The World of All Souls: The Complete Guide to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

I was so happy to return to the world of All Souls; I've dearly missed it since reading the trilogy earlier this year. Despite currently reading other books right now, I put them down and devoted my time to this one.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

The World of All Souls is a companion novel for The All Souls trilogy written by Deborah Harkness. The novel contains a wealth of information that brings to life the characters, places, and events of the trilogy. The book contains a list of all the characters in the trilogy, along with background information on them and, in the even of historical characters, their historical information; excerpts from the trilogy; a list of all of the places visited by the characters; the literature, music, plays, and art referenced; a break down of witches, vampires, daemons, and humans; commentary from Deborah Harkness; and so much more.

I am a person who, when I fall in love with a book, loves knowing the ins and outs of the world and the characters, so this was the perfect book for me. The commentary in the beginning was brilliant, I always want to know how authors come up with the ideas for their stories. I didn't know, when reading the trilogy, how much Diana paralleled Harkness. Both Harkness and Diana are professors of History, have worked in the Bodleian, and discovered a lost manuscript. The fact that Harkness is a professor and lover of history, it makes the books even more special. She kept historical accuracy throughout all three books, an amazing feat considering the second book is told primarily in 1590-91. She was able to take some artistic liberty with characters that have a more mysterious past, such as Matthew Roydon and Elizabeth I. Before reading the companion novel, I didn't know that Matthew Roydon was a real person.

"Very little is known about the historical figure of Matthew Roydon, which is why he is so alluring a character. He was the shadow alongside famous men of his time, and his influence can be gleaned only from tantalizing snippets. It is thought he could have been the Matthew Roydon who graduated from Oxford with an M.A. on July 7, 1580. In London in 1953, a "Matthewe Royden" was the recorded to "taketh his abode at the black ffryers at A showmakers howse there."

Known as a poet, Roydon move in prominent literary circles of the time, a friend to Philip Sidney, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, and George Chapman, who dedicated The Shadow of Night to him in 1594. He is mentioned among companions who shared Marlowe's freethinking and part of the group sometimes known as the School of Night." (p. 123)

Because so little is known about the true identity of Roydon, it was easy for Harkness to include the notorious historical figure in the book and blend him in with Matthew Clairemont, a man just as elusive.

However, parts of the book felt a bit dense to me, especially the sections on science, alchemy, and the decorative arts. Occasionally, I found my eyes glazing over, only coming into focus every now and then until another large scientific word had my eyes glazing over again. While I know the information was crucial to Harkness for writing, it went over my head and made the book less fun. Even parts of the literature section were too deep for me, and I have a degree in English. 

(Source: Giphy)

There is a bonus though, it lists all of the music listened to by the characters (or music that inspired the characters), and all of the books read by the characters or referenced. Y'all know me, I love when playlists are included in a book, and a reading list is even better. 

Matthew

1. "Brezairola," Anúna

2. "There Will Be a Light," Ben Harper

3. "Human," Civil Twilight

4. "If You Find Her," Future of Forestry

5. "Ozymandias," Guggenheim Grotto

6. "Behind Your Eyes," Jon Foreman

7. "The Curse," Josh Ritter

8. "Only You," Joshua Radin

9. "Breathe," Peirson Ross

10. "Blackbird," Sean McCue

11. "Under My Skin," Peter Bradley Adams

12. "So Are You to Me," Peter Bradley Adams

13. "Cover of Night," Steve Reynolds, Tom McRae

14. "After Afterall," William Fitzsimmons

15. "Secret," Seal

16. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," Sleeping at Last

17. "Not with Haste," Mumford & Sons

Diana

1. "Frost," Rachael Sage

2. "All Your Sisters," Mazzy Star

3. "A Map of Shadows," Carrie Newcomer

4. "Are We There Yet?," Ingrid Michaelson

5. "Several Angels," Thea Gilmore

6. "Answer," Sara McLachlan

7. "The Thief," Brooke Fraser

8. "All This and Heaven Too," Florence and the Machine

9. "The Goodnight Song," Webb Sisters

10. "Landslide," Dixie Chicks

11. "Old Soul," Thea Gilmore

12. "Watershed," Vienna Teng

13. "I Will Love You," Fisher

14. "Heroine," Edge, with Sinéad O'Connor

15. "Set Fire to the Rain," Adele

16. "White Bird," KT Tunstall

17. "Bring On the Wonder," Sarah McLachlan

18. "Music of the Moon," Martha Tilston

19. "When You Grow Old," Smoke Fairies

20. "Story of Us," Sarah Fimm

21. "Keep Breathing," Ingrid Michaelson

22. "Hourglass," Sandra McCracken

23. "Always You (Bonus Track)," Ingrid Michaelson

24. "1000 Stars," Webb Sisters

25. "The Rowan Tree," Traditional, James Galway, the Chieftains

Ysabeau and Philippe

1. "The Blood and the Wine," David Berkeley

2. "Too Far Gone," Lisa Gerrard

3. "Love's Secret," Michael Whalen

4. "Trusty and True," Damien Rice

5. "The Peace of the Wild Things/Dayblind," Crooked Still

6. "A Beginning Song," Decemberists

7. "I Have Loved You for a Thousand Lifetimes," Michael Whalen

8. "Cosmic Love," Florence and the Machine

9. "Broke Crown," David Berkley

10. "Have I Loved?," Down Like Silver

11. "Blood/Chest," William Fitzsimmons

12. "I Am Stretched on Your Grave," Kate Rusby

(p. 33)

(Source: Giphy)

Also, the book contains many beautiful illustrations by Colleen Madden. There are illustrations of the creatures, Dianna and Matthews family tree, the tree of life, and so much more! She really did a beautiful job bringing the world of All Souls more to life.

Rating: 8/10

Series: All Souls

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal

Author: Deborah Harkness

Dates Read: May 8-13, 2018