Although not typical of the fare we cover on the Sci Fi Fidelity podcast, A Discovery of Witches proved itself to be quite a compelling supernatural series when it came to the U.S. audience via Sundance Now and Shudder on January 17, 2019. An adaptation of the first novel in Deborah Harkness’ All Souls trilogy, the show takes a world in which vampires, witches, and demons hide in plain sight among humans with concerns and politics all their own.

Further Reading: A Discovery of Witches Episode 1 Review

The podcast concedes that the “sexy vampire” trope is out of fashion, but A Discovery of Witches brings in the element of forbidden love between species and adds to the mix the mystery of hidden power within its protagonist, Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer). The story centers around the witch who does not pratice magic or seek the company of her own kind or other creatures and who nonetheless who discovers a long lost volume of alchemy called Ashmole 782 in her studies at Oxford’s Bodleian Library.

The story then centers around what the book means to the various species, some of whom have sought Ashmole 782 for centuries (including the vampire main character, Matthew Clairmont, played by Downton Abbey‘s Matthew Goode). Tied in with the mystery of the book is the hidden power within Diana that reveals itself as she fights off those who would see her interrogated and examined, including her fellow witches.