"Magic, to commandeer the layman's term, has existed alongside time since its inception." Welcome to the enigmatic world of the Acheron Order, a secret society of witches that pulls all the strings in We Who Have No Gods, the compelling debut dark academia fantasy by Liza Anderson. Her magic system is engaging and well-structured, with hierarchies set up around Born witches, the non-magical, and Made witches--individuals who possess certain abilities and potential for witchcraft.

The protagonist, Victoria "Vic" Wood, is a fearless, intelligent, albeit non-magic, human who finds herself surrounded by hidden truths, magic, and sinister secret societies. Since their mother's mysterious death eight years ago, Vic has been charged with the care and safety of her younger brother, Henry. Meredith Wood was a witch who died in service of the Acheron Order, a sect tasked with maintaining the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Henry, who inherited her powers, finds himself the target of the Order as a new recruit and the two siblings have been evading them ever since.

By the time Vic turned 25, she'd spent almost a decade "learning to fight anything that came her way," spending significant amounts of time at the gym, the dojo, and even the gun range. Vic and Henry are so skilled at eluding detection--moving from city to city--that it's an unexpected jolt when they are one day visited by the disquieting Nathaniel, who insists that Henry, "a witch of his mother's line," must go to Avalon Castle, in upstate New York, to be trained in the ancient arts.

Nathaniel eventually persuades them by warning of the dire consequences of untrained witches: potential uncontrollable chaos. Despite assurances that Henry will be safe, Vic believes that she has no choice but to accompany him to the castle--a place steeped in secrets and history that feels as if it has a mind of its own. It's a giant, imposing structure of rich, gray stone that "could have housed an entire university, a whole town." On first seeing it, Vic immediately "thought of cathedrals, of candlelight and horror stories."

The pair are greeted at the castle by the inscrutable Max Shepherd, one of the elders of the Order, who controversially believes that magic can be taught. He convinces Vic that, although she possesses no magical powers, the best way to protect Henry is to start attending classes herself. Vic joins the new recruits and starts learning about the tense rivalry between the two main societies in this world: the Acheron Order and the Brotherhood of Mann, a faction that doesn't care about keeping witches a secret from the rest of the world and uses dark magic freely.

We Who Have No Gods examines the idea of limits--between worlds, between people, and those that are self-imposed. Since her mother's death, Vic had been "suspended in time... by the secrets that swirled in Meredith's wake." However, as she progresses in her training, Vic also starts to piece together her mother's mysterious last days, risking the revelation of secrets that she may not be prepared for.

Her time at the castle is one of discovery--of this new, often dangerous world; her increasing sense of autonomy and power; and her complicated feelings about the infuriatingly intoxicating Chief Sentinel, Alexandros Galanis, or Xan. Although the two stubbornly challenge each other often, their smoldering encounters and growing attraction has Vic wanting to be the "kind of woman who could see her desires through without fear wrapping around her ankles."

Anderson is adept at writing nuanced characters, and Vic's interactions with a fellow recruit, Sarah, showcase the strong bonds of female friendship. Theirs is a relationship that feels like a safe, healing space for a young woman who has spent the last few years looking over her shoulder. However, safety, like many other things, is just an illusion for the residents of Avalon Castle. There is always the reminder that darkness lurks close behind. The hauntingly cold halls of the castle feel to Vic as if it's "a great stone dragon" ready to eat her. Adding to this menace is the presence of actual monsters, the Orcans. These "beasts from the Other World" ravenously prowl the land searching for meat and pain. Hunting Orcans, and ensuring that they never overtake the human world, is one of the important missions of the Acheron Order.

Through strong and relatable characters and a fascinating academic structure, Anderson has created a thrillingly propulsive story that questions power dynamics and explores duty to family, self, and society. Anderson's writing is spirited and evocative, creating a world that is layered, nuanced, and full of wonder. Thrilling battles, sinister intrigues, and a captivating romance--all come together to create the rich world of We Who Have No Gods. --Grace Rajendran

Liza Anderson

Liza Anderson is a graduate of Yale Law School and the University of Texas, with a background in media law and journalism. She was the editor-in-chief of the Daily Texan and has had bylines in the Dallas Morning News. She lives in Austin with her partner, two cats, and a small army of houseplants. We Who Have No Gods (Ballantine Books, January 27, 2026) is her debut novel and the first book in the dark academia series the Acheron Order.

The world building and magic system in this book are captivating! Can you share a little about how the idea came to you?

I wanted to play with the idea of magic originating somewhere. I wanted to contrast the rigidity of the natural world, which we can at least attempt to quantify and explain and which is exemplified in Born magic, with something inherently wild and unknowable--the place between life and death. Made magic lives in that unknowable space and, as you might expect, a lot of discomfort comes along with that.

What did you enjoy most about exploring a protagonist who must rely on will and cunning rather than magic?

I always wanted to upend the traditional "chosen one" narrative by giving readers a powerless hero to root for. I think Vic's lack of magical prowess makes her more compelling. She's learning all of this as she goes, she's incredibly adaptable, and she has boundless strengths that the Order is too magic-obsessed to see.

The Acheron Order operates through secrecy and control. How much inspiration did you draw from modern and ancient institutions--religious, academic, or political?

I wrote We Who Have No Gods while I was a student at Yale Law School, and the story was influenced by my experience gaining an insight into how modern politics and history are shaped by people and rules most of us will never know. I was also influenced by real-life secret societies, particularly those of the late 19th and early 20th century.

There's an urban legend at Yale that the medical student secret society dug a tunnel from their lodge to the town burying ground to steal bodies for dissection--I thought about that kind of story a lot while I was writing.

Avalon Castle is a fascinating structure to explore, alternating between feeling both sinister and safe. Did you base the architecture and atmosphere on any specific historic buildings?

The gothic architecture, and particularly the oddness Vic feels when she realizes how young it is, was heavily inspired by Yale's campus. When constructing their Oxford-inspired buildings, Yale went to extreme lengths to mimic antiquity. They burned the stone to imitate centuries of aging and even left plinths empty on the facade of the main library to give the appearance of the school having been sacked. Of course, Yale was never sacked. It's in Connecticut, and--as Vic says--there are no castles in the United States.

I studied in Europe in college, and I've seen real-life castles, which bear little resemblance to their American imitations. While the gothic architecture of Avalon Castle looks right from a distance, there's a kind of uncanny valley feeling from close-up. It doesn't make sense, and it makes you wonder why they went to the trouble. At the end of the day, it's all about the Order pretending to be something it's not.

The excerpts from A History of the Acheron Order at the beginning of each chapter were an enjoyable highlight. Why dd you include these excerpts and how did the process of writing them differ from writing the rest of the novel?

I wanted to give readers the experience of learning about the world the same way Vic was. She's gathering fragments of knowledge just like the reader is. I was inspired, in particular, by the way Frank Herbert uses similar excerpts from historical texts in the Dune series, and I wanted to use these short sections to give a glimpse into the broader world of the Order.

These were so fun to write. My undergraduate degree is in history, so I knew the kind of old-school-academia voice I wanted to emulate. It was such a fun treat to combine the two worlds here.

What was your favorite part about writing this book and what was the most challenging?

My favorite part of the writing process is always conversations between the characters. Vic really shines when she has someone to spar with (both physically and verbally), and she's most fun to write when she has someone else to play off of. The most challenging part was creating the atmosphere of Avalon. I wanted to have the castle as an ever-present force in the background, and I had to be precise about including detail where I could without overloading the text with description.

While romance plays a part in your novel, so do the strong bonds of friendships. In what ways have your own friendships influenced the ones you depict?

I feel that friendships between women are often short-changed in fantasy, especially when there's a romance element. I wanted Vic to develop strong bonds with other people that had nothing to do with the romance. In fact, Vic's relationship with Sarah does more to make Vic feel comfortable at Avalon than anything else does. In my own life, I've grown so much with my friends--they've pushed me to be a better version of myself, and they've poured me a glass of wine when I've fallen on my face. I wanted Vic to have that, too.

Is there anything you can share with us about your next project?

The second book in the Acheron Order series is almost complete, and I cannot wait to share it with everyone. Writing the first book was fun, but writing the second one was a blast. I'm so excited for everyone else to find out what happens next! --Grace Rajendran