Books in Order
Deborah Harkness Books in Order
About Deborah Harkness
Deborah Harkness (born 1965, California) is a historian and professor at the University of Southern California who specializes in the history of science and medicine in early modern Europe. She channeled her academic expertise into the All Souls Trilogy — a sweeping fantasy about a witch historian who discovers a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford's Bodleian Library, tangling her with a vampire geneticist and an ancient conspiracy. The trilogy blends meticulous historical research with supernatural romance and spans Elizabethan London, colonial America, and contemporary Oxford. It was adapted for Sky One and AMC/Sundance TV starring Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode.
Start with A Discovery of Witches. It stands well on its own and introduces the world fully before the timeline-jumping of the subsequent books.
All Souls Trilogy
Full Series →A historian witch. An Oxford library. An ancient manuscript. A vampire.
Book 1![A Discovery of Witches]()
A Discovery of Witches
2011
Start hereDiana Bishop discovers a bewitched manuscript in the Bodleian — and immediately attracts the attention of every creature in Oxford.
Get this book →Book 2![Shadow of Night]()
Shadow of Night
2012
Diana and Matthew time-walk to Elizabethan London. Historical immersion and witch training.
Get this book →Book 3![The Book of Life]()
The Book of Life
2014
The trilogy's conclusion. Return to the present, the manuscript's secret revealed.
Get this book →Companion Novel
Time's Convert
2019
Read trilogy firstSet in the All Souls world. Follows Marcus Whitmore — Matthew's vampiric son — across American history from the Revolution to the present day. Read after the trilogy.
Get this book →Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read All Souls Trilogy in order?
Yes — the trilogy must be read in order. Shadow of Night follows directly from the cliffhanger ending of A Discovery of Witches, and The Book of Life resolves threads from both previous novels. Time's Convert is a standalone companion best read after the trilogy.
Is A Discovery of Witches similar to Twilight?
Both feature a supernatural romance between a human (or human-passing) woman and a vampire. But A Discovery of Witches is significantly more sophisticated — it is set in academic Oxford and Elizabethan London, draws on real historical research, and features a protagonist who is an accomplished scholar. The romance is one element among many.
Is the All Souls TV series faithful?
The Sky/AMC series (2018–2022, three seasons) is generally faithful to the trilogy's major events. Most fans found it a well-cast, visually beautiful adaptation, though some compressed storylines.