12/08/2025
The Years of the Wizard by is a highly atmospheric and readable exploration of the charismatic magicians of the Tudor and Renaissance courts and the wives and families who kept the whole magical show on the road.
A luminous deep dive into the the lives of men from Dee to Kepler to Bruno, who were also scientists, astrologers, mathematicians and alchemists.
The remarkable ideas of these magical men still permeate modern culture, from Philip Pullman to C S Lewis. But what do we know of the rest of their households – the lovers, wives, mothers and daughters?
In The Years of the Wizard Rachel Morris also vividly reimagines the less documented lives of the magicians' families and lovers whose stories have too often been overshadowed by those of the powerful men in their company.
Women supported the travelling households by packing up the libraries, feeding the assistants, entertaining the patrons and educating the children as well as archiving, documenting and collaborating on magical work. Without them, this astonishing era of discovery would have ground to an emphatic halt.
A sparkling mix of fact and fiction, coming 9 October 2025 and available to pre-order now: www.linktree.com/theyearsofthewizard
