Fans of Susanna Clarke’s bestselling Jonathan Strange Mr Norrell have been waiting 15 years for a new novel by the British author. Now they just need to hold out for one more.
Publisher Bloomsbury announced that Clarke’s second novel, Piranesi, will be published next September. A description of the book in a news release indicates that the book, like its predecessor, will contain elements of fantasy.
The novel’s title character, Bloomsbury said, lives in a huge house that contains “thousands of rooms and corridors” and “a watery labyrinth.”
“Once in a while he sees his friend, The Other, who needs Piranesi for his scientific research into A Great and Secret Knowledge,” the description reads. “Piranesi records his findings in his journal. Then messages begin to appear; all is not what it seems. A terrible truth unravels as evidence emerges of another person and perhaps even another world outside the House’s walls.”
Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell was a huge hit for Bloomsbury in 2004, climbing to No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list. The novel spawned a popular BBC miniseries with Bertie Carvel and Eddie Marsan in the title roles.
Clarke followed the novel up two years later with a spinoff short story collection, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, set in the same world as her debut book.
Piranesi is part of a two-novel deal; Bloomsbury did not reveal any details about the second book in the deal.
Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
