master's Voice
Lem, Stanislaw
Solaris
Lethem, Jonathan
The Fortress of Solitude
Lewis, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Link, Kelly
Magic for Beginners
Malzberg, Barry N.
Herovit's World
Mann, Thomas
Doctor Faustus
Márquez, Gabriel García
100 Years of Solitude
Markson, David
Wittgenstein's Mistress
Matheson, Richard
Hell House
Matheson, Richard
What Dreams May Come
McCarthy, Cormac
The Road
Miéville, China
Perdido Street Station
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Millhauser, Steven
Dangerous Laughter
Mitchell, David
Cloud Atlas
Morrison, Toni
Beloved
Murakami, Haruki
1Q84
Murakami, Haruki
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the
End of the World
Nabokov, Vladimir
Ada, or Ardor
Niffenegger, Audrey
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niven, Larry
Ringworld
Noon, Jeff
Vurt
Obreht, Téa
The Tiger's Wife
O'Brien, Flann
At Swim-Two-Birds
Okri, Ben
The Famished Road
Pohl, Frederik
Gateway
Pratchett, Terry
The Color of Magic
Pynchon, Thomas
Gravity's Rainbow
Rabelais, François
Gargantua and Pantagruel
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Rushdie, Salman
Midnight's Children
Russ, Joanna
The Female Man
Saramago, José
Blindness
Sheckley, Robert
Dimension of Miracles
Sheckley, Robert
Mindswap
Sheckley, Robert
Store of the Worlds
Shelley, Mary
Frankenstein
Silverberg, Robert
Dying Inside
Silverberg, Robert
Nightwings
Simak, Clifford
City
Simak, Clifford
The Trouble with Tycho
Smith, Cordwainer
Norstrilia
Smith, Cordwainer
The Rediscovery of Man
Stephenson, Neal
Snow Crash
Spinrad, Norman
Bug Jack Barron
Stross, Charles
Glasshouse
Sturgeon, Theodore
More Than Human
Sturgeon, Theodore
Some of Your Blood
Swift, Jonathan
Gulliver's Travels
Thomas, D.M.
The White Hotel
Tiptree, Jr., James
Warm Worlds and Otherwise
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit
Updike, John
The Witches of Eastwick
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Mixed Men
Van Vogt, A.E.
Slan
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle
Van Vogt, A.E.
The World of Null A
Verne, Jules
Around the Moon
Verne, Jules
From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Vonnegut, Kurt
Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut, Kurt
The Sirens of Titan
Vonnegut, Kurt
Slaughterhouse-Five
Wallace, David Foster
Infinite Jest
Walpole, Horace
Hieroglyphic Tales
Wells, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon
Wells, H.G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells, H.G.
The Time Machine
Wilson, Robert Anton & Robert Shea
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
Winton, Tim
Cloudstreet
Woolf, Virginia
Orlando
Zabor, Rafi
The Bear Comes Home
Zelazny, Roger
Lord of Light
Special Features
Notes on Conceptual Fiction
Ray Bradbury: A Tribute
The Year of Magical Reading
Remembering Fritz Leiber
A Tribute to Richard Matheson
Samuel Delany's 70th birthday
The Sci-Fi of Kurt Vonnegut
Curse You, Neil Armstrong!
Robert Heinlein at 100
A.E, van Vogt Tribute
The Puzzling Case of Robert Sheckley
Links to related sites
The New Canon
Great Books Guide
Postmodern Mystery
Fractious Fiction
Ted Gioia's web site
Ted Gioia on Twitter
SF Site
io9
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Los Angeles Review of Books
The Millions
Big Dumb Object
SF Novelists
More Words, Deeper Hole
The Misread City
Reviews and Responses
SF Signal
True Science Fiction
Disclosure: Conceptual Fiction and
its sister sites may receive review
copies and promotional materials
from publishers, authors, publicists
or other parties.
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Conceptual Fiction:
A Reading List
(with links to essays on each work)
Home Page
Abbott, Edwin A.
Flatland
Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Allende, Isabel
The House of the Spirits
Amado, Jorge
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
Amis, Martin
Time's Arrow
Apuleius
The Golden Ass
Asimov, Isaac
The Foundation Trilogy
Asimov, Isaac
I, Robot
Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid's Tale
Banks, Iain M.
The State of the Art
Ballard, J.G.
The Atrocity Exhibition
Ballard, J.G.
Crash
Ballard, J.G.
The Crystal World
Ballard, J.G.
The Drowned World
Barth, John
Giles Goat-Boy
Bester, Alfred
The Demolished Man
Blish, James
A Case of Conscience
Borges, Jorge Luis
Ficciones
Bradbury, Ray
Dandelion Wine
Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
The Illustrated Man
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Brockmeier, Kevin
The View from the Seventh Layer
Bulgakov, Mikhail
The Master and Margarita
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
Carpentier, Alejo
The Kingdom of This World
Carroll, Lewis
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Chabon, Michael
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chiang, Ted
Stories of Your Life and Others
Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood's End
Clarke, Arthur C.
A Fall of Moondust
Clarke, Arthur C.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Clarke, Susanna
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Crowley, John
Little, Big
Danielewski, Mark Z.
The Fifty Year Sword
Danielewski, Mark Z.
House of Leaves
Davies, Robertson
Fifth Business
Delany, Samuel R.
Babel-17
Delany, Samuel R.
Dhalgren
Delany, Samuel R.
The Einstein Intersection
Dick, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Dick, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle
Dick, Philip K.
Ubik
Dick, Philip K.
VALIS
Disch, Thomas M.
Camp Concentration
Disch, Thomas M.
The Genocides
Doctorow, Cory
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Donoso, José
The Obscene Bird of Night
Ellison, Harlan (editor)
Dangerous Visions
Ellison, Harlan
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
Esquivel, Laura
Like Water for Chocolate
Fuentes, Carlos
Aura
Gaiman, Neil
American Gods
Gaiman, Neil
Neverwhere
Gibson, William
Burning Chrome
Gibson, William
Neuromancer
Grass, Günter
The Tin Drum
Greene, Graham
The End of the Affair
Grossman, Lev
The Magicians
Haldeman, Joe
The Forever War
Hall, Steven
The Raw Shark Texts
Harrison, M. John
The Centauri Device
Harrison, M. John
Light
Heinlein, Robert
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heinlein, Robert:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough for Love
Helprin, Mark
Winter's Tale
Herbert, Frank
Dune
Hoffman, Alice
Practical Magic
Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
Keret, Etgar
Suddenly, A Knock at the Door
Keyes, Daniel
Flowers for Algernon
Kundera, Milan
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Kunzru, Hari
Gods Without Men
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Dispossessed
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Lathe of Heaven
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Leiber, Fritz
The Big Time
Leiber, Fritz
Conjure Wife
Leiber, Fritz
Swords & Deviltry
Leiber, Fritz
The Wanderer
Lem, Stanislaw
His Master's Voice
Lem, Stanislaw
Solaris
Lethem, Jonathan
The Fortress of Solitude
Lewis, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Link, Kelly
Magic for Beginners
Malzberg, Barry N.
Herovit's World
Mann, Thomas
Doctor Faustus
Márquez, Gabriel García
100 Years of Solitude
Markson, David
Wittgenstein's Mistress
Matheson, Richard
Hell House
Matheson, Richard
What Dreams May Come
McCarthy, Cormac
The Road
Miéville, China
Perdido Street Station
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Millhauser, Steven
Dangerous Laughter
Mitchell, David
Cloud Atlas
Morrison, Toni
Beloved
Murakami, Haruki
1Q84
Murakami, Haruki
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the
End of the World
Nabokov, Vladimir
Ada, or Ardor
Niffenegger, Audrey
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niven, Larry
Ringworld
Noon, Jeff
Vurt
Obreht, Téa
The Tiger's Wife
O'Brien, Flann
At Swim-Two-Birds
Okri, Ben
The Famished Road
Pohl, Frederik
Gateway
Pratchett, Terry
The Color of Magic
Pynchon, Thomas
Gravity's Rainbow
Rabelais, François
Gargantua and Pantagruel
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Rushdie, Salman
Midnight's Children
Russ, Joanna
The Female Man
Saramago, José
Blindness
Sheckley, Robert
Dimension of Miracles
Sheckley, Robert
Mindswap
Sheckley, Robert
Store of the Worlds
Shelley, Mary
Frankenstein
Silverberg, Robert
Dying Inside
Silverberg, Robert
Nightwings
Simak, Clifford
City
Simak, Clifford
The Trouble with Tycho
Smith, Cordwainer
Norstrilia
Smith, Cordwainer
The Rediscovery of Man
Stephenson, Neal
Snow Crash
Spinrad, Norman
Bug Jack Barron
Stross, Charles
Glasshouse
Sturgeon, Theodore
More Than Human
Sturgeon, Theodore
Some of Your Blood
Swift, Jonathan
Gulliver's Travels
Thomas, D.M.
The White Hotel
Tiptree, Jr., James
Warm Worlds and Otherwise
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit
Updike, John
The Witches of Eastwick
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Mixed Men
Van Vogt, A.E.
Slan
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle
Van Vogt, A.E.
The World of Null A
Verne, Jules
Around the Moon
Verne, Jules
From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Vonnegut, Kurt
Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut, Kurt
The Sirens of Titan
Vonnegut, Kurt
Slaughterhouse-Five
Wallace, David Foster
Infinite Jest
Walpole, Horace
Hieroglyphic Tales
Wells, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon
Wells, H.G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells, H.G.
The Time Machine
Wilson, Robert Anton & Robert Shea
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
Winton, Tim
Cloudstreet
Woolf, Virginia
Orlando
Zabor, Rafi
The Bear Comes Home
Zelazny, Roger
Lord of Light
Special Features
Notes on Conceptual Fiction
Ray Bradbury: A Tribute
The Year of Magical Reading
Remembering Fritz Leiber
A Tribute to Richard Matheson
Samuel Delany's 70th birthday
The Sci-Fi of Kurt Vonnegut
Curse You, Neil Armstrong!
Robert Heinlein at 100
A.E, van Vogt Tribute
The Puzzling Case of Robert Sheckley
Links to related sites
The New Canon
Great Books Guide
Postmodern Mystery
Fractious Fiction
Ted Gioia's web site
Ted Gioia on Twitter
SF Site
io9
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Los Angeles Review of Books
The Millions
Big Dumb Object
SF Novelists
More Words, Deeper Hole
The Misread City
Reviews and Responses
SF Signal
True Science Fiction
Disclosure: Conceptual Fiction and
its sister sites may receive review
copies and promotional materials
from publishers, authors, publicists
or other parties.