Sycorax

Author Nydia Hetherington
Narrator Nydia Hetherington
Publisher Quercus
Run Time 12 hours
Format Audio
Genre Fairy and Folk tales, Historical fiction, Myths and Legends.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Born of the sun and moon, shaped by fire and malady, comes a young woman whose story has never been told . . .

They call her Sycorax. Seer. Sage. Sorceress.

Outcast by society and all alone in the world, Sycorax must find a way to understand her true nature. But as her powers begin to grow, so too do the suspicions of the local townspeople. For knowledge can be dangerous, and a woman's knowledge is the most dangerous of all . . .

With a great storm brewing on the horizon, Sycorax finds herself in increasing peril - but will her powers save her, or will they spell the end for them all?

A beautifully written and deeply moving imagining of what came before Shakespeare's The Tempest from the author of A Girl Made of Air.

Readers are LOVING Sycorax

'Spellbinding and empowering'

'A truly beautiful and heart-breaking story'

'I couldn't put it down!'

'Compelling and emotional'

Critics Review

A beautiful written exploration of one of literature’s most famous and misunderstood women. This is a clever and immersive tale, brilliant in its exploration of how societies, old and new, have turned on those who don’t fit in. Fabulous

Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

A vividly drawn imagining [of] Sycorax, mother of Caliban in The Tempest. Heartbreakingly poignant, it’s the tale of a young woman living with physical pain, social isolation and terrible loneliness but who never gives up trying to find a life where she can be useful. So imaginative and original, and beautifully written

Frances Quinn, author of The Lost Passenger

With Sycorax living constantly in pain, trying to help people but always feared and shunned, the reader rages and hopes for her while always knowing where this story is going to end. It’s a fascinating exploration of an obscure character

SFX

A beautifully written tale of otherness and becoming, which charms and beguiles in equal measure

Nikki Marmery, author of Lilith

What a wonderful, witchy delight it was. So evocative and raw. Full of darkness and magic and wonder. Truly extraordinary

Louise Beech, author of This is How We Are Human

A beautifully tragic story told with heartbreaking poignancy. The tale of Sycorax lingers long after the last page. Magnificent!

Victoria Dowd, author of Murder Most Cold

Sycorax is a poignant portrayal of a woman struggling to find her place in the face of physical challenges and social otherness. This is a book that resonates with current issues and will keep the reader gripped throughout

Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women

With all the reverberations and resonances of ancient tales, Sycorax is a vivid and stirring re-imagining of Shakespeare’s final witch. Hetherington’s prose will cast a spell on you. This book is perfect for lovers of Circe

Molly Aitken, author of Bright I Burn

Magnificent – a beautifully-written, poignant tour de force blending myth, realism, magic, loneliness and the reality of living with chronic pain

Penny Batchelor, author of The Reunion Party

‘P.S. is beyond excited about this wonderful new take on Sycorax, the unseen, much maligned and misunderstood, yet important “blue-eyed hag” in Shakespeare’s The Tempest

The Sunday Post

An immensely assured first novel

The Guardian on A Girl Made of Air

Fantasy, folklore and funambulism tread an impressive line in this richly imagined debut. Hetherington spins a kaleidoscopic patchwork of memory and magic, secrets and lies, ideal for fans of The Night Circus

Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters, on A Girl Made of Air

A captivating tale of love and loss and finding connection in the most unexpected places

Nikki Marmery, author of Lilith, on A Girl Made of Air

Hetherington tells her captivating tale from deep within the sequinned heart of the circus, with characters as darkly flawed as they are brilliantly talented. A Girl Made of Air is a poignant story of regret and redemption, brilliantly interlaced with magic and folklore

Sonia Velton, author of The Nightingale's Castle, on A Girl Made of Air

This novel had me under its spell from start to finish, each page conjuring up such vivid imagery that I was uttterly captivated. Breathtaking

Emma Cooper, author of It Was Always You, on A Girl Made of Air

There are sequins and suspicion in this captivating circus novel . . . a richly imagined debut

Sunday Express S magazine on A Girl Made of Air

P.S. is beyond excited about this wonderful new take on Sycorax, the unseen, much maligned and misunderstood, yet important “blue-eyed hag” in Shakespeare’s The Tempest

P.S. Magazine

A beautiful written exploration of one of literature’s most famous and misunderstood women . . . clever and immersive

Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

Heartbreakingly poignant . . . imaginative and original, and beautifully written

Frances Quinn, author of The Lost Passenger

Vivid and stirring . . . Hetherington’s prose will cast a spell on you. This book is perfect for lovers of Circe

Molly Aitken, author of Bright I Burn

Richly imagined . . . a kaleidoscopic patchwork of memory and magic, secrets and lies, ideal for fans of The Night Circus

Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters, on A Girl Made of Air

Captivating . . . with characters as darkly flawed as they are brilliantly talented. A Girl Made of Air is a poignant story of regret and redemption, brilliantly interlaced with magic and folklore

Sonia Velton, author of The Nightingale's Castle, on A Girl Made of Air

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