Time's Convert

A Novel

By: Deborah Harkness

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

From the number one New York Times best-selling author of A Discovery of Witches - now a hit TV series on AMC and BBC America and streaming on Sundance Now and Shudder - the fourth novel in the All Souls series. What does it truly take to become a vampire?

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one, and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor - the young employee at Sotheby's whom Marcus has fallen for - is about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than they were in the 18th century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both - forever.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution. Time's Convert, the fourth book in the All Souls series, channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the previous books instant best sellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries.

©2018 Deborah Harkness (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

A USA Today New Book You Won't Want to Miss This Week

A New York Post This Week's 6 Must-Read Books

A PopSugar New Book Your Friends Are Going to Be Talking About This September

“Harkness brings her keen historian’s eye to the American and French revolutions, drawing parallels between the two periods through not only the vampire witnesses to history but the appearances of historical figures: the Marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine.” (Los Angeles Times)

“In Time’s Convert, Deborah Harkness, the author of A Discovery Of Witches, spins a tale of life-ever-after, romance, and family drama, and it is gloriously entertaining.” (Bustle)

“This vampire book is set during the American Revolution, when a young man named Marcus MacNeil is offered a chance to escape his puritan upbringing (boring!) and become immortal (fun!). From the bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches.” (New York Post)

Great story

I've been waiting for this with such excitement and the story is wonderful, as expected. Unfortunately I'm having a very difficult time with the narrator. I loved the prior narrator and the new narrator is disappointing. I'm not sure if I'll finish listening or not, since I also have the book I might just read this one and enjoy it that way.

A New Narrator for Marcus & Phoebe's Story

"Time's Convert" is essentially the story of Marcus and Phoebe, two secondary characters from the All Souls trilogy. I enjoyed it immensely, although this shorter novel doesn't hold the compelling magic of the trilogy.

Much has already been written regarding the change in narrators. I have heard Saskia Maarleveld narrate a number of other books, and always enjoy her performance. Her voice has an interesting quality to it, and I think she was a good choice for this story. After all, the main characters are a young English woman and an American vampire with a story that's quite different from that of Diana and Matthew. I think the change in narrators helps give a very different feel to this book.

Give it a chance

No, she's not Jennifer Ikeda, but she's good! I know that it's hard when you're used to a certain sound, but give her a chance and listen with an open mind. Just because her pronunciation of certain words is different, doesn't mean it's wrong, as Deborah Harkness has already indicated.

Excellent! Worth every cent (or credit).

Skimming the other reviews, I expected a so-so audioboook experience. That was so wrong! I thoroughly loved every minute! I suspect a lot of listeners expected the same narrator used in previous books and were reacting to the change. Having recently listened to the previous 3 books back-to-back, I was quite familiar with the character voices, but didn't have any issues adapting to the new narrator. Sure, the voices for each character are different, but in every way equal to the previous narration. I think Saskia has an excellent range of voices, far better than a lot of narrators I've listened to (and I've listened to many, as I'm an audio-addict). As for the story itself, as always, Deborah Harkness has spun a fabulous tale. I didn't find it as action-packed as the original AST trilogy, but the writing is wonderful. Getting to know Marcus' backstory, learning how to be a vampire along with Phoebe, and watching Diana and Mathew develop as parents to fascinating twins that are having their own magical adventures is captivating. I was hooked before the end of chapter 1. I really appreciate that Saskia' narration doesn't get in the way of the story, but instead adds to the immersive experience. I found myself forgetting I was listening to an audiobook, instead feeling as if there's an actual movie playing in my mind. The combination of writing and narration was really that good. Equal to the previous audiobooks in the series.

Great story!,horrible narrator, almost turned it off.

I LOVE this series and always read first then listen. listening really brings the characters to life for me. With that being said...... where is Jennifer Ikeda???? This narrator does not do this story justice at all, she makes them all sound course, similar and common, and as we know these characters are anything but common. I hope there was a very good reason for this decision.

not the same voices as the all soles trilogy ..

I dont like that it's not the same person as the gal that did all soles trilogy .. it makes it hard to listen.. I love the book but the voices are all wrong... I love to listen to the first 3 books all the time.. I just cant with this one it sounds all wrong

Missing Jennifer Ikeda narration

loved the book just wish Jennifer Ikeda would have completed the series as the narrator.

Fine story. Horrible narrator.

I’d already read the Kindle version of Time’s Convert and enjoyed the storytelling. It did leave me wanting to know much more about the continuing story of Diana, Matthew and the twins. I’d read the All Souls Trilogy and listened to all three audiobooks. Jennifer Ikeda did a fabulous job and created distinct voices for all the characters. Listening to her narration is a joy. So I figured I’d get the audiobook for Time’s Convert.

The narrator for this book is awful! She rushes through anything that’s not dialogue. The dialogue itself is terrible. All of her male characters sound the same. Her voice is somewhat raspy to begin with, not a great feature for a narrator, and her male characters are even more raspy. Her female characters are not much better. PLEASE bring Jennifer Ikeda back. Have her redo this book and have her narrate any subsequent books in this series. Time’s Convert could be wonderful to listen to. Instead, it’s a barely tolerable slog. Come on, Audible. You can do much better than this!

Frustrating Narrator...

I could not wait for this book!
I also tried to work around and get into this audio but I just can't. The character personalities I’ve come to know and love from the previous books are gone. It's so upsetting, All the voices blend together, male and female are all the same. I understand Jennifer Ikeda was not available, but like so many other fans of the audio books, I would have gladly waited for a delay in release of the audiobook to have her tell the story the way it should’ve been.
BAD call in rushing to release! I would suggest do not waist your time trying to fight through this version, wait and hope they re-release a read by Jennifer Ikeda version!

Disappointing and anticlimactic

Having really enjoyed A Discovery of Witches, I thought this novel would match the mark. I was disappointed in its lack of excitement and thrill. The storyline was flat to say the least. Nothing exhilarating about it. It was quite boring and I found myself listening to other things instead.
The writing in this one was unsophisticated and felt adolescent to a degree.

The narrative was awkward in my opinion. If it was Marcus or Phoebe narrating I could have appreciated it more. Given that it was Diana, I had a hard time connecting to the characters.