tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post7281756380059366469..comments2023-10-26T22:06:11.166+11:00Comments on Metamagician3000: Currently reading: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna ClarkeRussell Blackfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-50663062235242608922011-09-22T21:04:39.352+10:002011-09-22T21:04:39.352+10:00I bought this book when waiting for a delayed plan...I bought this book when waiting for a delayed plane and didn't notice the three hour wait at all. <br /><br />Something Russell doesn't mention is the gentle humour in the prose and dialogue. For example, one of the footnotes describes that some well known magical work so incensed Jonathan Strange that he tore his copy up and fed it to a tinker's donkey. The humour here comes from being able to recognise - from the story so far - that this is exactly the sort of thing Strange *would* do. It wouldn't have been funny if it had been included as part of the main story in the same way that telling an anecdote in the pub is sometimes funnier than the event itself. <br /><br />It reminds me of some of Dickens' humour. In this case, I'm thinking of the passage in A Christmas Carol that describes the Lord Mayor's good humour at Christmas then goes on to compare it with the similar mood of the tailor he recently fined for being "drunk and bloodthirsty in the streets" while his "lean wife and the baby sallied out to buy the beef".<br /><br />Both are funny because of the playfulness of the language and how the prose seems to get infected with the mood of the protagonists. <br /><br />This is skilfully done in JSAMN.<br /><br />I read the book a couple of times and then bought the audiobook too. I'm an audiable subscriber and this MASSIVE TOME counted as one of my monthly credits, so was an amazing bargain. I wonder if they've cottoned on to that yet and split it into volumes? It's very well read indeed and I can't recommend the audio version enough.latsothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12416425323815902310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-30814657319206373332011-09-19T17:58:08.787+10:002011-09-19T17:58:08.787+10:00Crooked Timber had a seminar on it, with a contrib...Crooked Timber had a <a href="http://www.crookedtimber.org/category/susanna-clarke-seminar" rel="nofollow">seminar</a> on it, with a contribution by the author.bad Jimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-89475121007931651782011-09-18T04:08:54.892+10:002011-09-18T04:08:54.892+10:00Been trying to make people read it for years.Been trying to make people read it for years.Svlad Cjellinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-66322839785466977842011-09-17T05:37:53.877+10:002011-09-17T05:37:53.877+10:00I listened to this big book on audio while I was w...I listened to this big book on audio while I was working my way through college the operation center for a large Cincinnati bank. It left a big impression on me, and made the very (very!) repetitive work I was doing tolerable. For that alone, I'm grateful for it.Spencer Troxellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03750605353914336538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-36241031825479302362011-09-17T04:18:44.133+10:002011-09-17T04:18:44.133+10:00I absolutely adored this book. The precision of la...I absolutely adored this book. The precision of language; wry, irrerevent, and often understated humor; and page-long footnotes reminded me of the very best of the writing produced by Jack Vance (obviously one of my favorites) over his long career.Kirth Gersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13771084733414305421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-73665958174744469072011-09-16T21:35:05.171+10:002011-09-16T21:35:05.171+10:00I love JS & MN; it's close to becoming a &...I love JS & MN; it's close to becoming a 'read once a year' book. I wrote about it in <a href="http://jamiewriteswords.blogspot.com/2009/10/week-fortnight-that-was-4.html" rel="nofollow">one of my own blog posts</a> a while back. <br /><br />The way Clarke has managed to fuse Austenesque prose, an astonishingly well-thought-out concept of magic and an even more impressive alternate history of England into a wonderful story is nothing short of stunning.<br /><br />And I absolutely love the footnotes.<br /><br />There's been talk of a sequel for a few years now; here's hoping it actually comes about.Jamiewriteshttp://jamiewriteswords.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com