A Discovery of Witches is a historical fantasy novel where witches, demons, and vampires live among us and hide in plain sight. It is the first book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness.
I know what some of you may be thinking – but hear me out – it is not Twilight meets 50 Shades of Grey. Yes, it is a foray into the fantasy genre, but it is well written and grounded in a realistic history.
A Discovery of Witches follows Diana Bishop, a Yale professor and reluctant witch; Matthew Clairmont, a centuries-old vampire; and Ashmole 782, a bewitched manuscript that has been lost for centuries and is coveted by witches, demons and vampires alike.
Diana is descended from a long and powerful line of witches; however, she wants nothing to do with the craft. While conducting historical research at Oxford’s Bodleian Library, Diana unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, also known as the Book of Life. The Book of Life has been missing for centuries. When Diana touches the ancient manuscript, she has a physical reaction to and other worldly connection with it. Frightened, Diana returns the book to the stacks, where it again is lost to time. But she wasn’t the only magical creature that felt her connection to the manuscript. Her discovery sets the magical underworld on its head, and a horde of demons, witches, and vampires soon descend upon the library to discover who has unearthed the Book of Life.
Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist and fellow at Oxford, feels the Book of Life’s awakening. Researching a scientific reason for the inexplicable weakening of magic amongst witches, vampires and demons, Matthew hopes to find answers in the Book of Life. Rushing to the Bodleian to see the manuscript, Matthew is met only by Diana. His curiosity is piqued and he notices that she has become an unwitting person of interest to all magical creatures. Matthew’s vampiric instincts set in and he makes it his duty to ensure Diana’s well-being. Diana, however, doesn’t know whom to trust. Hunted by witches, vampires and demons, Diana and Matthew’s alliance deepens and a forbidden romance starts to bloom.
In 2018, the book was adapted by Britain’s Sky One into an 8 part series starring Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode. (Yes, collective sigh)!
Americans can watch the initial series on the Sundance Channel or AMC.
Sky One renewed A Discovery of Witches for a second and third series. The second series is set to premiere in early 2021. Check your cable listings.
So whether you want to escape the winter doldrums with a book or with your television, A Discovery of Witches will help you achieve your desires.
