The Historian
Elizabeth Kostova
Like Harkness's book, it follows a scholar chasing old manuscripts and buried history across Europe, with research, libraries and a slowly unfolding mystery at its heart.
12 books to read next
Books Like A Discovery of Witches
If you loved A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness
A Discovery of Witches is a slow-burning romantic fantasy set largely in Oxford, where a historian who has turned her back on her magical heritage finds a long-lost manuscript and gets pulled into a hidden world of witches, vampires and daemons. Readers often love its scholarly detail, its atmospheric academic settings, the gradual build of romance and mystery, and its unhurried, richly textured pace. It suits anyone who enjoys witty, learned characters and a world that feels both old and lived-in.
Oxford-style academic mystery
The Secret History
Donna Tartt
A tight circle of classics students, a sense of old-university atmosphere and a dark secret let readers who loved the Oxford setting and learned characters settle in.
The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco
A medieval monastery mystery built on manuscripts and scholarship mirrors the way A Discovery of Witches treats books as dangerous, living objects.
Witches and magic with romance
The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
Its lush, slowly developing magical world and a romance between rival enchanters echo the atmospheric, romance-led magic at the centre of Harkness's novel.
Practical Magic
Alice Hoffman
A family of witches with a long, complicated heritage, and a story about rejecting and then returning to magic, will appeal to readers drawn to Diana's family history.
The Mists of Avalon
Marion Zimmer Bradley
A sweeping retelling of the Arthurian world seen through women practising old magic, offering the same mix of ancient lore and emotional depth.
Vampires and the supernatural
Interview With the Vampire
Anne Rice
A classic take on vampires as reflective, melancholy beings with a long history, giving the same sense of an ancient immortal world Harkness builds.
Dracula
Bram Stoker
The foundational vampire novel, told through documents and letters, appeals to readers who enjoyed the manuscript-driven structure and historical texture of the book.
Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
A richly imagined magical world with its own rules and creatures, offering a more fast-moving take on the supernatural society that A Discovery of Witches describes.
Go deeper into the past
Outlander
Diana Gabaldon
A time-travel romance with a strong historical sense and a lengthy, absorbing story, appealing to readers who enjoyed the slow-burn romance and historical detail.
Possession
A. S. Byatt
A literary novel about two scholars uncovering a hidden love story through old letters, matching Harkness's blend of academic research and romance.
The Scent of Water
Elizabeth Goudge
A gentle, reflective novel with a quiet sense of place and the past, suited to readers who enjoyed the contemplative, English-set tone of Harkness's book.
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