In days past, accusations of being a witch – thrown at women for everything from being talented at working with herbs to being in the vicinity of a death – could result in banishment or even death.
These 12 audiobooks, perfect for the longer nights, colder weather and the Halloween season, tell the stories of women through history, from goddesses to regular women, through a mix of horror, fantasy and historical fiction.
Some, inspired by real life, expand on the stories of women who found themselves maligned for daring to seek their own path. All are captivating tales that give space to the tales of women throughout history.
One of the least-talked about Greek goddesses, Circe is best known for being the witch who turned Odysseus’ men into pigs when he stopped there on his journey home from the Trojan War.
But in Madeline Miller’s sumptuous novel Circe, the daughter of Helios is front and centre. Listen as Perdita Weeks brings alive Circe’s story, from her childhood being scorned for her looks and voice, to her discovery of her powers and her banishment following a dark spell gone wrong.
Circe, which was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, is not just the story of one of the most famous witches in history, but also a look at how men have long been afraid of powerful and independent women.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s first adult book, narrated by Jessie Buckley, takes a real-life witch trial as inspiration, and is set around the remote Norwegian island of Vardø in 1617.
When a vicious storm results in the death of the island’s men, who were out fishing, Vardø becomes a community of women.
Eighteen months after the storm, the sinister Absalom Cornet arrives with his wife Ursa to bring the women of the island to heel. Through the inhabitants of the island, and especially a woman called Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women.
As she finds happiness and love, Absalom sees only a place filled with evil that he has a duty to root out.1617. The sea around the remote Norwegian island of Vardø is thrown into a vicious storm. A young woman, Maren, watches as the men of the island, out fishing, perish in an instant.
Like Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s novel, Anya Bergman’s book takes its main setting as the island of Vardø, although it is set decades later.
Recently widowed, Zigri is sent to the fortress at Vardø after her affair with a local merchant is discovered. There, she awaits trial for witchcraft.
Also in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark's mistress, who has been sent in disgrace to the island of Vardø. There, she must decide what she is willing to do to return to her privileged life at court?
Meanwhile, Zigri’s daughter Ingeborg sets off to bring her mother home, accompanied by Maren, who is herself the daughter of a witch. Maren’s wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to risk all she has to save her family.
Sofia Engstrand narrates as the witches of Vardø come into their powers, and refuse to let others make them victims or criminals.
Kirsty Logan’s dark novel is the story of two women: Else and Lux. The latter, an expert in poisons who provides cures to locals in the village near where she lived before her house was burned down, has lost everything when Else finds her in the woods.
Else persuades Lux to help her seek revenge on the man who wronged her, and the pair pursue him north, both hiding every darker secrets.
Kirsty brings her distinct narrative style to life in this audiobook, conjuring a world of violence where two women will do everything they can – however disturbing – to achieve their goals.
In The Witch’s Tree, Elena Collins tells the tale of two women separated by 300 years, yet linked by the same house.
In the present day, artist Selena retreats to the picture-postcard Sloe Cottage in Somerset, hoping to heal her heart. But the cottage is keeping secrets, and Selena soon hears the past whispering to her.
Back in 1682, Grace Cotter is looking after her father and learning secrets of her grandmother Bett’s healing hands, all the while hoping for love. But dreaming is a dangerous business, and becoming the subject of rumours and gossip could be deadly for Grace.
Antonia Beamish narrates Selena and Grace’s stories, as Selena tries to find a way for Grace’s spirit to rest, and Sloe Cottage to let go of its magical and bloody past.
Inspired by the story of the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Britain, Philip Paris’ The Last Witch of Scotland sees Alia and her mother Janet moving to the remote parish of Loth after a fire kills Aila’s father. With Avila’s visible injuries from the fire, the pair find it difficult to blend in, and things take a turn for the worse when a temporary minister is appointed in the area and develops a strange curiosity for them.
A brief respite comes in the form of a group of travelling entertainers, led by the charismatic but mysterious Jack. But in their new community, the truth can be defeated by whispers and rumours.
Samara MacLaren and Steven Cree bring The Last Witch of Scotland to life.
Martha is a midwife and healer in 1645 East Anglia. She’s lived in Cleftwater for 40 years, but although everyone knows her, they’ve never heard her speak.
When Cleftwater is rocked by a sinister arrival, Martha becomes a silent witness to a witch-hunt, and is enlisted to search the bodies of the accused women. Hoping to help her friends, Martha is also hiding something that cost her own freedom.
Desperate, she revives a wax witching doll inherited from her mother, hoping it will bring protection. But the doll's true powers are unknowable…
The Witching Tide, narrated by Miranda Raison, is inspired by true events.
It’s 1893, and witches are a thing of the past; now witching is tidy charms and nursery rhymes, and power for women lies in the ballot box.
When the three Eastwood sisters join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Hunted by forces who don’t want witches to vote, the sisters must delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
A story of politics and witchcraft, and the power and influence women hold, The Once and Future Witches is narrated by Gabra Zackman.
Immanuelle is born on the fringes of Bethel, where the first Prophet pursued and killed four powerful witches, cleansing the land.
Like the other girls in her village, Immanuelle does her best to obey the Church and follow Holy Protocol. But after a chance encounter lures her into the Darkwood that surrounds Bethel and to the discovery of her dead mother’s diary, Immanuelle begins to understand why her mother once once consorted with witches.
Immanuelle soon realises the real threat to Bethel comes from its own darkness, and is determined to do all she can to save her community.
The Year of the Witching is narrated by Brianna Colette.
Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith is 384 years old, and has been recording her life in the Book of Shadows.
In the spring of 1628, she watched her mother be hanged for witchcraft and turns to the only man who can save her from the same fate: warlock Gideon Masters. He instructs her, awakening formidable powers and making her immortal. Centuries later, he continues to hunt her, demanding payment for saving her life.
In present-day England, Elizabeth has built a quiet life for herself, but her solitude ends when she begins teaching a teenage girl called Tegan the ways of the Hedge Witch. In the process, she awakens memories and demons long forgotten.
Marisa Calin narrates this part romance, part fantasy novel about an independent heroine determined to stay true to herself and protect the protégé in her care.
In Brittany in 1821, Grand-mere Ursule gives her life to save her family; the cost is that their magic seems to die with her. Despite this, the family fights to keep the old ways alive, practicing half-remembered spells and arcane rites in hopes of a revival.
When the youngest daughter comes of age, magic flows anew and the lineage looks set to continue. But the Second World War is looming, and magic is not just about individual survival, but could be the key to changing the course of history.
Louise Morgan’s novel, narrated by Polly Lee, traces five generations of fiercely powerful mothers and daughters.
Lucy Brownhill and Roy McMillan read Beth Underdown’s novel, which follows Alice Hopkins as she moves back to the Essex village of Manningtree in 1645, following her husband’s death in an accident.
Expecting to find safety there with her brother Matthew, she instead discovers that Matthew has changed, and the town is filled with whispers of witchcraft and a book in which her sibling is gathering women’s names.
Matthew’s obsession drives him to ever greater lengths, and soon Alice is at the very heart of his plan.
