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When Stephenie Meyer published “Twilight” in 2005, it set off a literary obsession with vampires and werewolves. Suddenly, you couldn’t turn around without bumping into some new book about a supernatural romance or bloodsucking good guys.
Most of these books were published for young adults, but a few adult authors capitalized on the genre’s popularity and started including vampires and other supernatural elements in their own novels. Some of these were better than others.
Deborah Harkness’s “All Souls Trilogy” is an interesting example. Harkness, a professor of history at the University of Southern California, has won multiple fellowships, including a Fulbright, and has published several scholarly works. She doesn’t seem the type to delve into the supernatural for her first few novels, yet she did, with 2012’s “A Discovery of Witches.”
The “All Souls Trilogy” stars Diana Bishop, a scholar and professor at Yale who is descended from a line of powerful witches. Her parents died when she was young and she was raised by her aunt, Sarah, who is a witch. Diana never showed any particular supernatural talents and so pushed aside that part of her life to focus on the history of alchemy.
While researching at Oxford, a mysterious book known as Ashmole 782, falls in her lap. This sets off a series of events, including a meeting with good-looking Matthew Clairmont, a 1,500 year old vampire and brilliant scientist. Diana’s latent abilities begin to emerge as she and Matthew explore what the hidden book means to the world of vampires, witches and demons.
In the second novel, “Shadow of Night,” Diana and Matthew travel back in time to the Elizabethan period to find a witch who can tutor Diana in her magical strengths, and trace Ashmole 782 in the past.
“The Book of Life” is the culmination of the trilogy. Diana and Matthew have returned to the present, to find their families and world in upheaval. Their happy ending (married and expecting twins) seems far out of reach as everyone wants to get their hands on Ashmole 782 (still safely hidden in Oxford). Diana needs to locate three missing pages of the book in order to properly read it. Vampires, witches and demons all have a stake in the alchemical manuscript, as they all believe it holds key information to their respective histories.
On top of all this, a new threat emerges. Benjamin, one of Matthew’s long lost offspring, is determined to figure out how some witches and vampires can produce children. Diana and Matthew search for the biological reasoning behind their pregnancy, enlisting the help of scientist friends from Yale and Oxford.
Meanwhile, the politics of the supernatural world are becoming increasingly complicated. The Congregation, a ruling body made up of representatives from the three supernatural races, are determined to keep Matthew and Diana apart. A covenant created long ago forbids intermarriage, something the Clairmonts are determined to end. The lives of their children depend on this.
Additionally, Diana continues to work on her emerging talents as a weaver, a breed of witch dying out over the centuries. Matthew is dealing with his own issues: bloodrage, a disease that affects some vampires, and which he worries, will be passed onto his biological children.
There is a lot going on in this trilogy. It’s best to start at the beginning and not wait years between reading each book. I found it challenging to recall characters from previous books and to figure out how they were connected. The cast of characters and locations is immense. In this book alone, the characters traveled to France, Poland, Italy, America and England. It’s a little exhausting trying to keep up with all the journeys.
That being said, Harkness is a gifted writer, who especially excelled in making the Elizabethan period come alive in “Shadow of Night.” The series is a gift to adult fans of “Twilight” who yearn for more gravitas in their literature. There are also elements of the Outlander series, particularly in the second book. And, of course, with a witch as the protagonist, there are inevitable Harry Potter comparisons to be made.
And yet, Harkness’ series is very much her own. The books are a mix of history, science, romance and magic, that will appeal to a broad range of readers. At the heart of it all is the love story of Matthew and Diana. The plot may be beyond ambitious, but the love of these two characters give the story a much needed soul.
