A Discovery of Witches  (English, Paperback, Harkness Deborah)

A Discovery Of Witches begins when historian Diana Bishop opens an ancient, long-lost manuscript, and thus exposes herself to a world that she has tried to forget. She is now vulnerable to a world of witches, demons and vampires.

Summary Of The Book

A Discovery Of Witches is the first book in the All Souls trilogy. The main character, Diana Bishop, is a descendant of a long and distinguished line of witches. But that is a world that she is keen to forget. The violent death of her parents gave her the conviction that the power of human fear is more potent than any power a witch might have.

She is now a historian, teaching alchemical history at Oxford University. The magical world of witches is a part of her life that has been shut out for a long time. But it is not a world that is easily eluded. She learns that when she makes an accidental discovery.

In the Bodleian Library at Oxford, she finds an ancient manuscript on alchemy. She takes a few notes, then consigns the book back to the shelves. However, that is not the end of the matter. For, the book she found is a coveted treasure in the magical realm.

Now, creatures from that other world, vampires and witches, descend on the library, trying to find out how Diana managed to find that ancient manuscript. Among them is Matthew Clairmont, a Geneticist who is also a vampire. Diana finds herself irresistibly attracted towards Mathew. Their relationship, however, threatens an ancient and uneasy peace that exists between the world of the humans and the other world.

A Discovery Of Witches received mainly positive reviews and has drawn comparison with books like the Twilight series and the Harry Potter books. It has been translated into 36 other languages, and Warner Brothers has acquired the film rights to the novel.

About Deborah Harkness

Deborah Harkness is an American historian, professor and writer.

She is also the author of John Dee's Conversations With Angels: Cabala, Alchemy, and the End of Nature, and Shadow of Night.

Deborah Harkness was born in Pennsylvania in 1965. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College. She later earned her postgraduate degree from Northwestern University and then studied for her Doctorate at the University of California. She is a Professor at the University of Southern California and she teaches History. She published her first work of fiction, A Discovery Of Witches, in 2011. The book became a New York Times bestseller.