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The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City
- Author
- Susanna Clarke
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 20 October 2026
- Run Time
- 3 hours 20 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Fantasy, Speculative fiction
What to expect
‘He had already served three kings. He did not see why he should not be useful to a fourth.’
During the conquest of Northern England, the fairy host sweeps across the countryside. The city of Durham finds itself surrounded. But the encircling forces are not fairies, nor even other humans, but trees that trap the city within an eerie wood.
Ranulf, Bishop of Durham—a consummate politician—understands that the survival of the Northern English people depends on his finding a way to unite the two races, human and fairy. And he's not averse to improving his own position at the same time. With these aims in view, he sets off for the New Castle, in search of the new King—the leader of the fairy host, rumored to be a mysterious human boy, no more than fourteen years old, who speaks no word of any human language.
Set 700 years before the events of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City is a bewitching, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's shelf.
Critics Review
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This winding medieval fairy tale showcases the author’s trademark flare for the whimsical and uncanny . . . In lovely, lilting prose, Clarke renders a fascinating cast of humans and fairies alike. Sawdon’s striking illustrations add to the charm, evoking a medieval illuminated manuscript. The author’s fans will eat this up.
Publishers Weekly
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A charming . . . story with special resonance for Clarke’s devoted fans.
Kirkus Reviews
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Clarke's imagination is prodigious, her pacing is masterly and she knows how to employ dry humor in the service of majesty.
The New York Times on THE WOOD AT MIDWINTER
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[Piranesi] flooded me, as the tides flood the halls, with a scouring grief, leaving gleaming gifts in its wake . . . rich, wondrous, full of aching joy and sweet sorrow.
The New York Times Book Review on PIRANESI
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Piranesi astonished me. It is a miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling, at once a gripping mystery, an adventure through a brilliant new fantasy world, and a deep meditation on the human condition: feeling lost, and being found. I already want to be back in its haunting and beautiful halls!
Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE SONG OF ACHILLES and CIRCE
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A fiercely funny, beautiful writer, Clarke attacks her subject with the wit and craft of a Dickens or Austen, effortlessly mixing historical figures and events in with her magical ones. And that magic: nobody writes about magic the way Clarke does . . . She writes about magic as if she's actually worked it.
Lev Grossman, TIME Magazine on JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL
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Details
- Author
- Susanna Clarke
- Duration
- 3 hours 20 minutes
- Release Date
- 20 October 2026
- ISBN
- 9781639739837
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Fantasy, Speculative fiction
Synopsis
From the bestselling and prize-winning author of Piranesi, an enchanting, beautifully illustrated short story set in the world of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.‘He had already served three kings. He did not see why he should not be useful to a fourth.’During the conquest of Northern England, the fairy host sweeps across the countryside. The city of Durham finds itself surrounded. But the encircling forces are not fairies, nor even other humans, but trees that trap the city within an eerie wood.Ranulf, Bishop of Durham—a consummate politician—understands that the survival of the Northern English people depends on his finding a way to unite the two races, human and fairy. And he's not averse to improving his own position at the same time. With these aims in view, he sets off for the New Castle, in search of the new King—the leader of the fairy host, rumored to be a mysterious human boy, no more than fourteen years old, who speaks no word of any human language. Set 700 years before the events of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City is a bewitching, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's shelf.
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