Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2011
592 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.
Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.
"Harkness brings this world to vibrant life and makes the most of the growing popularity of gothic adventure with an ending that keeps the Old Lodge door wide open." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Try suggesting the novel to readers of literary mysteries like Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series, as well as to those who enjoy ... including Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel novels." - Booklist
"Destined to be popular with fantasy and paranormal aficionados...Harkness is an author to watch." - Library Journal
"Harry Potter meets Lestat de Lioncourt...Entertaining, though not in the league of J.K. Rowling—or even Anne Rice." - Kirkus
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
A Discovery of Witches debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, and was also a bestseller in the UK, France, and Germany. In total, more than thirty-seven foreign editions and translations of volumes from the trilogy have been published. The story of Diana and Matthew continues in Shadow of Night (2012) which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Book of Life (2014) which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, the Sunday Times bestseller list, and The Globe and Mail bestseller list.
Before that, I spent more than a quarter of a century as a student and scholar of history, with degrees from Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, and the University of California at Davis. For my doctoral degree, I researched the history of magic ...
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