Genre Fiction
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A Day of Fallen Night (The Roots of Chaos)
The stunning, standalone prequel to the New York Times bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree.
"A magnificent, sweeping epic. Shannon has created a world rich in intricate mythology, beautifully realized and complex." Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne
In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.
"A magnificent, sweeping epic. Shannon has created a world rich in intricate mythology, beautifully realized and complex." Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne
In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.
Editorial Reviews
"A magnificent, sweeping epic. Shannon has created a world rich in intricate mythology, beautifully realized and complex, and placed at its heart bold and vivid characters. Their journeys sweep the reader along, compelled by a thrilling plot of peril and warfare, but utterly captivated by the heartfelt relationships, the simmering romances, the betrayals, the loss and the love. Highly recommended for hiding away from the real world and losing yourself in this one instead" ―Jennifer Saint, internationally bestselling author of Ariadne
"Epic in scope … The heroes shine in their uniqueness, with diverse family dynamics interwoven throughout and representation ranging from queer lords and warriors to genderfluid alchemists. ... This is expansive, emotionally complex, and bound to suck you in."" ―Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"Shannon artfully builds on the world of The Priory of the Orange Tree with this masterful standalone prequel. … it's an expansive epic … Shannon skillfully grounds high-stakes fantasy action in human emotion and a mature exploration of duty, bodily autonomy, identity, and motherhood. Series fans and any reader looking for queernorm fantasy will be thrilled by this self-assured adventure." ―Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"This magnificent, Sapphic fantasy novel…is going to sweep you off your feet." ―Glamour
"The engrossing new story promises to deliver more character-driven, emotionally complex adventure and intrigue." ―Cosmopolitan
"[A] fantasy trilogy in one volume, allowing for deep exploration of each protagonist as they navigate a brutal cataclysm. This richly detailed epic roars to a satisfying conclusion; both Priory devotees and newcomers are in for a treat." ―Booklist, Starred Review
"Fantasy fans, rejoice: The beloved Samantha Shannon is bringing readers back to the world of bestseller The Priory of the Orange Tree in this standalone prequel, A Day of Fallen Night. Set in the same universe as the feminist epic, steeped in dragonriders and intricate mythology, A Day of Fallen Night follows four women and the ways in which their choices shape Shannon's narrative forever." ―ELLE, 65 Best And Most Anticipated Books Of ...
"Epic in scope … The heroes shine in their uniqueness, with diverse family dynamics interwoven throughout and representation ranging from queer lords and warriors to genderfluid alchemists. ... This is expansive, emotionally complex, and bound to suck you in."" ―Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"Shannon artfully builds on the world of The Priory of the Orange Tree with this masterful standalone prequel. … it's an expansive epic … Shannon skillfully grounds high-stakes fantasy action in human emotion and a mature exploration of duty, bodily autonomy, identity, and motherhood. Series fans and any reader looking for queernorm fantasy will be thrilled by this self-assured adventure." ―Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"This magnificent, Sapphic fantasy novel…is going to sweep you off your feet." ―Glamour
"The engrossing new story promises to deliver more character-driven, emotionally complex adventure and intrigue." ―Cosmopolitan
"[A] fantasy trilogy in one volume, allowing for deep exploration of each protagonist as they navigate a brutal cataclysm. This richly detailed epic roars to a satisfying conclusion; both Priory devotees and newcomers are in for a treat." ―Booklist, Starred Review
"Fantasy fans, rejoice: The beloved Samantha Shannon is bringing readers back to the world of bestseller The Priory of the Orange Tree in this standalone prequel, A Day of Fallen Night. Set in the same universe as the feminist epic, steeped in dragonriders and intricate mythology, A Day of Fallen Night follows four women and the ways in which their choices shape Shannon's narrative forever." ―ELLE, 65 Best And Most Anticipated Books Of ...
Readers Top Reviews
ClareR
Phenomenal. Breath-taking. Complex, and well worth both the wait and the work - well, it’s not really work to read this. It was all pleasure. To say this book is wide-sweeping would be an understatement. Set 500 years before The Priory of the Orange Tree, A Day of Fallen Night encompasses a whole world, with different religions, traditions and cultures. The complexity of this book! And then there’s the fact that I didn’t for one moment feel confused. The style of writing in each Kingdom was so distinct, that I knew immediately where I was (no reading ahead and then back again to figure out where I was!). Matriarchal societies, societies where homosexuality is accepted (and in fact is nothing extraordinary), dragons, magic, did I say dragons? Yes, OK, I did, but I cannot stress enough how much I loved the dragons. There’s over 800 pages of action, fighting, adventure, romance, politics, love, betrayal, religion, dragons (have I mentioned the dragons?), magic, strong women, noble men. Ah, I could go on - I won’t. If fantasy is your thing, you’ll love this. If you’ve read and enjoyed Priory, you’ll love this. I don’t think it matters which order you read the two books in, they’ve been written as standalones in the same world. And, if rumours are true, there will be more - AND I CAN’T WAIT!!! Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for my ebook copy. And you’d better bet your life that I’ve bought a hardback copy (from Amazon!). I mean, look at that cover! It’s glorious - beautiful!!
Bamamele.readsCla
This was a masterpiece! I had enjoyed Priory, but this so far surpasses Priory! Every one of the POVs was compelling. The plot movement was great. The character development and further world building were beautiful. I was so much more emotionally attached and affected by the story. My favorites continued to be the South and the East (I’m a sucker for the ichneuman and dragons). But Glorian so so compelling and I loved Wulf too. Tuva and Dumai had my whole heart. It’s so unusual for an almost 900 page book NOT to feel bloated, but every page seemed essential. If you loved Priory, you have to pick this up, but even if you felt Priory lacking in some ways, you absolutely need this book because it is fantastic. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy for review. All opinions are my own.
Sara Machado Silv
This book is a prequel to The Priory if the Orange Tree, set 500 years before the events of that book. I must say I have not read the Priory but this did not affect at all my enjoyment of the story. Samantha’s clarified on her Goodreads that reading the Priory before may help understanding the world, as the Prequel is slightly longer and politically more complex. As I tend to prefer reading events on chronological order, I chose to start on A Day of Fallen Night and do not regret it. The book follows different POV across different regions - Glorian (East), Dumai (West) and Tunuva (South), and Wulf (initially in the North but across other regions as well). Samantha did a terrific job building the characters stories, personalities, and arc, slowly building our connection and curiosity about them. I loved the beautiful writing and the worldbuilding, with rich and diverse characters. I was more partial to Dumai and Wulf because I loved their backstories and personalities, and there was slightly more action in most of their chapters and less religious background. My only (small) complaint is that the first half felt a bit too slow. I know Shannon was setting up the story, but I have felt that every time something was going to happen, we would switch POV, and return when the events already happened. However, I loved how the story evolved and everything was tied up on the second half of the book. I could not recommend Samantha Shannon work more. She is definitely a name to follow and remember regarding High Fantasy.
Rebecca Kate Foge
Thank you Bloomsbury for the advanced copy on NetGalley! Though it’s a prequel it can easily be read as a standalone. One that will have you gripped from the start as you are immersed into the beautiful world Samantha Shannon has built. Set five centuries before THE PRIORY, it follows four women, each with their own story to tell, and how a series of events ultimately shape the course of the lives of all in their world. I loved this story as it was enriched in themes of motherhood, strength, and the bonds of love and devotion to each other. Dragons, magic, and a powerful sisterhood, it has all the elements for a phenomenal fantasy that will sweep you off your feet. Thank you Samantha for creating these magnificent stories and sharing them with us all!
