While this early extract of Piranesi is brief, it speaks volumes to the beauty and imagination of the novel to come. I am already enraptured by the descriptions of the mysterious house and its roaring waters and strange statues, and fascinated by the mystery of the skeletons. Who is Piranesi? Who is Other? How did they come to be in this strange and liminal place? I am thrilled to continue reading this lyrical, magical novel when it is released.

I absolutely LOVED Jonathan Norell and Mr Strange, I read it around 13 years ago and I still recommend it today. However Clarke’s second book was really hard to get into so I approached this extract with trepidation. I can honestly say I do look forward to this being released. The love I have for her first book will hopefully be found in this!

I find this a very difficult review to write as it is based on such a short extract. As such, I cannot say whether I would recommend it to my students or not.

The last part of the extract was the most intriguing; the list of people who have ever lived. This part of the extract made me interested in the book. It made me question what kind of world (or house!) 'Piranesi' lives in

The extract does not make it really clear what the main story is in the book so I am unable to say whether I would like to read more or not yet.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital sample in exchange for an honest review :) I find it really hard to rate a sample. This sounded very interesting and I am excited for another book by Susanna Clarke. I loved reading "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" and I was very excited to hear the author is coming with a new book. This little extract/sample left me with a lot of questions and I am quite curious about how the story is going to go.

OK, I've only read the abstract that NetGalley have put out, but on the strength of those few pages, I've pre-ordered the book! Its intriguing - they've given me just enough to read that I really want to know what on earth is going on! I can only give this 5 stars so far, but I'll be back with a full review after I've read the whole book.

Wow
Wow
Wow!
What an opening chapter! I can’t wait to read the rest of this book! Such wonderful
imagery and intrigue to pack into a few pages, and very reminiscent of ‘The Night Circus’ for me.
I’ve already pre-ordered the book based on this sample, I am so excited to find out more!

This early extract for Piranesi is intriguing, beautifully written and infuriatingly short.

We meet Piranesi in a house that is the world, which is inhabited by himself and only another - The Other. The house is seemingly unending; a labyrinth of stairs, vestibules, windows and corridors, where the tides wash through and the clouds linger. With more than a hint of mystery and magic, this carefully crafted introduction revels in mystery; raising more questions than answers and spinning secrets which beg for discovery.

Fifteen years after I first read the beautiful and captivating Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, the release of Piranesi cannot come soon enough.

Oh wow! I hadn't read Jonathon Strange but I've heard countless praise on Clarke's writing, and now I see why! Within a small extract, I fell enchanted and desperate to read more, I feel strange giving a review for only an extract of the book, but if the rest of the novel is on the same wavelength, then this would definitely become a favourite.

Loving the sound of this book. Beautifully written as expected and wonderful characters. Would love to read the whole book

I am really looking forward to reading the full novel. The short (too short!) introduction has left me eager to read more. In a few pages Ms Clarke has conjured up a world full of mystery and promise which just begs to be explored further.

I am new to Susanna Clarke, having never read The Hunger Games and I found this to be a very interesting and enjoyable extract. One which piqued my curiosity and made me eager to learn more about the book and pre-order a copy.

Shut up and take my money :)
It feels adequate and fits the style of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell. I’ve just preordered this.

Wow, what a fascinating introduction! Shades of Gormenghast in a mysterious world made up of halls and courtyards, with only two living men there, but skeletons and statues around every corner. Really keen to read more.

I'm very excited about this book! I'm a big fan of Susanna Clarke and by a chance of Piranesi's works, and I wasn't disappointed with the excerpt from the new novel Piranesi.
The House is a whole World with its own magic and mysteries. Piranesi (if it's indeed his real name) deems himself a scientist whose aim is to discover all neverending halls and corridors of this House and then write this information down in his journal.
There are two parts to this excerpt. The first one is about the House and its wonders. The enormous number of statues and wandering Tides create a truly magical atmosphere. I feel that this tricky House refers to the Imaginary Prisons somehow. I can see the similarity between them in their magnificence and vastness but it is to be seen if the 'prison' part is true for the novel too.
The second part tells us about Piranesi as a character. He is a bit lonely so he talks with skeletons of people who lived there before him. His only living friend is The Other who he meets twice a week. The Other seems to be a more practical or even cynical man in the contrast to more open and naive Piranesi. I find the passage about a Great and Secret Knowledge funny. I mean they don't even know what it is! But they still seek for it. To become immortal or read people's minds - whatever power it would give.
Overall, Piranesi has a high-level immersion into the world and a likable protagonist. I wouldn't expect less from Susanna Clarke.

Even in the few short pages of the sample I was drawn into a mysterious world of magic and wonder. it was so enchanting I can hardly wait to read the book..

Even though I've only read a short extract of 'Piranesi', I'm hooked straight away and can't wait until it is published in September.

Straight away, the stark contrast of the blurb description, 'Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has,' compared to a line a few pages in, 'I am determined to explore as much of the World as I can in my lifetime,' has me intrigued and wanted to know more about this strange world and strange protagonist.

It looks like it will have everything I like in a novel; it is creepy, gothic, has beautiful descriptions and an interesting story line. I can't wait to pick this up once it's published.

Ive just read the excerpt and wow am I intrigued to see how the rest of the book turns out.
In just a handful of pages it already feels like a descriptive delight and I'm already building a visual of the House/World.
I have pre ordered the book and am excited to continue reading it.

Thank you for providing this excerpt for me to read.

Its going to be very difficult for Susanna Clarke to improve on her previous bestseller, but from the short preview supplied by Netgalley, she might just have pulled it off. Nothing like "Johnathon Strange" nevertheless "Piranesi" shapes up to be a magnificent fantasy, broad in scope and deep in mystery. We meet a house, possibly representative of our World, full of hallways, landscapes, an ocean which floods and objects, thousands of statues, and inhabited by two people.

There's still magic, old magic, and two main protagonists, both with secrets. Fans will be happy.

I'd say this book has the flavour of Carnivale or Circe or even the Night Circus but I'm sure will carve its own niche in readers minds. The language is mesmerising and this short teaser certainly left me wanting more.

Thanks to #Netgalley and the Publishers #Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (UK & ANZ) for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Having read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which I loved, I was so excited to get this extract and it certainly didn’t disappoint! I cannot wait to find out more, this book is due to be published 15th September 2020 and I cannot wait.

A great teaser - the timing for this is wonderful and the ambient and characters are wonderful - looking forward to purchasing and reading more ... Susanna Clarke has a fiendish mind!