March 2026
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    There are plenty of posts around reddit and the internet full of people with recommendations based on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell, and while I do intend to work through some of the books which frequently come up there, it's a specific aspect of Suzanna Clarkes work (just finished Piranesi) which particularly draws me in.

    I came to JS&MrN on recommendations from the community around the Secret Histories series of games (Cultist Simulator and The Book of Hours) as having similar prose/atmosphere and being a big inspiration for those games. I can very much see it, and can also see why the other biggest group recommending it to me were IRL practical occultists. The book very firmly plants itself in fantasy with its alternate history, but the approach taken to acts of magic and the mystical is very in line with what I've read/heard described of genuine mystical experiences.

    I guess, there's a specific thematic element here which I'm struggling to put into a satisfactorily short set of words aside from "Suzanna Clarke Does Magic and Otherworlds Good", but she does. It's a perfect blend of subtle, surreal and psychedelically transcendental. Also important to me is that while she engages in plenty of creative worldbuilding, it is grounded in a clear understanding of genuine esotericism.

    Draw a line through the centre of each of these thematic axises, and I'm looking for recommendations along those lines.

    Thanks in advance 🙂

    by SorchaSublime

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