Shadow of Night (2012) by Deborah Harkness is the second installment in the All Souls Trilogy, a richly detailed blend of historical fantasy and romance. Picking up where A Discovery of Witches left off, the story follows witch Diana Bishop and vampire Matthew Clairmont as they time-travel to Elizabethan London in 1590 to search for a magical alchemical manuscript and hone Diana’s nascent powers. Immersed in a world of intrigue, they cross paths with real historical figures like Christopher Marlowe, Queen Elizabeth I, and the mysterious School of Night, while navigating the dangers of a superstitious era hostile to witches—and to Matthew’s own secrets.
Harkness, a historian, shines in her meticulous recreation of 16th-century Europe, though some readers find the pacing leisurely. The novel deepens the central love story while expanding the series’ lore of creatures (daemons, vampires, and witches) and their tangled politics.
A must-read for fans of Outlander-style historical fantasy with a scholarly twist.
