Coming Out Of the Shadows: ‘A Discovery of Witches’ | First Look

The All Souls Trilogy is one of the richest, most vibrant, dense fantasy series I’ve read in years. Author Deborah Harkness blends folklore, history, magic, and science into an contemporary (mostly) setting with skill enough to prompt an immediate re-read.

When the first book, A Discovery of Witches, came out in 2011 I threw (literally) copies at people.  Despite having the subsequent books Shadow of Night and The Book of Life on pre-order, I downloaded the e-books as soon as the link went live and read them at work.

If ever a paranormal fantasy earned the word EPIC this trilogy is the one.

Now, the television adaptation starting Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer is set to debut (in the UK) in the fall.

First Look: A Discovery of Witches hit the internet earlier today:

I neither confirm nor deny I already watched it 10 times.

For those yet to find their way to this trilogy here’s some background:

While teaching and studying at Oxford Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), comes into possession of a magical tome known as Ashmole 782. Her discovery sends ripples through the supernatural world. The book’s highly coveted by by the three magical species: witches, vampires, and daemons.

It also brings Diana to the attention the attention of vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode),  who has his own reasons for searching for tome. But he’s not just interested in the book. His attraction to Diana, a witch unbeknownst to her, complicates matters as other mysterious and dangerous forces come looking for the tome and the only known witch who was able to conjure it.

His actions take their world to the brink of war because there’s the Covenant, the governing body of mystical creatures, that forbids “interspecies relationships.” And well, as you can see in the trailer, things get umm, heated…

Other Cast Members:

You may catch glimpse of:

• Alex Kingston (Doctor Who) as Diana’s aunt Sarah Bishop,
• Valarie Pettiford (The Blacklist) as Sarah’s partner Emily Mather,
• Lindsey Duncan (The Leftovers) as Matthew’s mother Ysabeau,
• Owen Teale (Game of Thrones) as power-hungry witch Peter Knox,
• Edward Bluemel (House Finch) as vampire Marcus, and
• Daniel Ezra (BBC’s Undercover) as daemon Nathaniel Wilson.

Rest assured I’m all over stal– *ahem* keeping an eye out for when other markets can expect to be able to catch this one.

But in the mean time, The All Souls Trilogy makes an outstanding summer read.

Your thoughts and opinions are important to us, so please leave a comment in the section below the article. And if this is your first time visiting, please be sure to read the Privacy / Terms and Conditions Of Use.