''The Book of Life'' is a 2014

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

novel by American scholar

Deborah Harkness Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar and novelist, best known as an historian and as the author of the All Souls Trilogy, which consists of ''The New York Times'' best-selling novel ''A Discovery of Witches (book series), A Disc ...

, the third book in the All Souls trilogy. As the sequel to the 2012 bestseller, ''

Shadow of Night ''Shadow of Night'' is a 2012 historical-fantasy novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness, the second book in the ''All Souls'' trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller, '' A Discovery of Witches'', it follows the story of Diana Bishop, a ...

'', it follows the final steps in the story of Diana Bishop, a historian who comes from a long line of witches, and Matthew Clairmont, a long-lived vampire, as they unlock the secrets of an ancient manuscript.

Synopsis

Having returned from their refuge in 16th century London to find a family member dead, Diana and Matthew embark on a mission of revenge, seeking the final pages of the Book of Life, and bringing justice to witches and vampires that have wronged them. Diana is now a member of the de Clermont family. They find the black sheep of the family, Benjamin, Matthew's disavowed son and dispose of him. Matthew's genetics work progresses, with the help of a Yale scientist, and they are able to remove the charter of Covenant, meaning inter-species marriage is possible. It had originally been drawn up based on fear and stereotypes the old generation held.

Critical reception

''The Book of Life'' was met with generally positive reviews from literary critics. Paula L. Woods of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' noted "Harkness' ambitious melding of scientific and historical detail is inventive and brings surprising depth to such real-life societal scourges as racial purity and miscegenation." However, Woods also criticised a noticeable lack of continuity between previous novels in the series, stating "characters occasionally fail to acknowledge each other despite interactions in previous novels, and the date of an infamous attempt to steal the British crown jewels is off by a few hundred years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Book of Life 2014 American novels Contemporary fantasy novels Historical fantasy novels American fantasy novels Penguin Books books