The costumes are exquisite, and the effects used for the magic within the series are very well done. The visuals of the time period give you a grand sense of Georgian England, and when the Fae get involved, the decaying grandeur of their kind sweep you up all the more.

It was not created for a streaming service (it appeared on the BBC and then BBC America), but it's on a streaming service now, and it lends itself beautifully to binging culture.Īll of that's well and good, but why exactly is it worth your time? Norrell was adapted entirely by Doctor Who veteran Peter Harness, with every episode directed by Toby Haynes. While Good Omens had one of its authors ( Neil Gaiman) leading the charge personally, Jonathan Strange & Mr. I'm tempted to write that it's probably the best book-to-screen adaptation I've ever seen (excluding The Lord of the Rings, that's just a given), but then Good Omens came along and gave it a run for its money. If you are new to this story, then you will not feel lost in any way. If you are a fan of the book like I am, then you will not feel shortchanged in the slightest. The solution, once again, was found in not taking the project to the big screen, and in this case, that was for the best the small screen (with seven hours instead of two) suited it far better.Īs the series shows, converting Clarke's immensely detailed saga into seven hour-long episodes was the best way to go. New Line Cinema bought the rights in 2004 and work began, but the work ended when New Line folded. There are so many ways this project could have gone wrong, and as is usually the case with fantasy books of this magnitude, a film was considered first. Taking Clarke's genius and adapting it, however? That is not an easy task. It's one of the best fantasy books written in a very long time - it's become one of my cherished favorites. It's not all world-building with no story, either, because what would be the point of that? Clarke's characters are heartbreakingly real, and the tale she spins is unforgettable. Clarke's footnotes make you feel like you are reading a true history about real people who are talking about books of magic that actually exist. In the hands of a lesser author, that would be tedious. The book contains plentiful footnotes, all of which are based in the alternate history that she has created - she might give you more information about a particular book that a character will randomly reference, with the footnotes related to it telling you everything there is to know about that book, including who fictitiously published it. Written by Susanna Clarke and published in 2004, it is a giant tome of wonderment, but it is also very grounded thanks to Clarke's almost inexplicable gift for world-building. The book that the series is based on is itself a masterpiece of fantasy.

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