The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City

From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an enchanting and haunting illustrated short story full of medieval magic

1110 A.D. The fairy host sweeps across the North of England and the city of Durham is under siege. Wearily the Bishop of Durham, Ranulf Flambard, prepares to surrender – something which proves far more difficult than he could have imagined.


His quest will lead him through a landscape of unco-operative rivers and enchanted forests to a New Castle on the banks of the River Tyne – where, with any luck, he will be received by a court of deceptive, would-be fairy queens, shape-shifting stags and a beautiful teenage Raven King.


A long-lost chapter in the lore of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City is an enchanting and enchanted adventure into the magic of medieval England.

Praise for Susanna Clarke:
‘Spellbinding’ Dua Lipa
‘A miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling’ Madeline Miller
‘Clarke writes with an intelligence and beauty that seems at times miraculous’ Katherine Rundell