Harsh Truths, Attired Appropriately - A Review of Sorcerer to the Crown

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It has been quite a few years since I last read Susanna Clarke’s massive fantasy Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I have some very fond memories of reading it: late weekend nights slowly turning over the pages, letting myself sink into Clarke’s language, taking the time to read the footnotes as thoroughly as possible, since one of my friends had hinted that the footnotes were especially important in understanding what was happening in the novel. (This is very true, but I will not say how, in case the reader of this review hasn’t read Clarke’s book yet.)

However, it is the farthest thing from an easy read - especially if one is not comfortable with the style of such writers as Dickens, Austen, and Wharton. Many potential readers have been put off by both the heft of the book and Clarke’s language, but readers who persevered were rewarded with a deep and rich story that included memorable characters, rich world-building, and an intriguing (albeit somewhat slow) plot. Many now consider Clarke’s novel a classic, one that has opened the way for such series as Naomi Novik’s Temeraire books and Mary Robinette Kowal’s Glamourist Histories.

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