For those of us who have publicly or secretly read Harry Potter and then devoured Philip Pulman’s trilogy must be informed that 'magic for grown-ups' is soon to arrive on our bookshelves says David Smith of The Observer.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by first-time novelist Susanna Clarke, is an 800-page epic about the rivalry between the last two magicians in England, set during the Napoleonic wars and featuring real-life characters including Lord Byron and the Duke of Wellington. Its combination of historical wit and spellbound fantasy has prompted comparisons with Jane Austen and Philip Pullman.

The story follows Mr Norrell, a reclusive magician who is called up to help the war effort against Napoleon. While in London he meets the brilliant young magician Jonathan Strange and takes him on as a pupil. Together they dazzle the country with their feats, but then become rivals.

The launch is touted as a 'publicity onslaught involving everything from newspaper serialisations to deliveries by horse and carriage'.

Clarke, an editor at a Cambridge publishing house, took 10 years to complete this book. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is due for publication in October of this year.