The Incandescent Audiobook By Emily Tesh cover art

The Incandescent

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The Incandescent

By: Emily Tesh
Narrated by: Zara Ramm
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“Zara Ramm's narration is like watching a film, conjuring images of demons and humans alike. It's funny, it's dark, and it's some of Ramm's best work.” — AudioFile (Earphones Award Winner)

"Narrator [Zara] Ramm's sensible yet snarky performance immediately gives listeners a sense of Walden's personality — competent, knowledgeable, and professional, but never dull" — Library Journal (Starred Review)

Naomi Novik's Scholomance series meets Plain Bad Heroines in this sapphic dark academia fantasy by instant national and international bestselling author Emily Tesh, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.

"Look at you, eating magic like you're one of us."

Doctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood School and one of the most powerful magicians in England. Her days consist of meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented, chaotic sixth formers, more meetings, and securing the school's boundaries from demonic incursions.

Walden is good at her job—no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It’s her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. And it’s possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from—is herself.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

 Best of 2025 Contemporary Editors Select Epic Fantasy Literature & Fiction Paranormal & Urban Science Fiction & Fantasy Magic Users

Editorial Review

Magical schools: What about the teachers?
We at Audible already love Emily Tesh for her jaw-dropping sci-fi about a space cult, Some Desperate Glory. Now, I’m beyond excited that Tesh is exploring one of my favorite realms of fiction: magical schools. It’s from the perspective of the educator this time, and she’s really funny, practical, and kind of a badass. In this world, demonic summoning is an important skill for every magician to learn, and Director Walden is one of the best. The only problem is, one of the biggest demons there is has come to torment her teenage students, who are very reckless, as most teenagers are. What ensues is Tesh’s razor-sharp observations about systems and the human condition, coupled with complex, reality-based characters. Narrator Zara Ramm invokes the presence of Director Walden’s many sides, and it’s a real treat of a listen. The Incandescent is not to be missed for any and all fantasy fans.—Melissa B., Audible Editor

Unique Adventure • Interesting Concept • Bisexual Protagonist • Compelling Characters • Magical Boarding School

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I really liked the idea, but the last two or three hours were very slow and droned on and on, waiting to get to the point I’d figured out much earlier on.

Great idea, drones a bit

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Loved this take on a classic style of story! Fascinating inner life to the main character. Funny and charming but also surprising.

Magic school but from the teachers

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I should clarify: I mean that this is just a "good" story by the standard of the authors previous works. This still ranks among my favorites when it comes to storytelling. It's just hard to surpass #1 (which is also by this author)

A more condensed story than their other works, it still tells an enthralling story with deeply human characters in a story that is smaller in scale, but just as compelling as their other works.

I eagerly await the next title from Emily Tesh. Her LGBTQIA+ writing has portrayed our experience with an accuracy and sharpness that no other writer has yet hit in my experience.

She just does not miss. Keep the humanity alive, Ms. Tesh!

great narration and good story

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This book won’t be for everyone. I can actually see a lot of people hating it. The pacing can be glacial in places and the protagonist could be deeply unlikable, depending on your tolerance for certain things, but if those aren’t things that put you off, and if you might enjoy seeing a magical boarding school tale from the perspective of a teacher, while keeping a lot of the themes of such tales, this will be a real treat.

My favorite book of the year

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I enjoyed the world the author created and, as a teacher, I also enjoyed the main character. The narrator sometimes doesn't do as good as job as I would have liked differentiating character's voice, and I really did not care for the ending of the story. It felt like we just skipped over the most interesting moments in a way that I found unsatisfying.

Fun Story and Interesting Concept

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just really really excellent. Zara Ramm never disappoints and the overall story was very good. As someone who loves HP growing up and is edging towards middle age millennialism, this was a very satisfying listen.

excellent

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It's a beautiful, exciting, well-written book. But especially if you teach teenagers, this book will speak your soul. Tesh put into words in ways I could never have done what it means to love, and teach, and guide teenagers. I loved every single minute of this beautiful book.

If you are a teacher, read this now

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I'll start by saying that I really enjoyed this book! In fact it broke me out of a pretty severe reading slump this year and I just happened to pick it up on Audible. I'd read Tesh before, and my only discernible craving was that I wanted it to be sapphic.

What I found in The Incandescent is a unique and timely adventure with a late 30s bisexual protagonist, who is basically the devastatingly attractive demon expert at a magical boarding school! and on top of that her accent is deliciously British. Suffice it to say the MC is one of my favorite things about this book. Granted I think a fair counterpoint is that most of the side characters including both of the love interests are a little underdeveloped imo, particularly Laura. While she does have great chemistry with our MC and I do enjoy their banter otherwise she falls a little flat. I just want to know her better really! I have no doubt that this is partly due to the fact that she is absent for a large chunk of the book.

I really enjoyed the brisk informative world building paired with Walden's constant good humored wit. and while all the teacher stuff (of which there is plenty) is certain to turn some people off, I really enjoyed it. Maybe one of my favorite things about the book & the character.

If I have a complaint (and I definitely do) it's not really with the story or the author itself. I'm actually quite smitten with what Tesh has made here. but rather my gripe is with the marketing of this book. Very clearly labeled a "sapphic dark academia". I will concede that the MC is a bisexual woman who expresses attraction towards both men and women over the course of the novel. And she does in fact work in an old magic school. Those just aren't the words I would use to describe the way those pieces fit into the story. The typical dark academia vibes that people are looking for are not present here. The main character's identity as a teacher is a very strong part of the story but it doesn't make it dark academia, Neither do the demons. It's also worth noting that while our bi protagonist does have a female love interest, she also spends most of the novel sleeping with an annoying man. (Less of a spoiler and more of a warning). No problem with the character being bisexual, I actually like that, but with her male LI taking up a lot of space it's hard to approve of the sapphic label being slapped on the front.

Beyond that all I can say is this was the sort of fun story I wanted to keep coming back to. I couldn't wait for my next opportunity to get back to Dr Walden's world. I would have loved the chance to get to know all the other characters better, specifically Laura. But there's much to build from here. It doesn't seem to be Tesh's way, but I wonder if this could be expanded into some sort of episodic urban fantasy series. I long for a 14 book long series about sapphic magicians, please, Tesh, if you're reading this keep going, I'd love to read it.

Really Enjoyed this one!!

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This book reminds me strongly and favorably of The Long Way to a Small Angry Plant by Becky Chambers, in that it is a story that could really take place in any time or setting. It is the characters that dominate the plot. That is not to say that the world building is lacking. It feels like a fully lived in world, and it is rare to have such an academic focus on a magic system considering they are so often set in schools.

I am continually blown away by Emily Tesh's understanding of character. I look forward to meeting whoever she introduces to me next.

A Deeply Personal Story

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….19% demons, 1% love. It is an unusual story but the teachers reflections are too long and get boring, although I understand their role in the plot. FYI I’m a teacher myself and still….

80% is about being a teacher…

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