A Discovery of Witches
A Discovery of Witches
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A Discovery of Witches

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A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches is a 2011 historical-fantasy novel and the debut novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It follows Diana Bishop, a history of science professor at Yale University, as she embraces her magical blood after finding a long-thought-lost manuscript and engages in a forbidden romance with a charming vampire, Matthew Clairmont.

A Discovery of Witches was first published in hardcover on February 8, 2011, by Penguin Books, becoming a New York Times Best Seller upon its release. It has since been released in paperback and also as an ebook. The novel has been translated into more than 36 languages. The book received mostly positive feedback from literary critics. It was praised for its intelligence and the mixture of history and fantasy, although some critics felt the plot was trite and the pacing was slow. Comparisons were made between other popular fantasy series, namely Twilight and Harry Potter. The novel began as a "thought experiment" for Harkness, who had previously only published works of historical nonfiction. She drew upon her academic background as a historian and her studies of alchemy, magic, and the occult.

A Discovery of Witches is the first installment in the All Souls trilogy, followed by Shadow of Night (2012) and completed with the third novel in the series The Book of Life (2014). Three seasons of a television adaptation of the trilogy were acquired by Sky One and were broadcast in 2018, 2021, and 2022.

In June 2019, Harkness released a novella, Time's Convert. This followed the early lives of Matthew de Clermont and his soon-to-be son, Marcus MacNeil, during the American Revolution.

Diana Bishop is a Yale history of science professor who is conducting research at the University of Oxford. Diana is a witch. However, she has rejected this aspect of her life since the death of her parents when she was seven. She has not learned to practice witchcraft and has minimized her interaction with other witches.

She discovers a lost manuscript at the Bodleian Library, which not only causes a magical reaction in herself but also attracts the attention of others who have long been searching for the manuscript. She finds that for her own safety and for the well-being of magical creatures, she must rethink her avoidance of magic and magical creatures.

This volume is about Diana Bishop discovering her peril and qualities of herself that were unknown to her and discovering romance, friends, and enemies in the magical community. The later volumes develop her actions to protect herself and her friends and ameliorate a threat to the magical community.

With the help of a vampire, Matthew Clairmont, Diana sets out to discover more about her powers and gain control over her magic.

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