When we first meet him, Jonathan Strange, of Ashfair in Shropshire, is a dissolute, idle fellow, a drunkard, a fop and a rake, redeemed only by the love he feels for his childhood sweetheart, Arabella Woodhope, sister of a clergyman in the next parish. When Miss Woodhope tells him that she will only consent to being his bride if he manages to find himself an occupation, he sets off in desperate search of something to do with his life. The answer comes in the form of a strange man under a hedge, who sells Mr Strange some magical spells, and tells him that he is destined to become a great magician. Much to everyone's surprise - not least Jonathan Strange himself - the prophecy turns out to be true.
And so Mr Strange becomes the second magician in the land. More wild, more daring, and more creative than his master, Mr Norrell, Strange becomes a hero of the Napoleonic wars, and a magnet for those who want crazier, more romantic magic than Norrell can provide. As his skills develop, Strange embarks on a path to rediscover the dark, hidden magic of the past. And in so doing, sows the seeds of his own tragedy, and becomes a very dangerous gentleman in his own right.
