Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: 20th Anniversary Edition

When two men vie to be England’s greatest magician, there will be casualties—and footnotes. Fans of V.E. Schwab will love her whimsical introduction to this 20th-anniversary recording. She recounts her inescapable love of Clarke’s weighty tome before Richard Armitage takes over the narrating duties to reinterpret this beloved story. The actor is well known for his rich voice and has a talent for accents that he employs to great effect. More important, he instills Mr. Norrell’s voice with an undercurrent of shaky timidity and Jonathan Strange’s with a booming, indifferent self-assurance that highlights the caution-versus-pride conflict that tears the two apart. Armitage also noticeably changes his delivery when he reads the numerous footnotes, giving them a scholarly air. New listeners are in for a treat as they meet the deeply flawed protagonists who manage to be lovable despite how irritating they often are. Anyone with experience in academia will recognize the clash of opposing theories that somehow tends to neglect real-world ramifications.