2005 Book Sense Book of the Year Winner: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

"Susanna Clarke astonishes with a tale full of wonders! The vivid characters, richly defined world of 1806 England, and mystical elements keep the pages turning in this story of how magicians helped the English defeat Napoleon." --Emery Pinter, Chapter 11, Atlanta, Georgia -- From the July 2004 Book Sense Picks

Susanna Clarke © Sigrid Estrada

Susanna Clarke, author of this year's Book Sense Book of the Year fiction winner, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell(Bloomsbury), will be honored at ABA's annual Celebration of Bookselling on Friday, June 3, at BookExpo America (BEA), and all trade show participants are invited to attend. Clarke will be presented the award, which recognizes independent booksellers' handselling favorites during the past year, at a festive event featuring all of this year's Book Sense Book of the Year winners. The free event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Special Events Hall at New York's Jacob Javits Convention Center and is open to all BEA badged attendees.

Clarke will also be featured at another event open to all BEA participants -- the Book Sense Reading Room -- on Saturday, June 4, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Room 1C 03.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was a Book Sense Pick in July 2004. It also appeared on 2004's Book Sense Picks Highlights list and was a Book Sense Bestseller. In 2005, the book appeared on the Book Sense SciFi/Fantasy Bestseller List.

Short stories and novellas by the Oxford-educated Clarke have previously been published in many anthologies, including The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Collections. Her story Mr Simonelli, or The Fairy Widower, was shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award in 2001. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is Clarke's first novel, and it was shortlisted for the 2004 Whitbread Book Award in the first novel category.

New Line Cinema has acquired the film rights to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and a screenplay is in the works.

Described as a fusion of Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, and J.K. Rowling, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is set during the Napoleonic Wars, hundreds of years after humans have lost the ability to perform magic. A secretive Mr. Norrell stuns the British nation with his abilities to practice practical magic -- he causes statues to speak and summons ghostly ships to terrify Napoleon's army. Norrell's reign as England's sole magician is curtailed by the appearance of another magician: the brilliant and arrogant Jonathan Strange. Strange studies under Norrell and together they dazzle the world with their feats. But as Strange's powers grow so do his reckless attempts to summon the Raven King, the legendary magician of yore raised by fairies. His ambition threatens his partnership with Norrell and everything else he values.

Clarke will also be honored at the Book Sense Author Luncheon on Friday at BEA. The luncheon, which is only open to stores with Book Sense, requires an e-mail confirmation of reservation for admittance. Confirmations will be sent to registered booksellers by May 16. Reservations are no longer being accepted for this event, which is booked to capacity.