All Souls reading order
Deborah Harkness’s All Souls novels in publication order from A Discovery of Witches through The Black Bird Oracle — Time’s Convert labeled so it is not book one.
Start here
A Discovery of Witches
It is book one (2011). Harkness’s FAQ lists the five published novels in this order. Do not start with The Black Bird Oracle. Do not start with the television series.
People still call this a trilogy. The first three are a finished Diana-and-Matthew argument. Harkness then kept going. Publication order is the first-read path.
Her FAQ, checked 2026-09-13: A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, Time’s Convert, The Black Bird Oracle. She is editing a later book, The Falcon and the Rose. That will not be an on-ramp.
The original trilogy
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  A Discovery of Witches | 2011 | Start here. | Amazon |
| 2 |  Shadow of Night | 2012 | Amazon | |
| 3 |  The Book of Life | 2014 | Ends the original three. | Amazon |
Later All Souls novels
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |  Time's Convert | 2018 | After The Book of Life. Marcus and Phoebe as well as Diana and Matthew. Not a new book one. | Amazon |
| 5 |  The Black Bird Oracle | 2024 | Fifth. After Time’s Convert. | Amazon |
House rule: read the three. If you want more of the family, Time’s Convert, then The Black Bird Oracle. Do not open book five because it is the new hardcover.
The World of All Souls is a companion to the first three. Optional. Not All Souls 3.5. The Serpent’s Mirror is a later project Harkness has mentioned; it is not a substitute for book one.
The television series A Discovery of Witches covers the original trilogy in cousin form. It is not a reason to skip to Time’s Convert.
Common mistakes
- Starting with The Black Bird Oracle because it is newest.
- Starting with Time’s Convert because Marcus is the part you heard about.
- Treating the show as a table of contents for books four and five.
- Searching “Discovery of Witches” and picking up the companion as novel 4.
What to read next
- Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) — If you want another long historical-and-supernatural marriage with a screen order that is not the book order.
- Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) — If you want the other vampire-and-scholar door, shorter.
- Vampire Academy (Richelle Mead) — If you want a finished YA vampire run with a spin-off that should stay a spin-off.
- Fever (Karen Marie Moning) — If you want another adult hidden-world run that keeps going after a first closed arc.
- Stop after The Book of Life. The original three are a complete visit.
FAQ
Do I need Time’s Convert?
No. The trilogy ends. Harkness counts it as book four.
Is Black Bird Oracle a starting point?
No.
Will there be more?
Harkness says yes, and that the story she has imagined is not halfway done. Later books still follow A Discovery of Witches.
Show first?
The show is a cousin of the first three. Start at the novel if you want the books.
Sources
- Deborah Harkness, All Souls FAQs — author’s five-book list and note that more are coming. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Penguin Random House, All Souls Series — publisher series hub. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
