If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, you’ll want to read this to get more of Clarke’s marvelous world — if nothing else, her fantasy world-building skills are amazing, and while some people might find her Regency prose pastiche a little precious, I love it (but then, I’m a horrible geek). If the size of the novel is daunting, this is a good place to start for a taster of her work, but it may be richer for those who are already well acquainted with it.

ESSENTIAL for anyone who read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. And for those who didn’t, it’s a much lighter and easier entry into both Clarke’s writing style and her fictional world.