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Deborah Harkness is an American author and scholar that writes fantasy and historical fiction. Born in 1965 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Harkness attended Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, the University of California, Davis, and Oxford University.
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Order of All Souls Trilogy Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Discovery of Witches | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Shadow of Night | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Book of Life | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Time's Convert | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Black Bird Oracle | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Order of All Souls Non-Fiction
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The All Souls Real-Time Reading Companion (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The World of All Souls | 2018 | Description / Buy |
Order of Deborah Harkness Non-Fiction
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Dee's Conversations with Angels | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Jewel House | 2007 | Description / Buy |
The author teaches history (European History and the History of Science) at the University of Southern California. Her publishing career comes in handy becomes it allows the author to make her classes more engaging. Harkness looks at history as a series of stories people tell themselves.
Her students are not ignorant of her fame; some will approach her with books to sign for their relatives. But they usually wait until grades are submitted. Otherwise, they respect the scholarly environment they inhabit.
Her foray into fantasy was somewhat accidental. The author had a promising academic career. She was exploring the history of magic and science during her doctoral research—the discoveries she made mentioned witches and the supernatural.
The author began to wonder what would happen if witches and vampires lived with modern humans. This thought gave birth to ‘A Discovery of Witches,’ Harkness’s debut novel. The book was a surprise hit, landing a spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
Interestingly, the author is primarily a non-fiction reader. While she has experimented with historical fiction and the likes of Nancy Drew, Harkness tends to favor biographies. She enjoys reading about real people and their lives.
The author follows the advice she gives every aspiring writer. She writes, edits, rewrites, and then repeats. Although, she doesn’t follow a strict writing routine. Harkness doesn’t see the point. She thinks rules will only get in the way.
Instead, the author writes whenever the opportunity arises. She has written on trains and planes, the home office, the campus office, and cafes.
Her protagonists are strong women. She believes that all women have a type of power, but they have conflicted notions regarding the best way to wield it. Those without power don’t know if it’s right to desire it. The heroines in the author’s stories must accept who they are and the power they possess.
Deborah Harkness Awards
Harkness has won the Inkpot Award and the Longman-History Today Awards Book Prize.
Deborah Harkness Books into Movies/TV
‘A Discovery of Witches’ became a live-action TV show of the same name. Harkness was an executive producer on the adaptation. She wrote the show’s bible. The author enjoyed the collaborative process because it taught her so much.
She also enjoyed watching her characters come to life. She knows that many readers discovered her books through the TV show.
Best Deborah Harkness Books
The author is renowned for her award-winning wine blog. Although, she neglected it once she started writing fiction. Harkness’s best novels include:
A Discovery of Witches: Diana Bishop was not ignorant of her legacy. She was descended from a distinguished line of witches. But Diana had rejected that aspect of her family. She wanted to live a normal life, one separate from the supernatural creatures that go bump in the night.
But then she made a mistake, and her life took a sharp turn. Diana was doing research when she retrieved an ancient Alchemical manuscript from the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Once she saw what it was, Diana returned the book.
But it was too late. The witches, daemons, and vampires that lived alongside humanity had sensed her discovery. They also knew she was the only person strong enough to call the manuscript from the library.
Now, a war for Diana’s soul has begun. Diana is in a race to find allies in a world she barely understands before her enemies find her.
Shadow of Night: In ‘A Discovery of Witches,’ Matthew and Diana left the present for the past. They fled to Oxford in 1591 in search of a teacher for Diana. However, life in 1591 wasn’t quite what they expected. In 1591, Matthew was a spy for Queen Elizabeth.
He also participated in the slaughter of numerous witches. But the vampire that returned to the past with Diana is a different man. His opinion of witches has changed dramatically. Can he step into the shoes of his younger self without rousing suspicions? Can he afford to change the future? Where will he draw the line?
When Does The Next Deborah Harkness book come out?
Deborah Harkness doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Black Bird Oracle and was released on July, 16th 2024. It is the newest book in the All Souls Trilogy Series.