All Souls Universe
#2254.08 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Ongoing 2011–present Reading commitment Medium Deborah Harkness Last reviewed 2026-09-04
Overview
The All Souls Universe is a paranormal-historical romance/fantasy series by American historian Deborah Harkness, beginning with the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches (2011). It follows Diana Bishop, a reluctant witch and Oxford historian, and Matthew Clairmont, a centuries-old vampire geneticist, as they investigate a lost, bewitched alchemical manuscript. The original trilogy concluded in 2014; two further novels followed in 2018 and 2024.
Historical fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
All Souls Trilogy Deborah Harkness
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Discovery of Witches | 2011 | 1 | core | 4.02 (569,928 ratings) |
 | Shadow of Night | 2012 | 2 | core | 4.08 (278,074 ratings) |
 | The Book of Life | 2014 | 3 | core | 4.21 (224,405 ratings) |
Original trilogy; all three volumes were New York Times bestsellers.
Library / Expanded (2 works)
All Souls Sequence Deborah Harkness
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Time's Convert | 2018 | 4 | 3.84 (37,058 ratings) | |
 | The Black Bird Oracle | 2024 | 5 | 4.06 (42,275 ratings) |
Continuation novels published after the original trilogy concluded; kept Expanded per this project's convention that a later author-driven continuation beyond a completed original trilogy is classified separately from the Core work.
Quick answers
- How many books are in All Souls Universe? All Souls Universe's Core Canon is 3 books, plus 2 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for All Souls Universe? Publication order, starting with A Discovery of Witches. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is All Souls Universe finished? Ongoing (2011–present).
- How much reading does All Souls Universe take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is All Souls Universe ranked? #225 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 1,072,407 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #225?
Ranked #225 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.08 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 1.1M reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #224, Asunder (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 3 books · Ongoing · 1.1M ratings · Ranks #225 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length historical fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- A Discovery of Witches (2011)
- Shadow of Night (2012)
- The Book of Life (2014)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.08 across 1,072,407 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit All Souls Universe (Deborah Harkness) accepted 2026-09-04
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-04
Rule: Core Canon is the original three-book trilogy (A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life), all New York Times bestsellers published 2011-2014 as one continuous story. The later continuation novels (Time's Convert, The Black Bird Oracle), published years after the trilogy concluded, are classified Expanded Canon.