The Book of Life, by Deborah Harkness

The final instalment of the A Discovery of Witches trilogy goes off on a bit of tangent when Diana and Matthew return to their own time to await the birth of their twins. Extended family dramas rather take over from the pressing task of finding the missing manuscript that may be the book of life, providing the secrets of the origins of vampire, witches and daemons and the key to their future. There is less scholarly exposition and more unlikely plot twists as Matthew deliberately puts himself in danger for reasons hard to fathom. Meanwhile Diana comes fully into her powers and realises that giving up something she cherishes could bring her more than she imagined. Harkness champions the benefits to society as a whole of diversity over supposed racial purity with her blended, extended families. The book of life’s revelations come as little surprise as they have been building throughout the series, but there are a few very convenient developments that confirm and enhance the liaison of Diana and Matthew.

Shadow of Night, by Deborah Harkness

The sequel to A Discovery of Witches sees witch Diana Bishop and vampire Matthew Clairmont timewalking back to 1590. The plan is to hide from the Congregation, the authority that has banned their relationship, while Diana finds some advanced training to control her unusual powers. They also want to search for the mysterious alchemical text that could supply the answers to the declining numbers of creatures – vampires, witches and daemons. Queen Elizabeth I, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Walter Raleigh and many more literary, scientific and political identities of the age figure in the drama; apparently aware of supernatural creatures and ok with it. The couple gains the blessing of Matthew’s formidable father for their marriage; travels to Prague; and deals with treachery and tragedy at home and abroad. Suspension of disbelief is a challenge at times, as can often be the case when dealing with the rules and impact of time travel. But the narrative is involving, with complex relationships informed by (mostly) interesting historical detail. The scene is well set for a thrilling final instalment back in the present time, with Matthew and Diana’s motley alliance of creatures and humans preparing to battle the Congregation.

Godless (Netflix)

All the clichés of the Wild West are given substance and depth in this brutal drama set on the frontier in 19th century New Mexico. The mining town of La Belle has been inhabited and run mostly by women since a tragic accident took out almost all of the men. Everyone has had it tough, but none more than twice-widowed Alice Fletcher, an outsider who struggles to run a horse ranch with her native American mother-in-law and mixed race son. La Belle’s precarious existence is threatened when runaway outlaw Roy Goode stumbles into town, chased down by wrathful criminal boss Frank Griffin. Flashbacks illuminate how the main characters came to be whom and where they are, but are occasionally confusing as to timeline. No character is entirely good or entirely bad; the outstanding cast, including Michelle Dockery and Jeff Daniels, brings nuance and shades of grey to the sunny prairie skies. Complex relationships, an evocative soundtrack and touches of humour leaven the violence of this powerful and moving series.

Hive, by AJ Betts

Beekeeper Hayley lives in an underground religious commune organised by rigid rules and roles. Gardeners marry netters and their children are raised as Enginers. The only child who follows its parent is the son or daughter of the Judge, who oversees the community. Although largely content among the gardeners, Hayley keeps a secret from all but her best friend. She suffers from the head pains that may presage the onset of madness and ostracism. A sudden death leads Hayley to question her community and her place within it and she will need help from an unlikely source to find her way forward. A few holes in the structure are glossed over by a fast pace and an appealing and courageous heroine. A rush of exposition is needed to push through to the climax, but a neat cliff-hanger paves the way for the sequel.

Eligible, by Curtis Sittenfeld

For a Jane Austen fan an update of Pride and Prejudice set in modern day Cincinnati sounds like a very bad idea. In fact, the romantic tribulations of the five Bennet sisters translate quite well, in a story that is largely clever and funny despite a few quibbles. The Bennet family’s personalities are kept exactly as in Austen’s original text, with the heroine Lizzy particularly well realised. A pity then that the author introduced an unnecessarily large age gap between the five sisters. It makes sense that Lydia is now 23, rather than 15, and for Jane to be more than the original seven years older, but not 16 years older. Darcy as a surgeon is a good fit, while Bingley as a reality TV contestant is an interesting gambit. One quibble - if Darcy could keep his ridiculous first name of Fitzwilliam, why couldn’t Mr Bingley keep his perfectly reasonable Charles rather than being renamed Chip? Charming deceiver Wickham is split into two, quite effectively in the form of Lizzy’s lover Jasper Wick, less so as Lydia’s problematic boyfriend Ham. It is odd that some characters are almost exact, while others – such as Katherine de Bourgh – bear no resemblance and are seemingly there just to drop the name in. It’s all pretty entertaining, if lightweight and overly long. Mary is probably the least successfully translated Bennet sister, so it is a strange choice to end with her in a postscript that bears no relation to Jane Austen’s classic. Perhaps the author was trying to put a modern twist on the end of a classic – meh.

The Seagull (2018), directed by Michael Mayer

It is interesting to ponder whether there is touch of the Emperor’s New Clothes about some of the classics. Do they endure because they really are so profound or have they become a habit so ingrained they are beyond the kind of critical appraisal applied to new works? Chekov’s The Seagull is essentially a melodrama and only the outstanding cast stops this film version tripping over into pure soap opera. Everyone is in love with the wrong person; they make the wrong decisions and are determined to wallow in their misery. In fact, you just want to slap most of them. Saoirse Ronan inhabits naïve, betrayed Nina; Annette Bening is wonderful as ageing actress Irina eliciting some sympathy for a character so shallow, self-centred and vain; Elisabeth Moss makes a good fist of the rather thankless role of Masha, the most slappable of them all. The women outshine the men, but Corey Stoll is good as selfish writer Boris, while Billy Howle is suitably sulky as the moody and frustrated Konstantin. Set in the idyllic Russian countryside in the early 20th century, the film is beautifully shot and costumed. Most of the action centres on the many dysfunctional relationships – mother and son, lovers, husbands and wives, brother and sister – that are undermined by jealousy and dissatisfaction. But it is punctuated by occasional pithy references to the social climate, which leave little doubt as to why there was a revolution in the offing.

A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness

Dr Diana Bishop is the last in a long line of powerful witches, dating back to Salem, but she is in denial of her powers following the traumatic death of her parents when she was a child. She has turned her talents to academia, specialising in the history of science with a focus on alchemy. A research trip to Oxford uncovers an ancient text that draws a great deal of unwanted attention from other witches, daemons and vampires. One vampire in particular, the enigmatic Professor Matthew Clairmont, seems to get in her way at every turn, but is he a protector or a threat? Diana must come to terms with her past and get a handle on her magic to be able to deal with a challenging future. Rather too much detail bogs down the story in places – yes we get the author is familiar with Oxford; we don’t need a map of every street and statue to prove it. Nevertheless the narrative is underpinned by scholarship, which adds an interesting intellectual dimension to the story. When the action and the romance take off the story flys, which is just as well as at nearly 600 pages this Twilight for adults is quite the tome. This first of a trilogy has been made into a TV series, with Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode cast in the lead roles.