The Incandescent - by Emily Tesh (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Doctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood School and one of the most powerful magicians in England. Her days consist of meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented, chaotic sixth formers, more meetings, and securing the school's boundaries from demonic incursions. Walden is good at her job--no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It's her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. And it's possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from--is herself."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Naomi Novik's Scholomance series meets Plain Bad Heroines in this sapphic dark academia fantasy by instant national and international bestselling author Emily Tesh, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.

"Look at you, eating magic like you're one of us."

Doctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood School and one of the most powerful magicians in England. Her days consist of meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented, chaotic sixth formers, more meetings, and securing the school's boundaries from demonic incursions.

Walden is good at her job--no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It's her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. And it's possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from--is herself.

Review Quotes

"Tesh masterfully conjures a world like our own, except that everybody knows about magic and a demon might occupy your cellphone. She complicates well-worn tropes like "magical boarding school" and "enemies-to-lovers romance" with joyful ease.... It all leads to a blindingly unexpected ending, and I highly recommend this dazzling book."-The Washington Post

"A searingly brilliant fantasy. This is magical school with teeth."--Tasha Suri, award-winning author of The Jasmine Throne

"Emily Tesh captivates me the way few authors can, and she can do it in any genre and any world. The Incandescent is a delight from start to finish--it bewitched me, body and soul. Part competency porn for teachers, part harrowing tale of flirtation with your colleagues, part heartwarming demon infestation. A wholly perfect book."--Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

"The Incandescent is the grown-up answer to the magical boarding school tale, a glorious shout of vindication for anyone who has ever worked in education. Every book Emily Tesh writes is a magic trick, and this is no exception. Fantastic in every sense of the word."--Freya Marske, bestselling author of The Last Binding trilogy

"An absolute flex of a book, empathetic and passionate and deeply thoughtful. Above all, Tesh will make you care: about place, self, and the brave, impulsive, vulnerable, curious, incandescent young lives that are our future. A gorgeous evocation of what it means to have a calling."--Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

"If magical boarding schools existed, they would look very much like this one: volatile cocktails of hormones, demons, and generational wealth, kept afloat solely by the labor and expertise of several very tired grown-ups. If you, like me, are a very tired grown-up, The Incandescent will hit you right in the heart."--Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

"The Incandescent has immediately become my favorite magic school story: a book filled with teenagers that's for and about grown-ups, in the most compelling and convincing sense possible. The joys of seeing Tesh's protagonist succeed at her job of preventing children from making terrible mistakes are only exceeded by the joys of watching her make even worse mistakes, and I loved every page of it."--Rebecca Fraimow, author of Lady Eve's Last Con

"A must-read; a magical, sophisticated and razor-sharp story of education and power."--Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's Orbit

"Fans of Naomi Novik's Scholomance series won't want to miss this thoughtful exploration of privilege, power, and private school education."--Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"[A]n intriguing contemporary fantasy."--Library Journal

"This is a brilliant novel, one that marries the energy and verve and peril of the best of the fantasy genre with the understated, literary examination of interior and professional lives. It marries the fantastical to the mundane with great deftness and deep appreciation for both. It's been justly praised by others. All I can add is: It took my breath away."--Locus

"Powered by instantly relatable characters, peppered with the witty ironies of adulthood and growing up, and scattered with tangible imagery, magic tattoos, vape imps, and possessed school printers, this stand-alone fantasy will be an instant classic among former fans of Professor McGonagall of Harry Potter fame."--Booklist (starred review)

"A veritable cornucopia of dark delight."--Shelf Awareness

"If you loved A Deadly Education and The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, The Incandescent will sear its way into your heart."--BookPage

Praise for Emily Tesh

"A true story of the woods, of the fae, and of the heart. Deep and green and wonderful."--Naomi Novik on Silver in the Wood

"Surprised me at every turn. . . . This book has earned a permanent place on my favorites shelf."--V. E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, on Some Desperate Glory

"Masterful, audacious storytelling. Relentless, unsentimental, a completely wild ride. I had a time."--Tamsyn Muir, New York Times bestselling author of The Locked Tomb series, on Some Desperate Glory

"A profoundly humane and brilliantly constructed space opera that will have you cheering, swearing, laughing, and ugly-crying. It's perfect."--Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, on Some Desperate Glory

About the Author

EMILY TESH is a UK-based author of science fiction and fantasy. Her debut novel, Some Desperate Glory, won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Tesh is also a winner of the Astounding Award, and the author of the World Fantasy Award-winning Greenhollow duology.