Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron

What makes a witch? Despite the title, the stories in this collection suggest that you might need more than just a pointy hat, a broomstick, or a wart the end of your nose. Instead we have a whole host of different sorts of witch: a wily teenager who swaps bodies with a curious and badly-behaved cat; an unquiet ancestor rising from the grave to protect her family’s honour; a band of rock star witches and their familiars battling evil on stage; a famous writer entering into a dangerous bargain with a Snow Maiden (and outwitting her); or a young Wiccan who is surprised to find out what magic really is. The joy of this book is that each of the stories in it adds something new to our idea of what a witch might be.

This is a varied, imaginative, and well-crafted collection which features the work of a number of established writers such as Neil Gaiman and Holly Black, and will appeal to all readers, not only those who already have a taste for the fantastic.