The feedback from Deborah Harkness' debut novel A Discovery of Witches was nothing short of phenomenal. I liked it – didn't love it – but as everyone around me (my wife, my sister, my mother-in-law, etc.) will be soon reading the recently released sequel Shadow of Night, I'll be reading it as well!
The PW review (below) was positive so I'm taking that as a good sign.
Propelled by her successful fiction debut, A Discovery of Witches, historian Harkness concocts an energetic if chaotic sequel filled with witches, daemons, vampires, wearhs, weavers, and warm-bloods (aka humans) racing to retrieve a lost manuscript that details the origins of supernatural species, which, in the wrong hands, could hasten their extinction. The first novel culminated in the mixed marriage of vampire/scientist Matthew de Clermont to historian/untrained witch Diana Bishop. This novel opens with the newlyweds time-traveling to Elizabethan England so Diana can study witchcraft; never mind they’re burning witches in Scotland or that in London an educated American woman doesn’t exactly blend in. There, they hope to retrieve magical manuscript Ashmole 782, last seen in Oxford’s 21st-century Bodleian library. Diana gets in touch with her inner firedrake, Matthew with his father, but they can’t find a tutor for ages, and they can’t rescue the manuscript without a trip to Prague. Supporting Diana and Matthew in their quest is a secret society that includes dashing Walter Raleigh and dangerous daemon Christopher Marlowe. Harkness delights in lining up the living dead and modern academic history, as in her explanation of how a forger named Shakespeare, with supernatural prompting, takes up playwriting. This tale of a feminist Yankee in Queen Elizabeth’s court charms amid the tumult, as the gifted heroine and her groom fight for generations and another sequel to come in order to protect the magical world that’s all around us. Agent: Sam Stoloff. (July 10)
thanks Paul for reminding me what you thought of A Discovery of Witches. I just put the book down and am tweaking my review for Tuesday's release, but sufice it to say that I loved it.
here is what I think will stand for my ending, the rest of the review which stands at almost 800 words isn't finished yet and I'm never happy until it's published and sometimes not even then.
This is a gem, a multi-genre and many leveled novel it will appeal to a huge fan base from Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal, Alternate History, Romance and if I may be so bold Literary too. If the third and final novel is any where near the level of the first two it will be one of the most loved, most read and most coveted trilogies on anyone’s keeper shelf and will remain so for many years to come. I urge readers who have not read the first to do so before they take this journey for it will enrich their enjoyment and understanding many times over.
To Deborah Harkness I say thank you once again for this most awesome of ideas that you had the courage to put to paper and if I could time travel I would advance a year so that I could have immediate access to the third and final volume in this story.
I thought it was readable 
and will love the chance to talk about it here
dhaupt wrote:Well July is over tomorrow anyone want to talk about the novel
The characters - were amazing
The settings - were like being there thanks to the historian in Deborah
The writing - was fabulous
The Love Story - was timeless
now why do I have to wait another year for book three
I totally agree. Deborah Harkness is an amazing writer.
The one thing I particularly like about her writing is how she uses history but doesn't re-write history to tell her story. That is the one thing I truly disliked about The daVinci Code. I think it would be quite a difficult task to do. I cannot imagine just how much research she had to have done throughout the years to weave it all together. It must be fantastic to sit in her classroom. History and Literature are often at odds, but Deborah Harkness seems to combine the two easily, although I know there is a lot of hard work behind the telling of her tale.
I also like the way she handles the religious aspect in the storyline. She includes many religions, fits them into her story, yet doesn't insult anyone's relgious beliefs. She really looks at history with an unbiased eye and doesn't make judgements.
There was so much in Shadow of Night that, honestly, to do it justice, I need to read it a few more times. I know I missed so much the first time around!
*****************SPOILERS******************
I am upset about Em and wonder how it will all factor into part III. I am afraid of who might be next. In every epic story of good and evil there are always innocent victims, so I know there will be more.
I missed Hamish! I know that Hamish is Deborah Harkness's favorite character from A Discovery of Witches, so I just know he will be back.
I saw a different side of Marcus that I really liked. And where was Miriam?
I also thought it was quite clever to end each part in modern times just to keep us wanting more!
Do you think the twins are a boy and girl?
As you can see I've been dying to talk about it!
Catherine111 wrote:
dhaupt wrote:
Well July is over tomorrow anyone want to talk about the novel
The characters - were amazing
The settings - were like being there thanks to the historian in Deborah
The writing - was fabulous
The Love Story - was timeless
now why do I have to wait another year for book three
I totally agree. Deborah Harkness is an amazing writer.
The one thing I particularly like about her writing is how she uses history but doesn't re-write history to tell her story. That is the one thing I truly disliked about The daVinci Code. I think it would be quite a difficult task to do. I cannot imagine just how much research she had to have done throughout the years to weave it all together. It must be fantastic to sit in her classroom. History and Literature are often at odds, but Deborah Harkness seems to combine the two easily, although I know there is a lot of hard work behind the telling of her tale.
I also like the way she handles the religious aspect in the storyline. She includes many religions, fits them into her story, yet doesn't insult anyone's relgious beliefs. She really looks at history with an unbiased eye and doesn't make judgements.
There was so much in Shadow of Night that, honestly, to do it justice, I need to read it a few more times. I know I missed so much the first time around!
*****************SPOILERS******************
I am upset about Em and wonder how it will all factor into part III. I am afraid of who might be next. In every epic story of good and evil there are always innocent victims, so I know there will be more.
I missed Hamish! I know that Hamish is Deborah Harkness's favorite character from A Discovery of Witches, so I just know he will be back.
I saw a different side of Marcus that I really liked. And where was Miriam?
I also thought it was quite clever to end each part in modern times just to keep us wanting more!
Do you think the twins are a boy and girl?
As you can see I've been dying to talk about it!
Hi Catherine, yes the historical acuracy of the books is really spot on isn't it, I guess I would be a happy camper in one of her history classes, I wish I had teachers when I was in school who could make history so appealing as Deborah does.
I have to admit I almost forgot about Miriam, maybe she'll be back in book three, Hamish though yes I really liked him.
I also agree with you about her handling of religion in the novel I can't see anyone being insulted
I was very touched by Marcus and his father and how Diana inserted herself into the middle of every situation and made her and invaluable character and ingratiated herself into more than one relationship like Phillipe.
About the twins I hadn't really thought too much about them yet
The characters who really made an impression on me too were the coven that taught Diana the things she needed to learn to get back to the future
