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Have you ever done something and wanted to do it again, but no matter how hard you tried, you were unable to do it? Something like shooting a perfect free-throw shot twice, or combining the perfect spice pairings when creating a new meal, or even taking a perfect photograph with just the right lighting? If so then you have something in common with Diana Bishop, the main character in Deborah Harkness' debut novel, A Discovery of Witches.
Set in England, A Discovery of Witches tells the tale of Diana Bishop, a female historian who happens to be a witch that refuses to embrace her powers. Diana is in Oxford researching old alchemy texts for an upcoming presentation. In the course of said research, she unknowingly requests a book that holds the secrets of many other worldly creatures; vampires, witches, and daemons. Not finding the information she needs for her research, and not knowing about the real information held in its pages, Diana returns the book to the library stacks. Unbeknownst to Diana, she has just set a plethora of beings into motion who all want one thing: the book. There’s just one problem, Diana can’t get the book again as it has gone missing! As if a missing book sought after by every vampire, daemon, and witch in the area isn’t enough excitement for Diana, she attracts the attention of Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist who happens to be a vampire. Together they set out to find the book, only the journey will take them much farther than either of them suspects.
Although deeply filled with historical references, Harkness has done a great job providing entertainment for her reader. From the vivid pictures she paints of the main characters on a horseback ride in the countryside, to the quirkiness of a gift-giving (and taking!) house, every detail is well thought out and written. When this book first arrived, I let it sit for almost a week before I began reading it as I didn’t think it would interest me at all. I can honestly say that I’m glad I gave it a shot. The only thing I didn’t like is that since it ended on a cliff-hanging note, I have to wait until 2012 to find out what happens next!
