The Book of Witches: An Anthology

• Author: Jonathan Strahan
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: August 1, 2023
• Publisher: Harper Voyager

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With a breathtaking array of original stories from around the world, P. Djèlí Clark, Amal El Mohtar, Garth Nix, Darcie Little Badger, Sheree Renée Thomas, and two dozen other fantasy and science fiction geniuses bring a new and exciting twist to one of the most beloved figures in fiction, witches, in never-before-seen works written exclusively for The Book of Witches , compiled by award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan and illustrated by award-nominated artist Alyssa Winans. Witches! Whether you know them from Shakespeare or from Wicked , there is no staple more beloved in folklore, fairy tale, or fantasy than these magical beings. Witches are everywhere, and at the heart of stories that resonate with many people around the world. This dazzling, otherworldly collection gathers new stories of witches from all walks of life, ensuring a Halloween readers will never forget. Whether they be maiden, mother, crone, or other; funny, fierce, light and airy, or dark and disturbing; witches are a vital part of some of the greatest stories we have, and new ones start here! Bringing together twenty-nine stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today, including three tales from a BIPOC-only open submission period,  The Book of Witches  features Linda Addison, C.L. Clark, P Djeli Clark, Indrapramit Das, Amal El Mohtar, Andrea Hairston, Millie Ho, Saad Hossain, Kathleen Jennings, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Cassandra Khaw, Fonda Lee, Darcie Little Badger, Ken Liu, Usman T. Malik, Maureen F. McHugh, Premee Mohamed, Garth Nix, Tobi Ogundiran, Tochi Onyebuchi, Miyuki Jane Pinckard, Kelly Robson, Angela Slatter, Andrea Stewart, Emily Teng, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tade Thompson, and E. Lily Yu—and contains illustrations from three-time Hugo award-nominated artist Alyssa Winans throughout. This extraordinary anthology vividly breathes life into one of the most captivating and feared magical sorceresses and will become a treasured keepsake for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales everywhere.

Short story collections can be hit or miss for me. The shorter ones don’t really give me enough time to get really invested in the characters, and it can be hard to include both a captivating plot and character development in such a short work. Meanwhile, the longer ones make me wish they were longer when they’re good. But since spooky season is just around the corner, I figured I’d get a jump start on reading for it with a book about witches.

One of the most intriguing parts of this anthology was the various takes on witches from around the world. In a lot of places, witches are associated with negative views, and the stories included reflect this—some of the stories are about witch-hunters and witches being forced to live on the outskirts of society. But a lot more are about witches being misunderstood, and what led them to be the way they are now. 

I’m very used to the European tropes about witches, which are unfortunately intertwined with antisemitic tropes. I was hoping that the “new and exciting twist” would mean that these antisemitic tropes would be eliminated, but they’re so deeply tied into the witch archetype that many people don’t even realize. Many characteristics associated with European witches, such as the pointy black hat, witches sabbath, heresy, Devil worship, desire to kill children, and consumption of blood, initially stem from how the church and Christian society thought of Jewish people. So seeing accusations of witches killing children and drinking blood was so disappointing in a volume like this. However, I really liked seeing how other cultures viewed witches. 

The stories were interesting and I liked seeing what was the same and different between cultures. Some of the stories resonated more with me than others, and I was especially surprised to discover some new to me authors who contributed stories that I really liked. Special shout out to E. Lily Yu (Witchfires), Amal El-Mohtar (John Hollowback and the Witch), P. Djeli Clark (What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devahrata), and Alaya Dawn Johnson (The Witch is Not the Monster) for some of my favorite stories. But some of the other stories were just meh, and I was surprised to see some poems included. Overall, this was worth it for the stories I enjoyed, but the less enjoyable stories kind of dragged it down.