- Paperback: 656 pages
- Publisher: Headline (14 Feb. 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 075538475X
- ISBN-13: 978-0755384754
Synopsis
In a world of witches, daemons and vampires the fragile balance of peace is unravelling. Diana and Matthew’s forbidden love has broken the laws dividing creatures. To discover the manuscript which holds their hope for the future, they must now travel back to the past.
When Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont. Now the coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened. Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot. Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers…
Review
After falling in love with A Discovery of Witches, I didn’t think this trilogy could get any better but it just has!! Shadow of Night sees Diana and Matthew ‘Time Walk’ to 1590, which is towards the end of the historical period I have a lot of interest in. In their quest to escape the Congregation and their search for Ashmole 782, they find themselves in more danger than they envisaged. They travel from Tudor England, to Sept-Tours in France and to the court of Emperor Rudolf in Prague, escaping one threat then another. Can they find what they need in time before they need to return to the present, and can Diana learn how to control her powers?
The attention to historical detail in this book is fantastic, but not surprising as Deborah Harkness is a History Professor. But she really does go beyond most other authors in her research and detail. In 1590 Matthew uses the surname Roydon, and his circle of friends include playwright, Christopher Marlowe, poet George Chapman, adventurer Walter Raleigh and Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, who with Matthew are the School of Night. This may just seem to be a use of characters of the period, but it is far more than that. The School of Night existed, and those characters were the members, as was poet Matthew Roydon whose wife was called Diana. This is what makes Deborah Harkness such a wonderful author, she spends time on the finer points that make all the difference to the plot; and I have to say I think having Marlowe as a deamon is an inspired choice. The historical and fictional characters blend seamlessly and work well together.
The same attention to detail is evident in the plot line. It follows directly on from the end of A Discovery of Witches, and again ends perfectly making the reader want to read the third book, The Book of Life immediately, which is what I have done. The sense of place in all the different locations is stunning, the Tudor Court of Eizabeth I, sixteenth century Sept-Tours, and the Prague of Emperor Rudolf, are all vivd and full of life; the sights, sounds and smells jump off the page. There is also wonderful descriptions of the fashion of the period, and how cumbersome it is to us in the present, and the decor of the period, again adding authenticity to the book.
I had high hopes for Shadow of Night, as I fell in love with A Discovery of Witches, and it surpassed all expectation for me. I literally couldn’t put this book down, except when checking historical detail, and devoured all six hundred and fifty pages in a couple of days. It has a gripping, multi-faceted plot line, interesting and engaging characters, plenty of thrills along the way, and is simply brilliant; a near perfect novel for me. Bring on the final part of the All Souls Trilogy, The Book of Life.
You can catch my review of A Discovery of Witches on my blog. I appreciate all your like, shares and comments 💗
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