Last Night as Warmblood

On the eve of her transformation, Phoebe Taylor, surrounded by her family and the de Clermont vampires, faces the poignant, ceremonial goodbye to her mortal life. The dinner is elegant but heavy with unspoken anxieties and love. Her family's reactions range from stoic support to materialistic concern, while Phoebe herself is torn between excitement for eternity with Marcus and the pain of leaving her old world behind. The night is filled with rituals, secret phone calls, and the weight of tradition, setting the stage for her leap into the unknown.

Becoming Vampire: The Change

Phoebe's conversion is clinical yet mystical, overseen by Miriam and Freyja. The process is both excruciating and transcendent, as Phoebe's body is remade by vampire blood. She experiences a profound sense of loss and yearning, but also a new, slow, deliberate heartbeat—her first as a vampire. The narrative explores the physical and psychological violence of becoming something other, and the immediate, overwhelming sensory changes that follow. Her first days are marked by confusion, hunger, and the struggle to control her new instincts.

Marcus's Revolutionary Roots

Parallel to Phoebe's transformation, Marcus's story unfolds: born Marcus MacNeil in colonial Massachusetts, he grows up under the shadow of a harsh, traumatized father. The narrative delves into his childhood, the violence and discipline of the era, and his yearning for freedom. Marcus's journey from obedient son to revolutionary is shaped by the American War of Independence, his friendships, and his exposure to Enlightenment ideals. His early life is a crucible of pain, rebellion, and the search for belonging.

The Sins of the Fathers

Marcus's relationship with his father, Obadiah, is fraught with abuse and the legacy of war. The chapter explores how the sins and scars of one generation are passed to the next, culminating in Marcus's act of patricide to protect his mother and sister. This act severs him from his past and propels him into a life on the run, where he must forge a new identity. The narrative draws parallels between Marcus's personal history and the broader revolutionary struggle for liberty and self-determination.

Vampire Traditions and Trials

As Phoebe adapts to her new existence, she is thrust into the labyrinth of vampire etiquette and tradition. Her every move is scrutinized, her environment tightly controlled to prevent disaster. The de Clermonts' rules—no contact with Marcus for ninety days, strict feeding protocols, and the necessity of choosing a new name—are both protective and oppressive. Phoebe's struggle mirrors Marcus's earlier battles with authority, highlighting the tension between individual desire and communal expectation.

The Prodigal's Past

The narrative shifts between the present and the past, as Diana, Matthew, and their magical children navigate the complexities of their blended family. The twins' emerging powers, the appearance of magical familiars, and the ghosts of the past all converge. Marcus's memories, tangled and painful, affect the fabric of time itself, while Diana's children begin to weave spells instinctively. The chapter explores the interplay of memory, magic, and the psychological inheritance of trauma.

Blood, Family, and Freedom

Marcus's journey through the American Revolution, his transformation into a vampire by Matthew, and his subsequent education in France are recounted. He is shaped by the ideals of liberty and equality, but also by the rigid hierarchies of vampire society. His relationships—with mentors, lovers, and his new family—are fraught with longing for acceptance and the fear of repeating old patterns. The narrative interrogates what it means to be free, and the price paid for family and immortality.

The Making of a Healer

Marcus's calling as a healer emerges from the chaos of war and the suffering he witnesses. His education in Edinburgh, his work during epidemics, and his attempts to save lives—both human and vampire—define his sense of purpose. Yet his efforts to create a new, egalitarian vampire family in New Orleans end in tragedy, as the dangers of unchecked power and the consequences of breaking vampire law catch up with him. The chapter is a meditation on duty, compassion, and the limits of idealism.

Revolution, Loss, and Rebirth

The French Revolution provides the backdrop for Marcus's passionate but doomed relationship with Veronique, a fiercely independent vampire. As Paris descends into violence, Marcus is forced to choose between love and loyalty to the de Clermonts. The narrative explores the dangers of political idealism, the pain of exile, and the necessity of letting go. Marcus's repeated losses—of lovers, friends, and children—underscore the loneliness of immortality and the difficulty of forging lasting connections.

The Price of Immortality

Marcus's attempts to build a new vampire family in America, particularly in New Orleans, are marked by both hope and hubris. His "children" are a diverse, unruly group, reflecting his revolutionary ideals, but their existence draws the deadly attention of the de Clermonts. Matthew and Juliette's intervention leads to the destruction of Marcus's family, teaching him the hard lesson that immortality comes with strict rules and devastating consequences. The chapter examines the ethics of power, the dangers of unchecked creation, and the enduring need for belonging.

Modern Love, Ancient Rules

As Phoebe matures as a vampire, her longing for Marcus intensifies. The narrative explores the erotic and emotional dimensions of their bond, the challenges of adapting to a new body and identity, and the ever-present weight of tradition. Their eventual reunion is both a personal triumph and a ritualized public event, blending modern love with ancient ceremony. The chapter highlights the tension between individual happiness and communal responsibility, and the ways in which love must be negotiated within the constraints of history.

The New Vampire's Struggles

Phoebe's adaptation to vampire life is marked by frustration, boredom, and the slow mastery of her new abilities. She grapples with the loss of her human senses, the challenge of feeding ethically, and the need to find purpose beyond survival. Her relationships with her mentors—Miriam, Freyja, Ysabeau, Françoise—become sources of both support and conflict. The chapter is a nuanced exploration of identity, agency, and the search for meaning in a life that is suddenly unbounded by time.

Family, Power, and Control

Diana and Matthew's struggles to raise their magical twins, the ongoing tensions with Baldwin and the de Clermont hierarchy, and the ever-present specter of blood rage and spellbinding are explored. The narrative interrogates the ethics of control—over children, over family, over the future—and the dangers of repeating the mistakes of the past. The family's efforts to balance freedom and safety, tradition and innovation, are mirrored in Phoebe and Marcus's journey toward partnership.

The Hidden Hand Revealed

The theme of the "hidden hand"—the unseen forces that shape lives, whether parental, magical, or historical—comes to the fore. Marcus confronts the ways in which Philippe, Matthew, and even Diana have tried to direct his fate. The narrative explores the pain of betrayal, the necessity of forgiveness, and the possibility of breaking free from old patterns. The family's collective reckoning with their pasts opens the door to a more honest, if uncertain, future.

Choosing Life, Choosing Love

As Phoebe nears the end of her fledgling period, she is faced with the ultimate choice: to embrace her new life fully, with all its risks and responsibilities, or to retreat into the safety of the past. Ysabeau's wisdom, the support of her chosen family, and her own growing sense of selfhood guide her. The chapter is a celebration of agency, the courage to say no, and the power of choosing one's own path—even when it means accepting loss and imperfection.

Reunion and Evermore

Phoebe and Marcus's long-awaited reunion is both passionate and transformative. Their mating is a ritual of blood and trust, a merging of past and future, self and other. The narrative lingers on the sensory and emotional intensity of their union, the sense of time suspended, and the promise of "evermore." Their love, hard-won and tested by tradition, trauma, and separation, becomes the foundation for a new kind of family—one that honors both freedom and connection.

Homecoming: Past and Future

The final chapter brings Phoebe and Marcus to Marcus's childhood home in Hadley, Massachusetts. The house, lovingly preserved, is both a site of memory and a blank slate for their future. The ghosts of the past are acknowledged, but not allowed to dictate the present. The couple's choice to make a life together, grounded in honesty and mutual respect, is a quiet but radical act. The story ends with the promise of "evermore"—a future shaped not by the hidden hand of history, but by the choices they make together.

Characters

Phoebe Taylor

Phoebe is the novel's central lens for the experience of becoming a vampire. Her journey is one of radical change: from a modern, ambitious, loving human to a fledgling vampire navigating ancient customs and overwhelming new senses. Her relationship with Marcus is both anchor and catalyst, driving her to embrace eternity while wrestling with the loss of her old life. Psychologically, Phoebe is marked by a deep need for agency and meaning, resisting both the passivity of tradition and the temptations of power. Her development is a study in adaptation, resilience, and the courage to choose life on her own terms.

Marcus MacNeil/Whitmore

Marcus's arc is a tapestry of trauma, rebellion, and hope. Born into violence and oppression, he seeks freedom first through revolution, then through medicine, and finally through the creation of a new kind of vampire family. His relationships—with his abusive father, his mentors, his lovers, and his vampire kin—are fraught with longing for acceptance and the fear of repeating old patterns. Marcus is both haunted and driven by the past, but ultimately finds redemption in love, healing, and the willingness to break the cycle of control. His psychological journey is one of integration: reconciling the wounds of childhood with the responsibilities of immortality.

Matthew de Clermont

Matthew is both Marcus's maker and Diana's husband, embodying the tensions between tradition and change, power and vulnerability. His own history of trauma, blood rage, and loss shapes his approach to fatherhood and leadership. Matthew's struggle is to balance the need for control with the imperative to let go, to protect without suffocating, and to love without destroying. His relationship with Marcus is especially complex, oscillating between authority, guilt, and genuine paternal affection. Matthew's development is a meditation on the limits of power and the necessity of forgiveness.

Diana Bishop

Diana is the emotional and magical center of the Bishop-Clairmont family. Her journey is one of self-discovery, as she learns to wield her power responsibly and to raise her magical children without repeating the mistakes of her own parents. Diana's role as a weaver—of magic, of family, of history—mirrors her psychological work of integrating past and present, trauma and healing. Her relationship with Matthew is a model of partnership, marked by negotiation, honesty, and mutual respect. Diana's arc is a testament to the power of knowledge, compassion, and the refusal to be bound by fear.

Ysabeau de Clermont

Ysabeau is the oldest and wisest vampire, a living repository of history and tradition. Her role is both nurturing and exacting, guiding Phoebe through the trials of fledglinghood while insisting on the importance of choice and self-mastery. Ysabeau's own losses—of Philippe, of children, of a world that no longer exists—give her a depth of empathy and a fierce commitment to survival. She is both a model and a warning, embodying the costs and rewards of immortality.

Freyja de Clermont

Freyja is a force of nature: practical, witty, and fiercely protective. She serves as both mentor and foil to Phoebe, advocating for a balance between tradition and adaptation. Freyja's own history of violence and survival informs her approach to power and family, and her relationship with Phoebe is marked by both affection and tough love. She represents the possibility of change within the constraints of ancient custom.

Miriam Shephard

Miriam is Phoebe's sire and a figure of both authority and ambivalence. Her approach to motherhood is clinical, data-driven, and at times emotionally distant, shaped by centuries of loss and the trauma of her mate's death. Miriam's relationship with Phoebe is a study in the limits of control and the necessity of letting go. She is both a gatekeeper and a liberator, challenging Phoebe to find her own path.

Baldwin de Clermont

Baldwin is the head of the de Clermont family, embodying the weight of history and the dangers of rigid hierarchy. His interactions with the younger generation are marked by both genuine concern and a tendency toward authoritarianism. Baldwin's arc is one of gradual, grudging adaptation, as he is forced to confront the limits of his power and the necessity of change.

Françoise

Françoise is the quiet backbone of the de Clermont household, embodying the dignity and freedom that come from self-chosen service. Her relationship with Phoebe is both practical and profound, offering lessons in humility, competence, and the value of invisible labor. Françoise's psychological strength lies in her acceptance of her own desires and her refusal to be defined by others' expectations.

Ransome Fayreweather

Ransome is Marcus's most successful "child," a gambler and entrepreneur who thrives in the chaos of New Orleans. His relationship with Marcus is one of brotherhood and mutual respect, marked by humor, loyalty, and a shared commitment to building something new. Ransome represents the possibility of found family, the dangers of excess, and the enduring appeal of freedom.

Plot Devices

Dual Narrative Structure

The novel alternates between Phoebe's contemporary journey of transformation and Marcus's historical backstory, using parallel timelines to explore themes of change, trauma, and belonging. This structure allows the reader to see the echoes between generations, the persistence of certain patterns, and the ways in which the past shapes the present. The dual narrative also creates suspense, as revelations in one timeline illuminate mysteries in the other.

Ritual and Tradition

The story is structured around a series of rituals—farewells, transformations, naming, mating, and reunions—that serve to both bind and test the characters. These ceremonies are sources of both comfort and oppression, highlighting the tension between individual desire and communal expectation. The repeated invocation of tradition forces characters to confront what is worth preserving and what must be changed.

Bloodlore and Memory

The act of drinking blood is not merely physical but psychic, allowing vampires to access the memories, traumas, and desires of others. This device is used to explore the transmission of trauma, the possibility of empathy, and the dangers of losing oneself in another's past. Bloodlore also serves as a metaphor for the ways in which family, history, and love are both gifts and burdens.

Magical Realism and Familial Magic

The presence of magic—spells, familiars, time manipulation—serves to literalize psychological and emotional realities. The magical children, the appearance of the griffin Apollo, and the spontaneous weaving of spells all function as externalizations of internal states: anxiety, hope, the desire for control. Magic is both a source of wonder and a reminder of the unpredictability of life.

The Hidden Hand

The motif of the "hidden hand"—whether parental, magical, or historical—recurs throughout the novel. Characters are repeatedly confronted with the ways in which their lives have been shaped by forces beyond their control, and must decide whether to accept, resist, or transform those influences. The device is used to interrogate the ethics of power, the possibility of freedom, and the necessity of forgiveness.

Foreshadowing and Recurrence

The novel is rich in foreshadowing, with early events and conversations resonating in later chapters. The repetition of certain images (the red door, the clock, the act of naming) creates a sense of continuity and inevitability, while also inviting the possibility of change. The structure encourages the reader to look for patterns, to question the difference between fate and choice, and to hope for the breaking of cycles.

Analysis

Time's Convert is a meditation on transformation—personal, historical, and generational. Through the intertwined stories of Phoebe and Marcus, Deborah Harkness explores the costs and rewards of change: the pain of leaving behind old identities, the struggle to adapt to new realities, and the enduring need for connection and meaning. The novel interrogates the tension between tradition and innovation, the dangers of unchecked power, and the possibility of forging new kinds of family and community. At its heart, the book is about the courage to choose life—again and again—despite loss, trauma, and uncertainty. Harkness suggests that true freedom is not the absence of constraint, but the ability to make one's own choices within the web of history, love, and responsibility. The lessons of the past are not chains, but tools for building a more honest, compassionate future. In a world where time makes more converts than reason, the greatest act of rebellion is to choose evermore.

Last updated: May 15, 2025