Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me.

The year is 1806, and centuries have passed since practical magic faded into England's past.

But scholars of its glorious history discover that one magician remains: the reclusive Mr Norrell, whose talent sends a thrill through the country.

Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange.

Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. And so begins a dangerous and dazzling battle between these two great men that will lead them into wars, personal battles, and places they should not have dared to enter.