I borrowed Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell from the library, hoping it would be a lively story of two feuding wizards. Instead, the author spends so much time explaining magic (history, theory and practice) that the characters fail to develop beyond this one aspect of their lives. The true disappointment for me was the unusual ending. How could a knowledgeable wizard get into such a mess?
That said, the author does successfully create a magical England separate from the one we know from history books. I find the comparisons to The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter to be inaccurate, this book having a more scholarly tone than either of them.
I found the book to be average, well written and clever, but with not enough for the characters to do to show the reader who they are.

Captain Alatriste is a mysterious figure who keeps to himself throughout the book. The narrator is also a thirteen-year-old boy, so it's realistic that he can't tell us everything about him. I also had a good sense of what it was like to live in Spain during the time of the Inquisition, so the author must have done lots of research.
Political intrigue in the highest circles fuels this story, complete with an assassination attempt. However, a little more swashbuckling and a little less poetry would have suited me. Much of the plot focuses on a play critical of the king written by one of the characters, a friend of Alatriste's.
There are hints of what could happen in the sequel. I was left wondering about the little blond girl which the narrator found so irresistible.
All in all, I would recommend Captain Alatriste as an entertaining story about a clever man who prefers to use his head before his sword.