 First edition cover | |
| Author | Alix E. Harrow |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Lisa Marie Pompilio |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Published | October 13, 2020 |
| Publisher | Redhook Books |
| Media type | Hardcover & Paperback |
| Pages | 517 (1st ed.) |
| ISBN | 978-0316422048 (1st ed.) |
| OCLC | 1143799962 |
The Once and Future Witches is a 2020 fantasy novel by American writer Alix E. Harrow, the second novel released by Harrow. [1] [2] [3]
In New Salem, United States, in 1893, the three Eastwood sisters join the suffragist movement. After one of them accidentally performs a spell and the three begin advocating for witching rights as well as the right to vote, they are kicked out of the movement and form their own activist group to reclaim women's rights and the power of magic. Harrow has described the book as "suffragists, but witches" and that "it’s the story of three sisters joining the American suffrage movement, in a world where there’s no such thing as witches, but there used to be. The fight for women’s rights becomes a fight to restore their magic." [4]
Writing for NPR Jessica P. Wick said that the book was "about what could happen when women talk to each other, sharing knowledge, building community" and that "Harrow likes a secret society in the best way, and Witches is riddled with secrets, honeycombed with groups working toward overlapping or opposing goals." [5] Amy R. Martin of the Southern Review of Books said that the book " lies firmly within the feminist tradition, reflective of the social commentaries of modern feminist thinkers like Kate Manne and Rebecca Traister and reminiscent of women’s recent and growing exercise of their political power, especially as evidenced by the Women’s March of 2017 and the #MeToo movement" but that "a book about suffrage and spells became a book about spells." [6] Kibby Robinson of The Nerd Daily said that the book had "lyrical prose and a story that will reach into the core of your being and squeeze" and that "Harrow gives the readers three spectacularly realised sisters and takes them on a journey of forgiveness and the fight to achieve the power of choice." [7] Yasmin Islam of The Tempest said that it was "refreshing to see the characters find pride in being women in a time where it was shunned" and that "although witches have never been traditionally written as humane, this was the most human I’ve read them to be." [8]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | BFA | Fantasy Novel | Won | [9] [10] |
| Dragon Awards | Fantasy Novel | Nominated | [11] [12] | |
| Locus | Locus—Fantasy Novel | 5th | [13] [12] |
Strange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and nonfiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables.
The Endeavour Award, announced annually at OryCon in Portland, Oregon, is awarded to a distinguished science fiction or fantasy book written by an author or authors from Pacific Northwest and published in the previous year.
Tim Pratt is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and poet. He won a Hugo Award in 2007 for his short story "Impossible Dreams". He has written over 20 books, including the Marla Mason series and several Pathfinder Tales novels. His writing has earned him nominations for Nebula, Mythopoeic, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker awards and has been published in numerous markets, including Asimov's Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, and Strange Horizons.
Catherynne M. Valente is an American fiction writer, poet, and literary critic. For her speculative fiction novels she has won the annual James Tiptree, Andre Norton, and Mythopoeic Fantasy awards. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, the World Fantasy Award–winning anthologies Salon Fantastique and Paper Cities, along with numerous "Year's Best" volumes. Her critical work has appeared in the International Journal of the Humanities as well as in numerous essay collections.
Scott Lynch is an American fantasy author, best known for the Gentleman Bastard Sequence series of novels. His first novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, was purchased by Orion Books in August 2004 and published in June 2006 under the Gollancz imprint in the United Kingdom and under the Bantam imprint in the United States. The next two novels in the series, Red Seas Under Red Skies and The Republic of Thieves, were published in 2007 and 2013, respectively.
Clarkesworld Magazine is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It released its first issue October 1, 2006, and has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Elizabeth Bear, Kij Johnson, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Sarah Monette, Catherynne Valente, Jeff VanderMeer and Peter Watts.
The Locus Award for Best First Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best First Novel was first presented in 1981. The Locus Awards have been described as a prestigious prize in science fiction, fantasy and horror literature.
Premios Ignotus are annual Spanish literary awards that were created in 1991 by the Asociación Española de Fantasía, Ciencia Ficción y Terror. The awards, which are in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, are voted on by members of HispaCon, the national science fiction convention of Spain. The method appears to be very similar to the Hugo Awards.
Winners of the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book, awarded by the Locus magazine. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year.
Genevieve Valentine is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Her first novel, Mechanique: A tale of the Circus Tresaulti, won the Crawford Award for a first fantasy novel, and was shortlisted for the Nebula.
The Locus Award for Best Short Story is one of a series of Locus Awards given every year by Locus Magazine. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year.
The Bram Stoker Award for Best Graphic Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for graphic novels.
Uncanny Magazine is an American science fiction and fantasy online magazine, edited and published by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, based in Urbana, Illinois. Its mascot is a space unicorn.
Alix E. Harrow is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Locus Award, and in 2019 she won a Hugo Award for her story "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies". She has published under the name Alix Heintzman.
The Locus Award for Best Horror Novel is a literary award given annually by Locus Magazine as part of their Locus Awards. It has also been known as both the Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel and Locus Award for Best Dark Fantasy/Horror Novel.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a 2019 fantasy novel by Alix E. Harrow. It is the Hugo Award-nominated writer's debut novel.
The Deep is a 2019 fantasy book by Rivers Solomon, with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes. It depicts an underwater society built by the water-breathing descendants of pregnant slaves thrown overboard from slave ships. The book was developed from a song of the same name by Clipping, an experimental hip-hop trio. It won the Lambda Literary Award, and was nominated for Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards.
Redemptor is a 2021 young adult fantasy novel by Nigerian American writer Jordan Ifueko. It is the sequel to Raybearer and the last book in the Raybearer duology, it was published on 17 August 2021 by Abrams Books.
Kabu Kabu is a speculative fiction short story collection written by Nigerian American writer Nnedi Okorafor with stories in both Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism styles and themes. The collection was first published in 2013 by Prime Books.
Fractured Fables is a series of fantasy novellas written by Alix E. Harrow. The series currently comprises two novellas: A Spindle Splintered (2021) and A Mirror Mended (2022). The series explores fairy tales from a modernist and feminist perspective. Both novellas have received critical acclaim.