The Book of Life

The Book of Life is the 2014 concluding volume of Deborah Harkness’s acclaimed All Souls Trilogy, a romantic fantasy series. Deborah Harkness, a professor, historian, and novelist, began her bestselling series with A Discovery of Witches (2011), followed by a Shadow of Night (2012). A prequel, Time’s Convert (2019), delves into the backstory of the character Marcus Whitmore. The All Souls Trilogy was adapted into a television series in 2018.

Against the backdrop of modern fantasy, Harkness delves into intricate family dynamics, power dynamics, the interplay of fate and free will, and the consequences of harboring secrets.

This guide references the 2014 e-book edition of the All Souls Trilogy bundle.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of child abuse, drugging and overdose, forced pregnancy, graphic torture, kidnapping, miscarriage, racial slurs, rape, and suicide.

Plot Summary

Dr. Diana Bishop and her husband Matthew Clairmont return from their “timewalk” in 1591 London with thrilling news—Diana is pregnant with twins. Diana is a historian and “weaver witch,” a particularly powerful type of witch, and Matthew Clairmont is a vampire scientist. However, the couple’s joy is quickly overshadowed by the suspicious death of Emily Mather, Diana’s beloved aunt-in-law, during their absence. Despite Emily’s apparent heart attack, Diana’s aunt and former legal guardian, Sarah Bishop, suspects foul play. The presence of two prominent members of the Congregation—a legal body loosely governing daemons, vampires, and witches—Peter Knox, a witch, and Gerbert, a vampire, at Emily’s death fuels suspicions.

Daemons are creatures gifted with genius but are often equally afflicted with “madness.” Vampires are supernaturally powerful and immortal but rely on blood for their power and longevity. Witches retain a human lifespan but have magical powers and can use spells to control their environment. The Congregation mostly serves to uphold the covenant, which mandates that these three groups, known collectively as creatures, remain separate from each other to avoid human attention.

The grieving couple, Diana and Matthew, find themselves at Sept-Tours, a French castle that serves as a stronghold for the Knights of Lazarus, a military order once led by Matthew. Baldwin, Matthew’s vampire brother and the head of the de Clermont family, arrives, refusing to acknowledge the blood vow between Philippe de Clermont, Matthew’s vampire father, and Diana.

The Congregation intervenes, demanding a search of Sept-Tours for any information regarding Ashmole 782, the coveted Book of Life. Ysabeau, Matthew’s vampire sire, is sent as a hostage to Gerbert to ensure the de Clermont family’s cooperation. The Congregation also seeks to punish Diana and Matthew for breaking the covenant. Frustrated by Baldwin’s actions, Marcus, Matthew’s vampire son, urges Matthew to separate from the main family and form a scion to gain independence. Matthew, however, remains apprehensive, particularly about the blood rage, a genetic affliction causing extreme strength, violent impulses, and loss of control.

Benjamin Fuchs, Matthew’s disowned, blood-rage afflicted vampire son, contacts Matthew through Miriam Shepard’s, Matthew’s vampire best friend and colleague, phone. Benjamin threatens Matthew and the de Clermont family while hinting at his knowledge of the Book of Life. He directs Miriam to a disturbing website showcasing the capture and rape of witches, part of Benjamin’s experiments to create vampire-witch hybrids. Benjamin reveals his suspicions about a connection between blood rage and vampire-witch reproduction. In truth, vampire-witch reproduction requires both a vampire with blood rage and a weaver witch.

Diana’s friend Chris Roberts, a human scientist, offers assistance from his team at Yale for Matthew’s genetic research on creatures and blood rage. While Matthew works with Chris, Diana embarks on a quest to recover the missing Ashmole 782 pages.

Diana crosses paths with Jack Blackfriars, a child cared for by her and Matthew during their timewalk. Jack, exhibiting signs of blood rage, introduces his vampire sire, Andrew Hubbard, the vampire king of London. Andrew discloses that his sire is Benjamin, making him Matthew’s vampire grandson. Andrew gives Matthew one of the missing Ashmole 782 pages, also called the Book of Life, that Andrew and Jack have kept safe for several hundred years.

After Diana and Matthew reconnect with Jack, Baldwin ruthlessly attacks him. Jack is responsible for a series of vampire murders across Europe, leading to Baldwin’s demand that Matthew kill him. Diana’s strong objection forces Matthew to form a scion as an alternative. However, Matthew must separate from Diana for an unforeseen time to create the scion.

Diana travels to London and successfully retrieves the last page of Ashmole 782 with the help of the London coven. The stress complicates Diana’s pregnancy, and Matthew returns. Diana gives birth to her vampire-witch hybrid children, Rebecca and Philip. At their christening, Matthew reveals the strength of the Knights of Lazarus, forcing Baldwin to accept his family as a separate scion.

Matthew and Diana separate, with Matthew hunting Benjamin and Diana retrieving Ashmole 782. Diana recovers the Book of Life and reunites it with its missing pages. She inadvertently absorbs the book and all of its powers. Meanwhile, Matthew finds himself ensnared by Benjamin, who subjects him to brutal torture.

Baldwin yields his seat on the Congregation to Diana so that she can seek their assistance in capturing Benjamin. After much deliberation, the Congregation consents. They find Matthew in Poland. The Knights of Lazarus destroy Benjamin’s guards, made up of Benjamin’s vampire children, while Diana destroys Peter Knox and Benjamin.

With Matthew slowly recovering under Diana’s care, Baldwin permanently cedes his seat on the Congregation to Diana. Using the research conducted by Chris and Matthew, Diana proves to the Congregation that all creatures are genetically interconnected, leading to the dissolution of the covenant. The united family makes arrangements to celebrate Matthew’s birthday, while Diana reflects on the many challenges they have triumphed over together.