Deborah Harkness' Shadow of Night - Review

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The second installment in the ‘All Souls’ trilogy; a magical journey back to Elizabethan England to uncover the history of the entwined lives of witches, vampires and daemons.

Picking up immediately following the conclusion of ‘A Discovery of Witches’, ‘Shadow of Night’ finds Diana and Matthew in Oxford in 1590, having travelled back into history in order to hunt for the manuscript that they believe holds the key to understanding the origins and evolution of witches, vampires and daemons, and to allow Diana to explore and harness her magic away from the threats of the present day. But the past is not free of dangers, with the added complication that their mere presence threatens to alter the future.

Soon travelling from England to Matthew’s family home in France, bringing Matthew face to face with his vampire father, the couple struggle to adapt to their new places in history. Having displaced his past self in the sixteenth century, Matthew must also ensure that his own timeline is not affected and that past actions continue to be adhered to, something that proves a challenge with his newfound affection for witches.

Returning to London and later journeying to Prague in pursuit of the lost manuscript, they know their time in the past must soon come to an end. Learning more about her powers and finally beginning to embrace them, Diana must face her fears in order to return them home. Enemies – vampire, witch, daemon and human alike – encircle them, as secrets are unveiled and they get ever closer to fulfilling their quest.

Since reading the first novel, I eagerly anticipated delving into this period in British history – fraught with the aftermath of religious upheaval and fears about witchcraft already igniting in neighbouring Scotland. Featuring a cast of historical characters, including cameo appearance from Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare, the novel is a blend of fantasy, historical, and romantic fiction, with a good measure of gothic drama to satisfy lovers of darker tales of witchcraft and vampirism.

Packed with detailed descriptions and vivid imagery of a long ago past, always reaching towards the future, this second novel in an epic saga effectively builds on the mythology of the first novel – a dizzying mix of allusions to history, science and spirituality, literature, art, and architecture; as well as plenty of emotional and dramatic moments, romance and mystery.

In ‘Shadow of Night’ we journey into the past and return to an uncertain future; the finale once again leaving us with tantalising threads that will lead into the conclusion of Diana and Matthew’s trilogy, ‘The Book of Life’.



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