In the last week and a bit (as far as I can remember) I have poured through a wonderful book called Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I bought it on impulse after seeing it on the bestsellers shelf and reading glowing praise on the back from one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman. It is quite a substantial book at almost 800 pages, but I got so caught up in it that, if anything, I wish it was longer!
The basic concept is that magic has been dormant in England for hundreds of years and relegated to simply a scholarly historical study when Mr. Norrell, with his library full of old books of magic appears to return magic to England. Norrell is secretive and protective of his magic and tries to control how magic is brought back into England, when his pupil, Jonathan Strange, rivals him and pursues magic that Norrell despises.
Clarke has created a version of England with magicians, fairies (the real non-Disneyfied ones) and lost Kings, where magic and realism come together to form a detailed and exciting tale. It's an enchanting story, and I highly recommend it.
Jeff, I'm glad to see you endorse this book so heartily because I'm considering reading it myself. But could you consider not writing paragraphs that read exactly like ad copy?
(Hint: The last one.)
Edited to appease Valrus.