Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Headline (9 April 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755384792
• ISBN-13: 978-0755384792

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

After travelling through time in SHADOW OF NIGHT, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchant­ing series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home in France they reunite with their families – with one heart-breaking exception. But the real threat to their future is yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on a terrifying urgency. Using ancient knowl­edge and modern science, from the palaces of Venice and beyond, Diana and Matthew will finally learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.

Review

The Book Of Life is the final book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness.  This set has had me addicted and the final book did not disappoint.  Coming back from 1591, Mathew and Diana find themselves back at Sept-Tours and at the centre of tensions between the family, and have the Congregation wanting to question Diana about her powers.  Their main priority is to find Ashmole 782 and the secrets it holds before anyone else does.

This book had a bit of a slower start than the previous two but when it picked up it did so at a rapid pace.   Matthew and Diana are on a race against time and their quest take them from France, to America, to England and Germany.  Many of the regular characters return, there are a few that made a surprise return and some new characters.  The major addition to the cast was Benjamin, Matthew’s estranged son who is consumed with blood rage which makes him cruel and twisted, and after Diana.  He is the dark to Matthew’s other son, Marcus’s, light, a vampire who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.  There is plenty of action, suspense and thrills along the way and as with the previous books the attention to detail is admirable.  The science behind the pages of Ashmole 782, which are made of the skin of the different creatures, and the methods for DNA extraction are really interesting and add to the overall reality feel of the book.

The All Souls Trilogy have made a huge impact on my reading choices.  Previously I have stayed away from the fantasy genre as it didn’t really interest me, but Deborah Harkness’s books, with their engaging plot lines and amazing characters have enthralled me.  I have gone on to read more books in this genre and also buy a quite a few more, which have opened up a whole new world to me.  I think what makes these three books so special is Deborah Harkness’s skill as a writer.  She has a masterful way with the English language making these books a pleasure to read.  Her attention to detail and characterisation are just brilliant, they are what makes these books come to life.

The Book Of Life is another remarkable read from Deborah Harkness. It was the perfect conclusion to Matthew and Diana’s story, although they do make an appearance in her new book about Marcus, Times Convert, but I have to be honest and say I was bereft when I finished this book, it left me with a huge book hangover.  It’s not very often that a series of books come along that have such a huge impact as these books have had on me, introducing me to a whole new literary world.  I can’t recommend these books highly enough and The Book Of Life brings the trilogy to a fantastically dramatic conclusion.