Alix Harrow Announces Sophomore Novel: The Once And Future Witches

Alix Harrow made a name for herself with the publication of her debut novel The Ten Thousand Doors of January. That novel came out just last year. But Harrow is already set to release her next book The Once and Future Witches in October.

Alix E Harrow | Photo by Nick Stiner.

Witchcraft In The Suffragette Movement

Harrow’s sophomore novel appears to be historical fiction about women (and witches) during the suffragette movement. A brief synopsis from the publisher tells us a little bit about The Once and Future Witches.

There’s no such thing as witches…

There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box. But, in 1893, when the three Eastwood sisters—James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna—join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to purse the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into a witch’s movement…and set the world ablaze.

But there will be.

Book Riot revealed the cover this week as well, and it is as dripping with symbolism as the art for The Ten Thousand Doors of January. That book was one of my favorite novels of 2019, and it is exciting to see Harrow gaining acclaim for her feminist fantasies.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow will publish on October 13, 2020 from Hachette Books.

Image via Hachette Books

The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow Draws From American History

Harrow may be a newcomer to the genre, but she is already a Hugo award winner. She won last year for her short fiction story A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies. Her debut novel was released to wide acclaim, making many ‘best-of’ lists for 2019. Harrow’s lyrical writing often deals with the power of the written word, and contains stories within stories.

As an ex-historian, Harrow’s work is often set during unique time periods that inform the story being told. In an interview with Barnes & Noble, Harrow elaborated on the way history informs her work. “What I loved about studying history was never the granular details. I didn’t care when gas lamps were introduced or what kinds of buttons were popular in the 1880s or even who inherited the throne after whom. I cared about the deeper, harder-to-see stuff—the cultural narratives and changing ideologies, the invisible mythologies that underpinned everything. The stories we whispered to ourselves.”

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(Featured image via Hachette UK)

Alix Harrow Announces Sophomore Novel: The Once And Future Witches
Emily O'Donnell