Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
If you like Pride and Prejudice, read this book. If you like Lord of the Rings, read this book. If you ever wished magic were real, then pretty please read this book. Enter a world where Jane Austin’s socialites find themsevles married to husbands who discuss the best use of magic to defend England from Napoleon Bonaparte.
This novel isn’t a short read, but it wouldn’t be the same otherwise. Like Tolkien, Clarke immerses you in an inspired society you never question despite its departure from reality. Magic is returning to England, and two practical (rather than theoretical) magicians fight to bring it back in a form each of them sees fit.