Where to Start with Deborah Harkness: A Reading Guide
Where to start with Deborah Harkness — whether to begin with A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, or The Book of Life. A complete reading guide to the All Souls trilogy.
Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is the American historian, professor of early modern history at the University of Southern California, and author whose All Souls trilogy — beginning with A Discovery of Witches (2011) — became an international bestseller and the most historically grounded paranormal fantasy series of its era. Harkness’s academic specialisation in Elizabethan science, alchemy, and the history of magic gives the All Souls world a depth and authenticity that distinguishes it from most paranormal romance. The trilogy was adapted as a television series (Sky One / AMC, 2018–2022). Her novels combine meticulous historical research with fantasy world-building and a central romance between a witch and a vampire that is among the more carefully written in the genre.
Where to Start: A Discovery of Witches (2011)
The essential Harkness — and the introduction to a world in which witches, vampires, and daemons (collectively ‘creatures’) live in parallel with the human world, governed by a covenant that prohibits interspecies relationships and keeps the creatures separate from each other. Diana Bishop is an Oxford historian specialising in alchemy and early science who has suppressed her witchcraft; she is working in the Bodleian Library when she calls up the manuscript Ashmole 782, which immediately feels different from any other manuscript she has handled.
The Ashmole 782 is the most sought-after document in the creature world; its return to the light brings every faction to Oxford. Among them is Matthew Clairmont, a vampire and biochemist who has been searching for the manuscript for centuries. Their attraction — and its political impossibility under the covenant — is the novel’s central tension.
Harkness builds Oxford with academic precision: the Bodleian’s reading rooms, the colleges, the specific light of early autumn — all rendered by someone who has spent significant time in the archives. The alchemy and early modern science Diana studies is accurate; the historical figures who appear in the second book (Marlowe, John Dee) are historically grounded.
Shadow of Night (2012)
The second novel — and for many readers the strongest in the trilogy. Diana and Matthew time-walk to Elizabethan London, 1590–91, so Diana can find a teacher for her unexplained magic. The historical detail is extraordinary: Marlowe’s London, the alchemical community of Prague, the specific texture of Elizabethan aristocratic life. Diana’s powers develop significantly; the central mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens. Longer and denser than the first book; readers who engage with historical fiction will find it the trilogy’s peak.
The Book of Life (2014)
The trilogy’s conclusion — returning to the present to resolve the mystery of Ashmole 782 and the political crisis among creatures that the manuscript’s reappearance has triggered. Brings together the characters and historical threads developed across the first two books; provides a satisfying conclusion to the central romance and mystery.
Reading Deborah Harkness
Begin with A Discovery of Witches — the world-building and character establishment are necessary for the rest of the trilogy, and the Oxford setting is particularly vivid. Read the trilogy in order; it is a single continuous story that rewards patience with the historical density of Shadow of Night. Approach the books as historical fantasy rather than paranormal romance, and the academic depth will be a pleasure rather than a distraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I start with Deborah Harkness?
A Discovery of Witches (2011) is the only starting point — the first book in the All Souls trilogy, following Diana Bishop, an Oxford historian and witch who discovers an enchanted manuscript in the Bodleian Library, triggering the attention of all creatures (witches, vampires, and daemons) who believe it holds the secret of their origins. Diana meets vampire Matthew Clairmont, who has been searching for the manuscript for centuries, and the two begin a relationship forbidden by the interspecies covenant that governs creature society. The novel is a combination of historical fiction, paranormal romance, and fantasy.
What is the All Souls trilogy about?
The All Souls trilogy follows Diana Bishop across Oxford, Elizabethan London (reached via time-walking in the second book), and back to the present as she develops her witch's powers, uncovers the truth about the Ashmole 782 manuscript, and navigates the political world of vampire and witch societies. The series is notable for its meticulous historical research — Harkness is a professor of early modern history and a historian of alchemy — and for the depth of its world-building, which draws on the history of witchcraft, alchemy, and early modern science.
Is Shadow of Night just as good as A Discovery of Witches?
Shadow of Night (2012), the second book, is set primarily in Elizabethan London (1590-91) when Diana and Matthew time-walk back to allow Diana to find a teacher for her magic. The historical detail in Shadow of Night is particularly rich — Christopher Marlowe, Elizabeth I, and the Scholar's Republic are vivid presences. Many readers consider Shadow of Night the strongest book in the trilogy for its historical immersion; others prefer the contemporary Oxford setting of A Discovery of Witches. The book is longer and denser than the first, and the plot takes more time to develop.
Do the All Souls books need to be read in order?
Yes — the All Souls trilogy must be read in order. Each book continues directly from the previous, and character development, world-building, and the central mystery of Ashmole 782 all build cumulatively across the three books. A Discovery of Witches establishes the world and characters; Shadow of Night develops Diana's powers and the Elizabethan historical context; The Book of Life resolves the central mysteries. The trilogy was also adapted as a Sky/AMC television series with Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode.
