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A Discovery of Witches

By: Deborah Harkness
Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
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Publisher's summary

Book one of the New York Times best-selling All Souls Series—"a wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People).

Now “[a] hot show that’s like Twilight meets Outlander” (Thrillist) airing on AMC and BBC America, as well as streaming on Sundance Now and Shudder.

Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.

Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, book three, The Book of Life, and the fourth in the series, Time’s Convert.

©2011 Deborah Harkness (P)2011 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter or Twilight.... An irresistible tale of wizardry, science and forbidden love.” (People)

“Romantic, erudite, and suspenseful.... Harkness attends to every scholarly and emotional detail with whimsy, sensuality, and humor.” (O, The Oprah Magazine)

“A thoroughly grown-up novel packed with gorgeous historical detail and a gutsy, brainy heroine to match.... Harkness writes with thrilling gusto about the magical world.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Featured Article: The top 100 fantasy listens of all time


When compiling our list of the best fantasy listening out there, we immediately came up against the age-old question: Is this fantasy or science fiction? The distinction is not as clear as you may think. Dragons, elves, and wizards are definitely fantasy, but what about wizards that also fly space ships? (Looking at you, Star Wars.) For the sake of fantasy purity, the top 100 fantasy listens include the best audio works in all manner of fantasy subgenres.

What listeners say about A Discovery of Witches

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Like the story, LOVE the narrator!

I really like this series, I love all things supernatural!But honestly Jennifer Ikeda's performance is what made me love these books. Her ability to have a completely individual voice for EVERY character, and multiple accents on top of that is amazing! The only other narrator who does as well is Davina Porter reading the Outlander series.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

author did her research

the author really did a lot of historical research to put this together. the romance seemed a tad bit forced, but the characters are well developed and the world building is intricate.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Top 5 book

I have read this book so many times and it continues to bring me pleasure n

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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In love!

I'll be listening to this series long after it's old and worn. So classically intriguing and always left me wanting more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

absolutely captivating!!

loved every single minute!! fascinating and beautiful - one of the best stories I have listened to in a very long time!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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love the story

I saw an ad for the TV series and decided to check out the book. I wasn't disappointed, I loved it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Slow at times

Overall I enjoyed this book. I feel the witches are a little overpowered and the ghosts under explained. I agree with other readers that the author reads too slow; however, this was an easy fix as I just increased the speed on the player to 1.25.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

First Book

This was my first audible book and I am so great I started with this one. I enjoyed it so much. The story keeps you on the edge of your chair and it is so well put together.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

ok, yeah maybe jus me....

I sure would have liked more sexiness, alittle more explicit maybe? Otherwise, most excellent. Narrator did a great job differentiating the characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous

The narrator did an amazing job, my children were even interested and would ask that I turn it up. Great story, I love how descriptive it is. It’s a wonderful escape from real life lol. I’ve already bought book two.

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