"It is wonderful to come across a book that breathes such fresh life and energy into a well-worked subject, covering a huge range of time and space with a unified, passionate and convincing message. Any expert is going to learn something new from it, any newcomer to be enthralled and motivated." --Ronald Hutton, author of The Witch "These stories of witchcraft, true and vividly told, demonstrate the potent reality of belief in evil and how in any era or place fear can be weaponised and marginal people, mostly women, labelled as wicked and dangerous. Together they comprise not just a history of witchcraft but a cautionary tale of the uncomfortably human habits of paranoia and persecution." --Malcom Gaskill, author of The Ruin of All Witches "Thought-provoking and timely. Searing" --Jessie Childs, The Times "Inventive and compelling. A work of restitution and historical reparation, an attempt to give voice to those who have been silenced over the centuries" --Times Literary Supplement "From demonology to royal ascensions, Gibson demonstrates how identity politics, power plays and cultural differences all crashed together to allow these historic injustices to occur. A well-rounded insight into some of the strangest and cruellest moments in history.

" --Buzz Magazine "Thirteen witch trials are brought vividly to life in Gibson's wide-ranging book" --Daily Mail "A thought-provoking, sweeping work of social history." --Kirkus.