The All Souls Trilogy Boxed Set

I started reading these books because I had started watching the series on television and was intrigued. The show really doesn't do this series justice. I honestly couldn't put these books down. It is well written and so easy to fall in love with the characters and to feel like you are a part of the story. I don't like the gushy romance novels with the half naked men on the covers. This is not that at all. The love story is very well written and the romance is very tasteful. I just ordered Time's Covert which I think will be mostly focused on Marcus' story and can't wait to read it. I would also love to see a book on Gallowglass and maybe give his story and his struggles with love and have him with a happy ending.... but that might be me just dreaming. :) I would like to see the next two seasons of the show to see how they play everything out. Overall, I would recommend these books to anyone who has an interest in the preternatural and romance.

I have 2 of 3 audio CDs and ordered the book set in order to get the last volume (not available on CD, apparently). I am not a fan of romances, but this has so many additional elements that the romance is just a part of the whole. The characters are interesting and well rounded. They show growth, which is often missing in other stories. The obstacles are unique each time while staying within the main theme. They are necessary for story development and never fall into repetitive excess or become explicitly extreme. The secondary and background characters are also interesting, and they make important contributions to the story. The times and places are richly described and add satisfying texture to the atmosphere. Although the stories are not at all alike, this one reminds me in some ways of the early Anne McCaffrey "Pern" stories. They create an atmosphere of closeness and intimacy. The reader learns to know and love the characters. There is a deep sense of satisfaction with the imaginary world and a feeling of "this is the right thing to do" even when times are tough and people suffer. The dragons and partners loved each other without question, and in the "All Souls" trilogy, there is the same love without reservation, even when there are personal issues to be examined and resolved. This is not a quickly-read, shallow series. It is not a self-indulgent TV blood and sex fest. This trilogy examines prejudice, bias, intolerance, cruelty, "the end justifies the means", and other negative values while showing how the positive alternatives make the world a better place and enrich individual lives.

I watched the All Souls Trilogy on Netflix and enjoyed it so much that I have watched it several more times. Unfortunately it stopped at 3 seasons. This led me to purchase the 4th book in the series "Times Convert". After reading this book I could not go any further without reading the first 3 books. (A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life). My OH My were these books wonderful! They had me laughing, cheering, crying and in suspense. The Netflix series has nothing on these books. It was so hard to put them down once I started reading. I'm super excited to read book #5 and can't wait for book #6 to come out. The author Deborah Harkness did such an amazing job with these books. Both the books and Netflix series are definitely worth watching and/or reading.

I started with a truely delightful experience from the TV series "A Discovery of Witches" featuring Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode. The second season aired recently. At that point, I felt I needed to read the triology upon which it's based. I must admit, the trilogy is amazing. Obviously the books include details that a series cannot possibly contain, but the story is told with additional details and visualizations that truly broaden the experience. The author has a style that is so colorful and rich that her narrative enhances your own enjoyment of the stories. I think her background as an historian feed this fantasy in a meaningful and charming way. The mix of real historical characters, some as "creatures", and fictional ones creates an interesting context for history and an alternative reality. It is REAL fun to have this new perspective. It reminds of the "what if" genre that poses a view that would not be expected, but conjures up a whole dimension of motivations and goals. This has been a great read for me, and as a fan of fantasy in general, I do not view it as a collage of stolen themes from other books. I don't believe a melange of scenes reminiscent of other stories is a downside since after all "Shakespeare invented them all anyway". IMHO, it is an extraordinary collection and enjoyable for fantasy fans and non-fantasy fans alike. My wife says its a bit saucier than the TV series, but that's ok. It works.

I had recently watched the show and wanted to check out the books. They were a good deal (but not a great deal), so I bought this box set. The books themselves are a bit flimsy. Thin covers, thin pages, very easy to damage. I even rubbed the color off the edges of the spines just from reading them laying flat on a desk! And after reading them all, they will not fit back into their cardboard box! Which is upsetting because it's really pretty. As for the content of the books, they are fantastic! I knew nothing about the author going into the first book, but she goes very in-depth with her knowledge of history, old manuscripts and books, and alchemy. Because she herself is a history professor, I can see why each of these books is nearly 600 pages. Although annoying wordy at times, the writing is polished and interesting, the characters are fully fleshed out, and the love story is beautiful. One of my favorite things about this series is that these characters aren't perfect and they don't gloss over their problems. I also felt like this was such a fresh take on vampires, witches, and deamons that I hadn't read before. I hope she keeps writing books in this series because I need to know everything about them! I'm taking away points for the quality of the physical books, but the stories are 5/5 stars.

I was a huge fan of the show, "Discover of Witches," and then found out it was based on The All Souls Trilogy, so I had to get the set. I am so glad I added this to my book collection and have enjoyed reading it. The books give you so much more detail than they are able to put into a show, and these have been page-turners.

Imagine the best book you’ve read about the world of vampires and witches. Now, imagine a book that is 10 times better. This trilogy starts off a bit slow in the initial chapters of the first book, but that’s only because it lays the groundwork for a world and relationships which have a three-dimensional depth of time, rich character history and description, and multiple plots intricately woven around a central story line that takes the reader from the modern deep into the mystical world of 16th century Europe and back again. If you’ve seen the show, read the books anyway. They are so rich in detail that a tv show or movie cannot convey, that you may find yourself feeling as though you didn’t even know half the plot from the show alone. It is impossible ("Impossible n'est pas français.") to stop reading this trilogy. You will lose sleep because the next chapter must be read! I also found myself doing background research into the times and people described because I was so intrigued by their stories and the times in which they lived. If I could go back to university, I would absolutely, 100% major in history focusing on any courses Dr. Deborah Harkness taught! My only regret is that there aren’t yet 20 more books to devour. I look forward to more from this author.

I am a huge fan of books and films that touch on the fantastical world of magic and am also a huge history buff and love anything regarding Tudor/Elizabethan time. This is the perfect marriage of those genres plus so much more!!! This trilogy set in modern day Oxford centers around Dr. Diana Bishop-a highly respected Tenured Yale Professor in her 30s who specializes in Alchemy and History doing research at Oxford and Professor Matthew Clairmont- a Fellow of All Souls College at Oxford who studies biochemistry and evolution; a modern day Darwin. The difference is Diana is a witch and Matthew is a vampire in a world where creatures are hiding in plain sight. It is against the rules for otherworldly creatures to even interact; however these two meet when Matthew finds out that a witch has somehow found and opened a mysterious enchanted manuscript that has been missing for hundreds of years that Matthew has been obsessed with finding is Diana- a witch who does not use her powers and suppresses her witch life in an effort to be "normal". As Matthew tries to recover this manuscript from Diana which he believes to be the creature version of Darwins book Origin and can help explain creature origins he falls in love with her and they begin a forbidden romance that breaks the covenant. The covenant is an ancient agreement made over 1000 years ago by creatures (witches, vampires and demons) which forbides interspecies relationships, or creatures getting involved in politics or religion. The covenant has been enforced by The Congregation- a select group of 3 of each of the creatures. Having broken the covenant by falling in love and also having the congregation interested in obtaining the manuscript only Diana seems to be able to access; Diana and Matthew are now wanted outlaws and this is their story. It is a tdilogy that although involves vampires and witches is definitely made for adults only and touches on the topics of history, science, magic, alchemy, romance, witches, vampires, demons, family, honor, betrayal and more...you will read them all in a weekend and then re-read them until the TV series releases season 2 based on book 2 in January 2021!!! Highly recommended!!! You wont be able to put it down!!

Cadeau aimé

Ok

Have read this trilogy a few times over the last few years and can never fail to get drawn into this marvellous scary world of witches and vampires with higher education thrown in for good measure. All previous reading of this series has been via Kindle but all 3 sets are now failing and I will not be getting replacements because newer units have terrible programming and weak batteries. But the “All Souls Trilogy” is excellent reading in any format. Marks are 10out of10 plus a gold star.

Llegaron a tiempo en perfectas condiciones Ya terminé de leer la trilogía, me encantó. Muy bien escritos. Buenas descripciones, excelentes personajes, buena historia

Nice for a bookshelf and interesting books. Arrived new and in super condition