Clarke's imagination is prodigious, her pacing is masterly and she knows how to employ dry humor in the service of majesty.” —The New York Times
“Nobody writes about magic the way Clarke does . . . She writes about magic as if she's actually worked it.” —TIME Magazine
“[Clarke is] one of the greatest novelists writing today.” —Vox
“There are traces of the Grimm Brothers' eerie atmosphere and A.A. Milne's ironic humor.” —Ron Charles, Washington Post
“This is an amuse-bouche of a short story, the perfect bite of everything Clarke does best, wrapped in gorgeous illustrations by Victoria Sawdon . . . Glorious.” —Reactor Magazine
“A lovely fable . . . the narrative voice echoes the storytelling cadences of writers from Andrew Lang to C.S. Lewis . . . Charming.” —Locus Magazine
“Highly atmospheric, this winter tale is set in a wood and navigates the line between a Grimms' fairy tale and a feminist manifesto . . . Clarke's many fans will not be disappointed.” —Library Journal
“Hugo Award winner Clarke enchants with this bite-size Christmassy fairy tale . . . The juxtaposition of thoughtful and sometimes unsettling atmospherics with quirky enjoyment delights. This is an ideal stocking stuffer.” —Publishers Weekly
“A made-for-gifting book.” —Kirkus Reviews
“As beloved fantasy writer Clarke's atmospheric and gently funny fable about the holiness of nature, so gracefully illustrated by Victoria Sawdon, unfurls, Merowdis experiences a transformative encounter.” —Booklist
“This beautiful illustrated short story by the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a meditation on nature, magic, and the strange liminal spaces of childhood. It's a perfect book to read as the seasons change and would make a gorgeous holiday gift. Recommended for fans of Over the Garden Wall, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, and anyone who just can't get enough of Clarke's ethereal writing.” —Electric Literature
“Beloved fantasy author Susanna Clarke welcomes the darkening season and its festivities with . . . a bewitching fairy tale . . . This kindhearted legend features lavish illustrations by Victoria Sawdon and comes bound in rich violet cover art inlaid with gold foil detail.” —Shelf Awareness
08/01/2024
Clarke, the Hugo Award-winning author of the beloved Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, and Piranesi, which won the Women's Prize for Fiction, returns with a short story set in the world of Jonathan Strange. It features Merowdis Scot, who finds herself at a crossroad between desire and magical possibility. The story is brief, but what Clarke does well—conjure mood through evocative language and story suggestion—is on rich display. Highly atmospheric, this winter tale is set in a wood and navigates the line between a Grimms' fairy tale and a feminist manifesto. Talking animals as well as a sentient tree all play a role, as Merowdis decides what she wants and somehow makes it so. The story is illustrated with pen and ink drawings and specially designed text, giving the entire package the feeling of a manuscript found in a castle on the edge of some wild moor. Don't miss Clarke's note at the end. VERDICT Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell nods towards Jane Austen, but this short story leans towards the Brontës. Clarke's many fans will not be disappointed, other than in the story's brevity.—Neal Wyatt
2024-08-30
A much-loved author shares a tale for Christmastime.
In an afterword, Clarke tells readers how this story began as a BBC Radio 4 broadcast. Or, rather, she explains how her father’s neurodivergence, her beliefs about the consciousness of trees, and the music of Kate Bush begat a tale in which a young woman sees her future during a walk in a snowy forest. The author also explains how she was certain thatJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (2004) contained a footnote describing the city where her protagonist lives, but that it’s gone now—probably removed by a fairy “for reasons of his or her own.” It’s laudable that Clarke wants her readers to experience the narrative without preamble, but this backstory reveals her charms as a writer in a way that the story itself does not. Our heroine, Merowdis Scot, feels most at home in the woods and most herself in the company of animals. Even her sister, Ysolde—who comes closer than anyone to understanding her—is no substitute for Merowdis’ pig, her dogs, her many cats, or the spiders that weave their webs undisturbed in her room. Merowdis is taking a winter walk in the company of a trio of her four-legged companions when she encounters a fox and a blackbird and tells the wood of her desire for a child—a “midwinter child…A child to bring light into the darkness.” Given that Merowdis can’t imagine marrying and, given her ease with animals and unease around people, her wish will require a miracle that’s very different from the miracle found in the Christmas story. Once Merowdis sees her fate, this tale takes on some of the uncanny truth of folklore. Getting to this point, though, means connecting with an “unconventional” heroine who is both familiar and unexceptional in both children’s lit and books for grownups.
Could this be a made-for-gifting book created to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Clarke’s phenomenal debut?
