Time's Convert: A Novel (All Souls Series)

There are many novels in which humans and vampires interact, love, fight, live through century after century, even procreate. Various authors decide which of the myriad fables and bits of folklore they’ll espouse, what “rules” their vampires must follow. I’ve read a fair number of these novels. What sets Deborah Harkness’s Time novels apart is that they are NOT vampire novels. Instead, they are fascinating, engrossing, history-packed works of literary fiction. They happen, yes, to have a number of vampire characters. But the novels are not salacious or sexually graphic (not that there’s anything wrong with that: I’ve read Laurell K. Hamilton). They are not folksy or backwoods (again, not necessarily bad: I’ve read Charlaine Harris). They are more elevated and adult than the Stephanie Meyer’s teenage romance-driven Twilight, more subtle and intricate than all of Anne Rice’s canon. So what makes Harness’s novels so delightful? They are well-researched and written intelligently, with the narrative slipping seamlessly back and forth through linear time; they are a feast for the senses, as Harkness tells her stories with delicious, evocative prose; and they are wildly entertaining, with generations of the central family of vampires colliding spectacularly with American witches, who are embedded in their own history and culture. Harkness adeptly manages a growing number of characters, and smoothly intersperses first person narration (Diana’s first-hand account) with the third person perspectives of her other characters—not an easy thing to accomplish. This particular novel reads like a dream. The life history of Marcus, Matthew’s son alternates with both the “rebirth” of Marcus’s fiancée, Phoebe, and the amusing but potent chaos of two half-vampire, half-weaving witch toddlers, the twins who are giving parents Matthew and Diana simultaneous joy and deeply felt anxiety: their tiny son has conjured a griffin as a familiar, and their daughter exhibits possible signs of blood rage when she throws a tantrum (when she bites, she BITES). I recommend this novel without reservation. It’s a joy to read.

I’ve read all of the books in the All Souls Trilogy. It’s a wonderful series, and before diving into this new book, I’m glad that I’d read them.

In my opinion, Time’s Convert is not a standalone. It had been a while since I’d read the other enjoyable books in the series. During those journeys, I recall feeling almost overwhelmed with the details. . . sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. Entire paragraphs deserved their own place on the history shelves, the prose was wonderful, the characters well-drawn, the plots tight. Sometimes I felt the books extremely intellectual, but I had bravely plowed forward reading hoping that some of the knowledge might stick in my wee brain.

My highly anticipated journey with Time’s Convert ended with mixed feelings. The good news first. This book earns five stars for its intense research. I’m positive Ms. Harkness did her homework and worked her ass off getting the details of the timing, settings, events, and real-life historical characters correct. I felt in safe hands and not misguided into a complete fantasy world. Vampire, witches, and daemons aside, of course. Characters like Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, and Lafayette, for example, all have dialogue, but fictitious though that may be, I felt good that the author wasn’t leading me too far astray and plucking stuff out of the air solely for entertainment. (Unlike The Crown on Netflix which I really truly thought was not wholly fiction. Is it? Angry here and digressing). To the tougher part of my review, even though I’m American, the sections on the Revolutionary War did not interest me. During these scenes, primarily the middle section of the book, the plot felt tossed aside and the read lagged. There were so many characters, names, towns, homes, events dropped, I needed a chart. Some of those characters had their own arcs and I found I just did not care.

It was during this middle section where I found myself wondering what the book was even about. Where was Ms. Harkness going? It felt like a bunch of separate stories that bumped into one another for no purpose. Eventually I realized that the book was about the tale of Phoebe and Marcus and their vampire becomings. Phoebe’s transition was in real time, and Marcus, because he is an old vampire, is told in flashback. Interspersed between Phoebe’s grand awakening and difficulties, and Marcus’s really long backstory (how many towns did we follow him through during this book? How many years? Too many to count), there were the De Clermonts – the main family of vampires as well as the main witch character – Diana. But those wonderful characters were way secondary. They had plots and problems too, but they were side stories and led nowhere. And the thing was, I love those characters. Every single time Ysabeau enters a room I get excited. Diana’s magic is beyond cool. Baldwin is way interesting. I want to sail with Gallowglass, or at least drink with him. Had I not read the other books, I would have been totally lost on who all these people were and their relevance. I imagine Ms. Harkness had to decide about whom to write for, and she chose.

I have tremendous respect for this author and what she’s accomplished and will most likely read the next installment. Or anything else she writes, for that matter.

I don't read for the "feelings," but as a writing prof, I look for HOW an author depicts or invokes human truths for a reader.

After Books 1-3, we see better via this dual-time narrative how Ysabeau decides when to be frosty vs nice, why Matthew later trusts Marcus, how a servant like Francoise claims she is fortunate (a fave part for me) and finally how Diana uses her powers well. The author is smart, as in the US we all get the notion of good fireworks.

I haven't decided if this series is allegory or just romance in fantasy clothes. But it was worth a read. Fwiw, I see many overlaps with Outlander.

The children and the griffin are fun, and the author makes the sex interesting too.

I enjoyed this as much as the first three though the story is woven a bit differently. I don’t care for the flipping from 3rd person to first person point of view but Harkness’s historian perspective is always interesting and makes me want to study more. I also appreciated the detail about becoming a vampire (in Harness’s world) and how, regardless of type of creature, we all have lessons to learn. What fun. I’m still waiting for more clarity about Daemons though. What is there “magical” trait? What do they bring to the table? Besides impulsiveness and madness what balance/beauty/gifts do they bring to this world of creatures? Looking forward to the 5th installment!

I enjoyed reading this story-line dedicated mainly to Marcus and Phoebe - but at times it did seem like the story lost focus- still interesting - but almost seemed like “filler” material. There were also a couple of editing issues with wrong character name and punctuation that caused me to reread to make sure I read it the sentence/paragraph correctly, but it happens…

Admittedly, this installment had a lot to live up to, as the All Souls Trilogy are my favorite books in the world. I was skeptical that this one would stack up… and unfortunately I was right.

The best parts included learning Marcus’ back story and watching Phoebe’s transformation. I love them as a couple, and as supporting characters, we don’t get to see them fleshed out completely in the first three novels. So if you’re a true fan of the series, you’ll enjoy that glimpse into their lives, as well as learning additional vampire customs and traditions.

I didn’t need the chapters flipping back and forth checking in on Matthew and Diana and the twins, because the time wasn’t taken to really dive into any of that. The concept of “Bright Born” children was brought up a few times but not really explained in any depth. Diana and Matthew felt flat, uninspired, and a shadow of those incredible characters we met and came to love in the initial trilogy.

Still worth a read, but not in the same league as the first three books. I’m hoping Black Bird Oracle can redeem it, but I’ll steel myself just in case.