A concise, informative, well researched and interesting book that made me learn something new.
It was a fascinating read as it goes back in time and made us learn how we came to tell some stories or some myths came into being.
Even if it's a concise read there're plenty of information.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

*Copy provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

A non-fiction book about the historical origins of witches, wizards and fairies. Well, it had everything to be amazing but, sadly, it was not. I believe that for lovers of the topics provided, it gave nothing new to reflect upon and provided mostly known and tiresome information. However, for those that are just starting on the path of historical fantastical knowledge it might be a good start. Sadly, I wanted more.

This book tells the fascinating story of the origin of our ideas about wizards, witches and fairies. It combines folklore and scientific findings to give us an image of the origins of wizards, fairies etc., as clear as possible.
It was an interesting read and it is well written and well researched.

I didn't realize that I needed such a reading! The book speaks in a scientific, anthropological way about childhood stories, giving them meaning and reflection that many may not realize. Of course, a major theme for wizards and their image, but there is much more. I recommend.

This book dissects the anthropological origins of magical beings, with a particular focus on wizards. The wizard’s female counterpart, witches, get a bit more attention in the second half of the book, whilst fairies are the main focus of chapter ten. It discusses the earliest origins of the myths and how they have been warped by oral tradition, changing times, and fanciful literary and artistic renderings. It explores the possible truths behind the magic, linking various pieces of (often quite morbid) evidence together into a bigger picture.

The concept of this book intrigued me immediately and I was not disappointed by chapter one which explored the idea of a universal magical realm being re-used subconsciously by fantasy creators. This was made even more enticing when Webb linked the setting of this realm with Bronze Age Europe. I now want to re-read every fantast book I have ever read to see if I can find these common threads for myself.

The Bronze Age interpretation was referred to many times throughout this book, but it was not the farthest point in history which Webb dared to analyse. His theory stretches right back to one of the earliest races of human, the Yamnaya. Whilst I found his detailed descriptions of the Yamnaya fascinating, a lot of it was not directly relevant to the magical focus which had drawn me to read this book in the first place. Likewise the final chapter, which discusses pagan holidays, did seem rather surplus to requirement however interesting the ideas presented were.

As well as the Yamnaya, multiple other characters recur throughout the book; most notably Odin, Santa (who have more in common than you might realise), and devil figures such as Krampus, Cernunnos and the Lord of Animals. This repetition did make the text seem a bit drawn out at times, although I cannot fault the shock factor of some of these initial comparisons.

Another shock factor which added a certain level of grotesque realism to the argument was the frequent use of bog bodies, and their very violent methods of murder, as supporting evidence. Some of the more modern examples also include a few morbidly specific details which were recorded at the time.

Overall this book presented a well-rounded argument for the ancient origins of wizards and how they evolved over time and how their motifs are so clear in our culture’s collective memory today. At times it was a bit repetitive and it occasionally took a slight detour in its focus, but these small flaws should not put you off from reading this book if you have a genuine interest in the subject matter.

I was super excited to be granted this wish. Unfortunately, I was expecting something different from this book. I couldn't finish it, I gave up around 75% in. There was some very interesting information in the book. However, I found the writing very repetitive and at times I got too bored to continue with it.

Thank you so much for granting me this wish!

"The Origins of Wizards, Witches and Fairies" is a fascinating and entertaining romp through the world's folklore, myths, and legends. From Boudicca to Cinderella, from Julius Caesar to King Arthur, these well-known and loved stories are explained and examined.

You will recognize stories from your childhood, now seen through adult eyes. This book is extremely well-researched and presented in an easy-to-follow layout. The author draws interesting parallels between ancient mythology and our current fascination with all things magical. I especially liked the chapter on cauldrons and wands.

I found enjoyment in reading a chapter or two at a time -- that gave me time to ruminate on what I had just learned. This book would be a wonderful reference and foundation for all spinners of yarns. I highly recommend this book for any adult with an interest in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales.

This was super interesting. I would like to thank Pen & Sword for providing me with an advance readers copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program. Anyone looking for a comprehensive telling of wizards, witches, and fairies in how they came about in their true form, how portrayal in pop culture compared the the past has evolved, as well as how perception and characterization has changed over time. Would be a good resource book for anyone needing reference and for anyone interested in such topics.

<b>The Story</b>
I enjoyed the commentary on preservation of oral history, context, meaning, application, conduct, as well as proposed theories about such beings and how they were portrayed in literature and pop culture today.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more related to how such characters are portrayed and used in other media, such as the fairies in The Legend of Zelda and other video games, but that’s just personal preference for my curiosity when it specifically comes to fairies.

Etymology was interesting and the book went into detail of the symbolism in their clothing, decor, flutes, and horns. There were some aspects that were incredibly informational where it was less persuasive and what was more persuasive had less information, which was pleasant to read through without being dry, but also in some ways I think that came down to overall tone and maybe more an objective of the book than oversight.

<b>The Writing</b>
It’s a very approachable book.

I received an ARC so I won’t comment on the organization as I think it was still being refined and I deeply appreciated the topics it touched upon no matter the order.

A lot of time research shows in the depth of date and reference accuracy, originating concept, and overall depiction. Some presuppositions that make you feel like you’re on the bandwagon, other times there were questions particularly related to Christianity, that I think were answered with certain historical figures and references rather than overall concept or message. As a result, at times there was lot of opinion, commentary, personal tone that I found to be interesting but came with more questions than answers, particularly how Christianity is mostly the sole contrast to the examples that were given. One to argue with rather than from point of discovery and possible relationship. Mentioned religious appropriation of other cultures but I would wonder if overall it proposes the question of asking if law and formalities preceded nature and behavior, or the other way around? Of which speculation that no one could ever confer as a hijacking of Christianity, not as a title of religion, but overall relationship.

<b>Illustrations</b>
These were super beautiful and interesting.

<a href="https://ericarobbin.com">Blog post</a>

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is an incredible reference perfect for anyone interested in magic.

Sorry, but I've been unable to get going with this book. It seems to rely on illustrations, as it refers to them in the text, but there are no illustrations. Also, the layout is a bit mixed up with page headers appearing in the middle of the text and sentences left hanging but picked up again following a big gap.

I won't give a low-star review to a book I haven't finished, and I won't be sharing this 'review' publicly.

I was so thrilled to be granted this wish that I do not now how to explain what happened.

I will just state that this book was no made for me. I don't know why I expected something different.

Thank you so much for granting the wish.

This was a super interesting read! I went into it thinking it would be a tale of magic, but it provides a very grounded, well-researched historical perspective on how common archetypes of wizards, witches and fairies came to be, and how it has permeated into our common cultural consciousness from 4000-5000 years ago to today. It illuminates how ubiquitous all these archetypes are in our daily lives, yet we never stop to wonder at its origins - well, this book delves into it. I loved how it incorporated many recent pop culture references as well, such that a reader will be able to relate what is said to something they are familiar with. At the same time, it espouses enough history in an accessible way that a reader unfamiliar with history (like myself) is able to understand. And a little bonus that made my Linguistics student heart pitter-patter with excitement: There's some discussion on linguistics!

I came away really feeling like I truly learnt something, and it really enriches my understanding of wizards, witches and fairies. While the conjectures postulated in this book are more grounded in reality, debunking much of the mysticism surrounding wizards, witches and fairies, it doesn't necessarily take away from the mysticism; instead, I felt like I got a deeper appreciation for how these myths and folklore came to be, and the power of human imagination and the oral tradition, to have endured for so long and morphed into what it is today. Truly fascinating!

I also really appreciated the inclusion of pictures/illustrations, although in the e-ARC I received, the pictures were all included at the end of the book, so it did make it kind of hard to see what the author was referring to during the book, since I would have had to scroll all the way down to do so and then scroll all the way back up, so I only saw the illustrations once I finished the book.

I was really excited to get a chance to read this book as I am very keen on anything supernatural and their origins.
But as I read I found the conversation to be circular and didn't quite explain the origins.

There were multiple references to popular depictions of wizards, witches, and fairies. I am assuming that it done to make the content more relatable. However, it didn't quite do it for me.

It did read like a reference book which perhaps is the goal, but it didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen and Sword History for giving me the opportunity to read this.

#TheOriginsofWizardsWitchesandFairies #NetGalley.

"The Origins of Wizards, Witches and Fairies" is chock full of ideas that have you rolling your eyes at yourself, because they seem so obvious once they've been pointed out to you! This is a very, very interesting read that's written well and has clearly been researched thoroughly. I enjoyed it a lot, but now I feel like I have to reread a lot of fairy tales to see what else I missed!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I unfortunately didn’t finish this book as it was quite dense, however that’s not to say I did not enjoy the parts I did read.

I loved learning about the parts about Arthurian legends and wishing wells and the book had some really interesting information about the history of magic and folklore and how so many things we do today are steeped with so much history.

However, the book does jump back and forth constantly and doesn’t flow as well as I would have liked. I loved the information I was getting but not so much how I was receiving it. I personally found I needed a bit more structure and quiet often things were repeated and could have been made shorter. I found it hard to pick back again.

Thank you to the publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The origins of wizards, witches and fairies piqued my interest as soon as I saw it. I love everything fantasy and love history regarding Witches etc.
I found this to be a fascinating and intriguing read, parts I hadn't given much thought to before.
I felt that this book was well written and well researched. It's definitely for those that enjoy the fantasy world and want the extra history information..

This book, sadly, didn’t grab me or hold my attention as much as I had hoped. At times it read a bit textbook-like, and though I felt it was well-researched, the topic of wizards seemed to dominate the book more than the fairytales, witches or fairies. Luckily it was a fairly quick read, and I definitely learned quite a bit.

It was so fascinating to read some of the origins of very famous stories having their roots some 11,000 years ago. I never would have thought this. Or that of the sound of music dating back to the bronze age. Not only was the book informative it was told in a way that was interesting, if you find yourself a curious person. This book dares to answer all the questions you never had but want answered once you start thinking about the subject matter. It's also a bit philosophical too which works nicely with fairy tales. I jyst wish I could have seen the illustrations.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

The stories behind the stories. The origins of witches, wizards and fairies looks into the beginnings of myth, magic and stories.

I'm quite torn between knowing and wanting to know more theories behind the stories and not wanting to because I don't want to ruin the magic of the tales I was brought up on.

Very informative book but hard to get through.

While there are some interesting stories/ideas explored, I didn't feel the author tied his initial thesis to any of it. Also? I didn't actually count, but I'm pretty sure Lord of the Rings was mentioned, without exaggerating, over 50 times.