A collection of essays analysing the figure of the witch in Western culture, from classics and fairy tales to camp horror flicks, art house films and political movements. Divided into sections, each highlighting a different aspect of witchy representation: witches as monsters, witches in covens, witches in fairy tales and so on.
I learnt a few really interesting facts from this book about various subjects, mostly movie-related. As my favourite genre is horror, and the witch is one of my best loved representations of femininity, it was nice to read about Glinda, Mater Suspiria, Jane Doe, Sabrina and other iconic witches.
Sadly, however, this book is not very detailed about witchy stuff per se, and goes off on a million tangents on subjects that are not related at all. For example, in the section of Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West, there is a large amount of page time given to the science of tornadoes, which have literally nothing to do directly with the two witches. The authors have the irritating habit of breaking off midway from an interesting, on-topic discussion to bring you unrelated facts just to fill the pages. It felt like they had a word limit to meet and accordingly wrote on every thing that even slightly related to the film or media in question. I wished for greater detail, especially in the chapter on The Conjuring, which is my favourite horror film of all time.
Was also a bit puzzled that so many iconic witches were mentioned but there wasn't even a passing comment on American Horror Story: Coven, which was a hallmark of modern witchy media and gave rise to SO many pop culture references. It was also set in New Orleans, which has a sumptuous history of magic and witchcraft, and that wasn't tackled in the book even a bit.

Something Wicked(ly delightful) this way comes!

Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl (of the Horror Rewind Podcast fame) continue their breezy, entertaining entries in the "Science Of" series with THE SCIENCE OF WITCHCRAFT, and in doing so provided this reader with a pleasant time exploring the cultural histories of witchcraft around the world.

Although perhaps more anthropological than outright scientific, Hafdahl and Florence nonetheless prove that they've spent their due share of research in exploring all the meanings of "witchcraft" as well as the cultural evolution of witches, from literature to visual media. One can't help but think of Mary Roach when reading this book, difference in topics aside, as the well-researched information is presented in such a steady conversational tone, and occasional authorial aside. Clearly evidence of the authors' podcasting background, I wasn't surprised to find myself feeling somewhat "along for the ride" with the two writers and their foray into the book's subject matter -- I left the book feeling thankful for their willingness to let me tag beside them.

In terms of "literary quality," there isn't much to be said for the writing style, although that was certainly not the intent of Hafdahl and Florence; I did not begin this book expecting poetically illuminating passages of text, nor did the authors attempt to do so. I believe this is overall to the book's benefit: the information, presented prosaically but authentically, let the voice of the authors come clearly through.

Kudos as well for the breadth of research -- I still, to this day, think back on the blood tree of Madagascar, which is a topic that I likely never would have come across were it not for this book. And yet it was precisely this willingness to explore beyond the typical, more euro-centric framework that gives this book greater heft beyond the casual tone.

I finished this book feeling as though a tightening or reshuffling of the topic flow may have benefitted this book; while the sections were individually perfectly serviceable, some passages might have better fit under other headings, or some sections might lead into others more fluidly. This is only an issue for those who read the book as one would a novel; taken piecemeal, the format is more than fine.

A definite purchase for library collections looking to expand upon a "Science Of" collection, and certainly a pocket pick for any witchcraft-related reader's advisory queries.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

I was looking forwards to reading this book, however I was unable to review the book because I was not able to read the book. Due to technical difficulties with NetGalley, I only found it now in a shelf I didn’t know existed. It is now too late to read the book.

I enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot of interesting facts about witches. I have not read any books by these writers before. They put a lot of hard work in to this book.

An enlightened book about Witchcraft and the historical significance of this craft. The reader is given information about the history of it and how it came into play throughout the world. How the craft’s influence came about through the median’s literature. Is book is great for anyone who is curious about this subject.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

While I loved the idea of this book and the way the author brought everything together, I found for me it was a little hard to follow along. The connections made to familiar stories were fascinating and I really enjoyed the attention to detail. I think that if this is something you really want to dive into, and you don't mind jumping around a bit, then this is the book for you.

The Science of Witchcraft: The Truth Behind Sabrina, Maleficent, Glinda, and More of Your Favorite Fictional Witches by Meg Hafdahl; Kelly Florence (authors of The Science of Women in Horror and co-hosts of the Horror Rewind podcast called “the best horror film podcast out there” by Film Daddy), is a guide to the history of witchcraft through the stories and characters we all know and love. Reveal the spellbinding science behind the legends and lore surrounding fiction’s most iconic witches, answering such questions as; what is the science behind divination and spellcraft? When did witchcraft begin to show up in literature and media? Has science made it possible to uncover the truth behind the powers of necromancy and employing familiars? How has witchcraft been thought of throughout the world? Through interviews, film and literary analysis, and bone-chilling discoveries, join Kelly and Meg as they learn about the complicated and rich science of witchcraft throughout the centuries and discover why now is the season of the witch!

The Science of Witchcraft is a bit of a scattered read, full of interesting information and thoughts about the witches found in media, and how some of the aspects of those witches and their activities could (or could not) happen via science. It felt like each segment was written for a podcast, which kind of makes sense, hoping for a conversational tone and jumping around a bit as different thoughts came to mind. That works well in a podcast format, since it sounds like a natural conversation, but it did not hold up quite as well in book format. I learned a few things, and found the text to be interesting, but I was often frustrated by the choppy flow and could not sit and read without breaks. This would be much better suited for readers that like to read a section or chapter a day, or perhaps in small bits as and audiobook rather than sitting to read cover to cover.

A celebration of witches - yes, please! 🔮

Okay, so, it's true.. this book is not really about the science of "witchcraft". Aside from some divination, hoodoo and burning sage.. there's nothing about magical powers, spells, potion making, flying broomsticks.. nothing.

And it's also true.. the authors do go on different tangents talking about nothing really relating to witches or the craft. (There was one instance with the mention of a study about older women dating younger men that had me quirking an eyebrow..)

These things are definitely disappointing, I totally agree.

And also, it has to be said.. there is a lot of talk about witches I've never heard of before.. but there is no mention whatsoever of the famous Halliwell sisters.. the CHARMED ONES are snubbed! Which I found shocking as the original Charmed is literally iconic.

And while we're at it.. no mention of the original Sabrina either.. but.. they do win back some points with the somewhat confusing choice of having a chapter dedicated to Buffy.. I love Buffy, and yes it has some witchcraft.. but I don't think many people view Buffy as a "witchcraft" show.. certainly not in comparison to Charmed and others.

However, the Buffy chapter seems completely wasted talking about impromptu singing, dance mania (yep, the episode where Buffy temporarily turns into a bad musical) and an entire interview about memory loss, which I skipped. And the Sabrina chapter is wasted spending the whole time interviewing someone about running a mortuary 🙄

Anywho.. in saying all of that.. I actually kinda really liked this book. I don't know what to say but, I had fun!.. so, take my 4 stars 🪄

Not sure what the intention was of this was, but it reminds me of my random ADHD tangents when I have to Google absurd things.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thanks NetGalley!
Unfortunately I wasn’t in a great mood when i pick this up so I wasn’t able to fly through it and it was little hard to get through. It was quite mediocre and complicated.
It was a interesting synopsis for those who practice witchcraft and i was really excited for it.
I will give it an another chance if i can later.
2.5/5

I'd say this book is a podcast style fun facts and trivia about different paranormal aspects of different media featuring something witchy (mostly movies and books). To be honest, that wasn't quite what I was expecting from this book based on the title and the description so I was kind of disappointed. Some of the facts were fairly interesting and I like that there were so many witchy movie and book recommendations, but otherwise the content and the style in which the book was written just didn't keep me interested enough to read the entirety of it.
Just be mindful of what it really is about (witchy movies scientific trivia) before purchasing it to avoid the disappointment later on.

I write about witches and also I'm very fond to read magic practice. I enjoy this book, it has many information, others have more illustrations but this one was spot on the magic practice and not only Wicca.

I recommend it for a non fiction reading and it help me to expand my knowledge about the craft. Love this kind of book

"Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl, authors of The Science of Women in Horror and co-hosts of the Horror Rewind podcast called “the best horror film podcast out there” by Film Daddy, present a guide to the history of witchcraft through the stories and characters we all know and love." - I went into this book thinking it would be filled with fun facts and little known trivia to learn about the fictional witches and magic we all grew up watching and enjoying. Maybe for some the structure of this book would work but for me it felt choppy and I lost interest quickly especially with things I was unfamiliar with. Each chapter is broken up into a different character/subject but within it's interrupted with some science facts that at times felt irrelevant to the topic being discussed. I don't know if I just wasn't in the right mindset to take this on but sadly this was a miss for me.

Overall, an interesting read. I learned a lot about a variety of topics but found my attention ebbing and flowing. Also, not a book you can binge read.

I liked the fact that it was well researched and that experts were interviewed on the topics being covered.

I think this book would be a great read for people who love trivia or those who watch a large variety of witch movies.

I would like to thank the authors, the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Watered-down Witchcraft.

A quaint book featuring several prominent witches (and archetypes) you've likely heard of in pop culture, and a smattering of others you may not. Each chapter highlights the details surrounding the prevalence of each with 'facts' that may or may not resonate with the reader.

This novel promised to meet the intersection of two of my favorite things: witchcraft and quirky 'dinner party' facts. However, it feels like this read is trying to tackle more than it can accomplish in these short pages. As a result, the chapters feel extremely tangential and largely irrelevant. Padded.

In example, when relaying the story of the quintessential Witch of the West, there was a brief mention of nutrient deficiencies that may result in a person having green skin. However, this tidbit felt random at best. There was nothing further to suggest that L. Frank Baum found inspiration in any of these conditions or intended for the Wicked witch to be portrayed as such. And the fact sat loosely on the page, doing nothing to tie back to the Wizard of Oz.

The subsequent chapters fell equally short.
There may be a readership for this book out there, but unfortunately it fell disappointingly flat for me.

[Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

This book was fun and light-hearted. I appreciated that the authors conducted interviews with some interesting and relevant folks who are either practicing witches or are well-versed in skills that may've been labeled "witchy" in the past.

However, this is not quite the book I was expecting. A lot of the more science-based discussions were centered around things that didn't quite fit the description of the book. I had assumed this book would look at some of the magical powers exhibited by witches in media, contrast them with real life examples of those claiming to share similar powers, and then examine the science to support or denounce those IRL claims. This is definitely not what this book is about. But I don't blame the book for that. You know what they say about assuming...

My expectations aside, I do think this could have used another round or two of editing. The random scientific facts felt...random. Sometimes it felt like the authors were stretching to bridge gaps between subjects or to think of easy topics to tack on. It would have been more enjoyable to read about fewer facts, but get a deeper understanding. Or, maybe even pull in those interview subjects for their opinions on the science behind some of the relevant facts!

Filled with alot of information. Was a good book to read but wasnt what I was looking for. Reason I got this book was for writing because I been hitting a break wall with writing a witch I thought this book would help me but sadly it didn't. But it was still good book read was extremely instering to learn more about witchcraft. Unsure who to reccomed this to or who I'd think would read it. Not sure if ill reread this book.

This book is incredibly mistitled and desperately needs an editor. It has nothing to do with the science of witchcraft, which might explore the topic of botany, mineral formation, altered states of consciousness, or a number of themes in most neo-Pagan practices. Instead, it's a tangential collection of science-based sound bytes loosely categorized around popular media with a witchcraft theme. For example, it starts with the Wizard of Oz and gives a very brief background on the role of the Wicked Witch of the West within the movie, and how Margaret Hamilton's portrayal shaped our modern perception of 'the evil witch'. But then it non-sequitors into whether a tornado can move a house and whether smelling poppy flowers can make you sleep, while neglecting to get into the actual science behind the phenomena. Lather, rinse, repeat in every single chapter, each one based around a different popular media witch story.

These science factoids aren't held together by a common thread, often are general overview statements with no backing data, and each one is preceded with a banal question. For example: "Why do some people have a fear of getting older? A study found people view aging negatively and equate it with a decline in life. The study provided ways to address societal ageism. When the worry about getting older starts to affect your well-being, it becomes a diagnosable condition called gerascophobia. This can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy."

Both the repeated question phrasing and the very surface-level answers make this a book intended for audiences that are too young to grasp complex topics. Which is a shame, because the concept of exploring the science behind elements of witchcraft portrayed in popular media would be a fun one to read (and write, frankly), but the authors have instead presented a ramble. Every now and then, they throw in multi-page interviews with various people who might touch tangentially on the something related to the topic at hand, including the authors' own responses of "Wow! I didn't know that! That's very interesting."

Overall, a pretty awful stab at pop science. I'm gonna have to go read some Mary Roach to get the taste out of my brain.

This book wasn't what I was expecting but I definitely enjoyed reading about all the witches from books and movies.