User:Songsteel/All Souls Trilogy

The All Souls Trilogy is a series of contemporary fantasy novels written by Deborah Harkness and published between 2011 and 2014. The trilogy consists of A Discovery of Witches (2011), Shadow of Night (2012), and The Book of Life (2014).

The series follows the story of Diana Bishop, a witch, and Matthew de Clermont, a vampire, as they seek the elusive Book of Life (a.k.a. Ashmole 782) and attempt to uncover the mysteries surrounding the four forms of "creatures", all the while being pursued by The Congregation, a governing body of witches, vampires, and daemons who disapprove of Diana and Matthew's connection.

All three novels have debuted in the top 2 positions on The New York Times Best Seller list and have received positive reviews. The series was briefly optioned for a film adaptation by Warner Bros. in 2011 before a mutual decision was reached to cease production.

Publication history

 * 1) A Discovery of Witches (published February 8, 2011)
 * 2) Shadow of Night (published July 10, 2012)
 * 3) The Book of Life (published July 15, 2014)

Critical and commercial reception
The series has received mostly positive reviews for Harkness's "witty characterization" and whimsical and detailed writing, though it has received criticism for its complexity and pacing issues.

A Discovery of Witches debuted at number two on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction on February 27, 2011. The following novels both bowed at number one on the Best Seller list, on July 29, 2012 and August 3, 2014, respectively. The series has been sold in at least 34 countries.

Film adaptations
Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to A Discovery of Witches in the summer of 2011. Playwright David Auburn was hired to pen the screenplay, and producers Denise Di Novi and Allison Greenspan were enlisted to oversee the project. Before the film made it to production, a mutual decision was made by all parties to shelve the adaptation, and the film rights reverted back to Harkness.