Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (2015)

Gilbert Norrell (Eddie Marsan), who claims to be a practical magician (i.e. can cast spells) has been buying every book on magic throughout England.  Theoretical magicians (i.e. those who don't cast spells but merely study the history of English magic) have complained.  Moreover, they accuse Norrell of being a charlatan.  Mr. Norrell offers to perform practical magic.  However, he demands that the Learned Society of York Magicians disband should he be successful; if he fails, he will renounce his claims of being a practical magician.  After Norrell's magnificent display of magic and the York Society's disbandment, Norrell goes to London where he hopes to revive English magic.  His first noteworthy feat is to resurrect the recently deceased Lady Pole.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Strange (Bertie Carvel) finds himself gifted with two spells by a crackpot named Vinculus.  As a lark, he attempts to cast one of the spells and it works!  He is one of the two magicians foretold by Vinculus' crazy prophecy.  He soon joins Mr. Norrell in London, where he becomes an apprentice magician.

But all is not well with English magic.  Norrell was always wary of fairies but dared call upon one (Marc Warren) to revive Lady Pole.  Norrell has kept silent about his indiscretion, but the fairy is now free to roam England and create mischief.  Bit by bit, the fairy enchants various people and carries them away to the land of fairy, Lost Hope.  Can Norrell and Strange summon the Raven King to oppose the fairy or are they doomed to die from some fairy curse?

This 7-epsiode epic does a surprisingly good job of adapting the book.  In fact, it improves upon the book in many ways.  Firstly, it is not necessary to constantly refer to the fairy as 'the man with thistle-down hair.'  He is never named in the series and that is not a problem at all.  There is only one time when he is described as the man with thistle-down hair and that comes as something of an insult from Lady Pole.  Nice.  Many of the minor characters are completely absent.  Excellent.

Eddie Marsan is terrific as Norrell.  Bertie Carvel makes an outstanding Jonathan Strange.  Marc Warren is perfect as the fairy.  The lesser characters are also wonderfully cast and play their parts well.  This is a great production.  Like the novel, it ends with the potential of a sequel, though that has yet to happen.  Of course, Clarke didn't write a sequel.  Not yet, anyway.

If you liked the book, you'll enjoy this.  Highly recommended.