Discovery Of Witches - By Deborah Harkness ( Paperback )

About the Book

Discovering a magical manuscript in Oxford's Bodleian Library, scholar Diana Bishop, a descendant of witches who has rejected her heritage, inadvertently unleashes a fantastical underworld of daemons, witches, and vampires whose activities center around an enchanted treasure.

Book Synopsis

Book one of the New York Times-bestselling All Souls trilogy--a wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight" (People).

Look for the hit TV series "A Discovery of Witches," streaming on AMC Plus, Sundance Now and Shudder. Season 2 premieres January 9, 2021!

Deborah Harkness's sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.

Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, and concludes with The Book of Life. The story now comes alive in an incredibly lush eponymous TV series, starring Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four, Hacksaw Ridge) and Matthew Goode (Match Point, The Imitation Game).

Review Quotes

"A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter or Twilight. . . . An irresistible tale of wizardry, science and forbidden love."
--People

"Romantic, erudite, and suspenseful . . . Harkness attends to every scholarly and emotional detail with whimsy, sensuality, and humor."
--O, The Oprah Magazine

"A thoroughly grown-up novel packed with gorgeous historical detail and a gutsy, brainy heroine to match. . . . Harkness writes with thrilling gusto about the magical world."
--Entertainment Weekly

"Harkness conjures up a scintillating paranormal story. . . . Discover why everyone's talking about this magical book."
--USA Today

"Delightfully well-crafted and enchantingly imaginative . . . It has some of the same ineluctable atmosphere that made Anne Rice's vampire books such a popular success."
--Miami Herald

"A debut novel with a big supernatural canvas . . . Its ambitions are world-sized, ranging across history and zeroing in on DNA, human and otherwordly. Age-old tensions between science and magic and between evolution and alchemy erupt as Diana seeks to unlock the secrets of Ashmole 782."
--Los Angeles Times

"Harkness, an eloquent writer, conjures this world of witches with Ivy League degrees and supernatural creatures completely--and believably--while maintaining a sense of wonder. . . . A Discovery of Witches is that rare historical novel that manages to be as intelligent as it is romantic. And it is supernatural fiction that those of us who usually prefer to stay grounded in reality can get caught up in. Pardon the pun, but Witches is truly spellbinding."
--San Antonio News-Express

"Readers who thrilled to Elizabeth Kostova's 2005 blockbuster, The Historian, will note the parallels, but A Discovery of Witches is a modern Romeo and Juliet story, with older, wiser lovers. Blood will flow when a witch and a vampire fall for each other. Author Deborah Harkness, a UCLA history professor, brings vast knowledge and research to the page."
--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Harkness works her own form of literary alchemy by deftly blending fantasy, romance, history, and horror into one completely bewitching book."
--Chicago Tribune

"A Discovery of Witches becomes increasingly charming as it goes along. . . . A shrewdly written romp and a satisfying snow-day read for those of us who heartily enjoyed the likes of Anne Rice and Marion Zimmer Bradley. By the book's rousing end . . . I was impatient for the sequel."
--NPR

About The Author

Deborah Harkness is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life. A history professor at the University of Southern California, Harkness has received Fulbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center fellowships. She lives in Los Angeles.Visit www.deborahharkness.com and follow Deborah Harkness on Facebook and @DebHarkness on Twitter.