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.