The Hexologists

By: Josiah Bancroft

Narrated by: Sarah Slimani

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The first book in a wildly inventive and mesmerizing new fantasy series from acclaimed author Josiah Bancroft where magical mysteries abound and only one team can solve them: The Hexologists. “Bancroft is a magician.”—Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe

“Fantastic! The Hexologists fizzes eloquently with wit and elegance, but also has marvelous worldbuilding and an excellent plot—and a central pair of characters who I quite simply love. A cocktail of a book made with the very best champagne.”—Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library

The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case.

But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake—going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven—the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent anti-royalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally eats people.

Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for a case that will test every spell, skill, and odd magical artifact in their considerable bag of tricks.

"Bancroft is a wonder as ever! The Hexologists was a joyous delight on every page— buoyantly inventive, witty, poignant, gripping, and deeply satisfying."—Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe

“Josiah Bancroft’s imagination will astound you. One of the most inventive fantasy authors out there.”—Fonda Lee, author of the Green Bone Saga

“Bancroft has returned to the page in force, deploying his crystal prose and razored wit around a tale that mixes whimsy and threat in equal measure. He's a gift to the genre."—Mark Lawrence, author of The Book That Wouldn't Burn

©2023 Josiah Bancroft (P)2023 Orbit

Critic reviews

"It's rare to find a modern book that feels like a timeless classic. I'm wildly in love with this book."—Pierce Brown, author of Red Rising on Senlin Ascends

Interesting Story but nothing special

Good book just not my favorite type of fantasy. I did enjoy it though. Narration was average.

Fun Adventure

Sherlock Holmes with Magic. love the strong female character that can still be loving and gracious to her husband l.

Loved it

Great world that is brimming with imagination. The characters and prose are excellent as per usual.

Didn’t really like it; printed or Kindle version would be better

First of all, in this audiobook, the cast of characters is not presented before the story. It’s actually chapter 33, but should be listened to first if you like to keep track of characters that way. It helps to know who’s related to whom. Audible should offer a PDF of the lists and maps (which are in the printed book) once the book is purchased.

Second, I wish a different narrator had been chosen. I couldn’t tell the speakers apart based just on her voice, even if a man and woman were having the conversation. There were some non-human characters that I didn’t like the voices of either.

Lastly, The Hexologists was not AWESOME like the Senlin Ascends series, so I was a little disappointed. I can’t wait to read An Empyreal Retinue.

Brought the magic of reading back from the grave

I have grown tired of reading adult-aged fantasy books that are so serious that they become a chore to get through. This book was just pure fun; it reminded me of how reading felt to me as a kid. The characters were wacky, the story/mystery was engaging, and the humor was clever. While the writing was flowery and often had words I have never heard of, then style itself was well done and entertaining. The narrator was also perfect. I'm greatly looking forward to the sequel!

Different But Fun.

The reviews for this book are all over the place, and I was a little unsure I would like it. I did eventually listen to it though, and the story and the characters grew on me as I listened. Based around a husband and wife team of magic wielding detectives, your initial impression is that of a self absorbed wife, and an overly fawning husband. But their relationship expands, as does the story itself, as you go along. You find yourself really becoming fond of the couple as they wind their way through a strange world seeking answers.

The narration by Sarah Slimani is on par with the book itself. On initial listen she comes off sounding a bit upper-class and snobby, but as the book continues, you realize she is perfect for story. Excellent job.

Overall, despite initial hesitation, I ended up really enjoying this book. With the case of this book resolved, I'm guessing that this will be more of a serial type series with new storylines and plots each book. I'm ok with that. This is the perfect type of book for those like me who like to listen to longer more plot driven books, and sometimes just need an occasional more fun and whimsical book in between. I look forward to the next installment.

Sleeper hit

Looking forward to exploring another fantastical world as this series continues. This was fun listen.

Underwhelming but well crafted.

Bancroft is a gifted writer so he’s likely getting reviewed on a curve considering the splendor of The Books of Babel. This is a perfectly fine book, and sadly nothing more.

The narrator was unremarkable and would not have been my choice for this type of work, it was occasionally hard to discern characters.

I have a doubt this series will catch on and honestly hope Bancroft writes in a different universe next.

Enjoyable

This is a good story and has some really likable main characters. I look forward to the next book!

Quite a good detective story!

And an interesting magic system to boot! Very well written and performed with a great set of characters! Lots of room to grow in this series!