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They Can't Burn Us All
  • Published: 13 September 2026
  • ISBN: 9781787637160
  • Imprint: Bantam
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 416
  • RRP: $50.00
Categories:

They Can't Burn Us All

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
24 Nov 2026
Hardback
13 Sept 2026
EBook
13 Aug 2026
Audiobook
13 Aug 2026
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A powerful, deeply moving and dark feminist retelling of the most famous witch trial in 17th-century Iceland, perfect for fans of The Witches of Vardo and The Mercies.

Westfjords, Iceland. 1655


Þuríður Jónsdóttir has grown up praying to the old gods and watching her father and brother practise rune magic.

But now, a witch-hunting craze is sweeping across the land of ice and fire, fuelled by the Protestant Reformation. Unlike elsewhere in Europe, those condemned as witches here are not women, but men of learning. And when Þuríður’s father and brother are accused of witchcraft and condemned to burn at the stake, she is helpless to save them.

As Lutheran Pastor Jón Magnússon's accusing gaze turns to Þuríður herself, the first woman to be called ‘witch’, he will find that she is no ordinary woman.

She is prepared to fight back. But at what cost?

And in an age of fear and persecution, whose side will the community take? Who will fight for justice?

Set against a backdrop of sweeping religious and social change, They Can’t Burn Us All is a feminist retelling of Iceland’s notorious Kirkjuból witch trials.
  • Published: 13 September 2026
  • ISBN: 9781787637160
  • Imprint: Bantam
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 416
  • RRP: $50.00
Categories:

About the author

Cathryn Kemp

Cathryn Kemp is a Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter and author, with a prolific career writing celebrity, inspirational, true crime, addiction and nostalgia titles. Her personal memoir Coming Clean won the Big Red Read Prize for Non-Fiction. A Poisoner’s Tale is her first foray into historical fiction. When not researching dark, dangerous and beguiling women from history, Cathryn can be found on the south coast with her son and her familiar, a ginger cat called Gingey.
portrait photo of Cathryn Kemp

Also by Cathryn Kemp

A Poisoner's Tale
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Praise for They Can't Burn Us All

They Can't Burn Us All is a thrilling, fiery fable, full of compassion, rage and magic. Kemp brings 17th century Iceland to vivid life; a place of deadly storms and even deadlier curses, of long-hidden secrets and lingering resentments. A timely and important reminder of the enduring power of women's voices

DANIELLE GILES, author of Mere

I utterly adored Cathryn Kemp’s debut, A Poisoner’s Tale, so I had high hopes for They Can’t Burn Us All, and I wasn’t disappointed! This is a haunting, mesmerising tale of C17th Icelandic witch trials, with descriptions so evocative you can feel the snow’s chill and hear the ravens’ cries and smell the fires burning. A dark, urgent tale of female agency and the power of both speaking out and refusing to speak

NAOMI KELSEY, author of The Burnings

I absolutely LOVED They Can't Burn Us All. Immersive and heartrending, They Can't Burn Us All is a powerful and compelling retelling of 17th century witch trials . . . With breathtaking descriptions and meticulous historical authenticity, I was completely captivated by this vital work of witch literature

ANYA BERGMAN, author of international bestseller, The Witches of Vardø

They Can’t Burn Us All is a stunning novel. An atmospheric and haunting tale of Iceland’s most famous witch trial, it shines light on an era when men were burned as witches, yet women still paid the price. The Icelandic landscape teems with life, brooding and magical, while Cathryn’s lyrical writing delivers an emotional gut-punch at every turn. A novel as gripping as it is relevant today, with an ending that will take your breath away

EMMA COWING, author of The Show Woman

Kemp has created a magnificent retelling of an infamous Icelandic witch trial, beautifully handled in a story that is by turns shocking, violent and deeply moving. The desperate isolation of 17th century Iceland is brought to vivid life with its strong women and their battle for survival amid the turbulence of small, superstitious societies and vendettas. Her main character may struggle to voice her own words, but she has a compelling narrative voice that will endure

KATE FOSTER, award-winning author of The Maiden

Kemp has created a magnificent retelling of an infamous Icelandic witch trial, beautifully handled in a story that is by turns shocking, violent and deeply moving. The desperate isolation of 17th century Iceland is brought to vivid life with its strong women and their battle for survival amid the turbulence of small, superstitious societies and vendettas. Her main character may struggle to voice her own words, but she has a compelling narrative voice that will endure.

KATE FOSTER, award-winning author of The Maiden, which was also longlisted for the Women's Prize

They Can’t Burn Us All is a stunning novel. An atmospheric and haunting tale of Iceland’s most famous witch trial, it shines light on an era when men were burned as witches, yet women still paid the price. The Icelandic landscape teems with life, brooding and magical, while Cathryn’s lyrical writing delivers an emotional gut-punch at every turn. A novel as gripping as it is relevant today, with an ending that will take your breath away.

EMMA COWING, author of The Show Woman