Editors Reads Verdict
The most historically rich of the All Souls trilogy — Harkness is a historian of Renaissance science and the Elizabethan sections are dense with accurate period detail. Stronger as historical fiction than as fantasy.
What We Loved
- The Elizabethan setting is rendered with genuine historical expertise — Harkness knows this period
- Christopher Marlowe as a secondary character is a genuine pleasure
- The expansion of the creature world-building is well-handled
Minor Drawbacks
- Requires A Discovery of Witches — cannot be read standalone
- At 584 pages it is significantly slower-paced than the first novel
- The romance, while satisfying to fans, occasionally dominates over the historical and magical plot
Key Takeaways
- → Elizabethan London was a city of radical intellectual ferment — science, magic, and religion were not yet separated
- → Power requires apprenticeship — Diana must submit to instruction before she can act
- → History is full of creatures; we simply choose not to see them
| Author | Deborah Harkness |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Viking |
| Pages | 584 |
| Published | July 10, 2012 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Best For | Readers who loved A Discovery of Witches and want to follow the trilogy through its historical middle volume. |
Into the Past
At the end of A Discovery of Witches, Diana Bishop and vampire Matthew Clairmont timewalk from the present into Elizabethan London — September 1590. The second All Souls novel picks up immediately: Diana must find a teacher to help her understand and control her unusual witchcraft; Matthew must navigate his complicated position in Elizabethan society (he is, we discover, an Elizabethan spy); and they must search for Ashmole 782, the enchanted manuscript that holds the secrets of creatures’ origins.
The Historian’s Novel
Harkness is a professor of early modern history, and Shadow of Night is where that expertise becomes the novel’s greatest asset. The Elizabethan sections are dense with period detail — the specific smells and sounds of London in 1590, the social hierarchies of the Queen’s court, the distinction between different magical traditions — rendered with the confidence of someone who has spent years in primary sources.
Christopher Marlowe appears as a secondary character with enough historical specificity to feel real rather than merely atmospheric. John Dee, Elizabeth I’s court astrologer and the historical figure most associated with Renaissance magic, plays a significant role.
Our rating: 4.0/5 — The most historically substantial volume of the trilogy: slower but denser, and rewarding for readers interested in Elizabethan England.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Shadow of Night" about?
The second All Souls novel — Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont timewalk to Elizabethan London, where Diana must learn witchcraft and retrieve the enchanted manuscript that holds the secrets of all creatures.
Who should read "Shadow of Night"?
Readers who loved A Discovery of Witches and want to follow the trilogy through its historical middle volume.
What are the key takeaways from "Shadow of Night"?
Elizabethan London was a city of radical intellectual ferment — science, magic, and religion were not yet separated Power requires apprenticeship — Diana must submit to instruction before she can act History is full of creatures; we simply choose not to see them
Is "Shadow of Night" worth reading?
The most historically rich of the All Souls trilogy — Harkness is a historian of Renaissance science and the Elizabethan sections are dense with accurate period detail. Stronger as historical fiction than as fantasy.
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