Samantha Shannon | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Hammersmith, London, England [2] | 8 November 1991
Occupation | Writer |
Genre | Dystopian, fantasy, paranormal |
Notable works | The Bone Season , The Priory of the Orange Tree |
Website | |
www.samanthashannon.co.uk |
Samantha Shannon (born 8 November 1991) is a British author of dystopian and fantasy fiction. [3] Her debut novel, The Bone Season , was published in 2013 and is the first of a seven-book series. [4]
Shannon was born in Hammersmith, London in November 1991 [1] and grew up in Ruislip. [5] She first began writing at the age of fifteen, when she wrote her first novel, Aurora, which remains unpublished. [6] Shannon studied English Language and Literature at St Anne's College, Oxford [3] [7] and graduated in 2013. [8] She is of Irish descent on her father's side, her ancestors emigrating to England from County Roscommon. [9]
In 2012 she signed a six-figure book deal with Bloomsbury Publishing, who bid following the London Book Fair, to publish the first three books in a seven-book series, beginning with The Bone Season . [4] Set in 2059, it follows Paige Mahoney, a "dreamwalker" resisting the Republic of Scion, which has led an oppressive campaign against clairvoyants for two centuries. [10] Following its publication, Shannon was compared favorably to J. K. Rowling. [11]
Film and TV rights to The Bone Season were first optioned by The Imaginarium Studios in November 2012, [7] with Andy Serkis slated to produce, and by British production company Lunar Park in 2019. [12]
The Priory of the Orange Tree , a standalone high fantasy by Shannon, was published in February 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing. [13] A reimagining of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon, [14] it was named by Collider as a sapphic book that should be turned into a show or movie. [15] A prequel, A Day of Fallen Night, was published in February 2023. Shannon has called the series The Roots of Chaos, having originally planned to only write one book within the universe and later stating that there were more stories to tell.
In 2022, Shannon signed a contract for a third book in the Roots of Chaos cycle and a story inspired by the Greek goddess Iris. [16]
Related works
George Raymond Richard Martin, also known by the initials G.R.R.M., is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire, which were adapted into the Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019) and its prequel series House of the Dragon (2022–present). He also helped create the Wild Cards anthology series and contributed worldbuilding for the video game Elden Ring (2022).
Joanne Rowling, known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of Harry Potter, a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has sold over 600 million copies, been translated into 84 languages, and spawned a global media franchise including films and video games. The Casual Vacancy (2012) was her first novel for adults. She writes Cormoran Strike, an ongoing crime fiction series, under the alias Robert Galbraith.
Terry Lee Goodkind was an American writer. He was known for the epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth as well as the contemporary suspense novel The Law of Nines (2009), which has ties to his fantasy series. The Sword of Truth series sold 25 million copies worldwide and was translated into more than 20 languages. Additionally, it was adapted into a television series called Legend of the Seeker, which premiered on November 1, 2008, and ran for two seasons, ending in May 2010.
Holly Black is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the New York Times bestselling young adult Folk of the Air series. She is also well known for The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series of children's fantasy books she created with writer and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, and her debut trilogy of young adult novels officially called the Modern Faerie Tales. Black has won a Lodestar Award, a Nebula Award, and a Newbery Honor.
Nnedimma Nkemdili "Nnedi" Okorafor is a Nigerian American writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. She is best known for her Binti Series and her novels Who Fears Death, Zahrah the Windseeker, Akata Witch, Akata Warrior, Lagoon and Remote Control. She has also written for comics and film.
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's conflict with Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic, and subjugate all wizards and Muggles.
Martha Wells is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has published a number of fantasy novels, young adult novels, media tie-ins, short stories, and nonfiction essays on fantasy and science fiction subjects. Her novels have been translated into twelve languages. Wells has won four Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards and three Locus Awards for her science fiction series The Murderbot Diaries. She is also known for her fantasy series Ile-Rien and The Books of the Raksura. Wells is praised for the complex, realistically detailed societies she creates; this is often credited to her academic background in anthropology.
Daniel James Abraham, pen names M. L. N. Hanover and James S. A. Corey, is an American novelist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer. He is best known as the author of The Long Price Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin fantasy series, and with Ty Franck, as the co-author of The Expanse science fiction series, written under the joint pseudonym James S. A. Corey. The series has been adapted into the television series The Expanse (2015–2022), with both Abraham and Franck serving as writers and producers on the show. He also contributed to Wild Cards anthology series shared universe.
Outlander is a series of historical fantasy novels by American author Diana Gabaldon. Gabaldon began the first volume of the series, Outlander, in the late 1980s, and it was published in 1991. She has published nine out of a planned ten volumes. The ninth novel in the series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, was released on November 23, 2021.
A Song of Ice and Fire, the series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, has formed the basis of several works in different media.
The Bone Season is a supernatural dystopian novel by British writer Samantha Shannon and is her debut novel. The novel was published on 20 August 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing and is the first of a seven-book series. Television rights to The Bone Season have been sold to Harriet Hammond's Little Hat Productions. The small screen adaptation of “The Bone Season” is being written, with input from Shannon, by Scottish screenwriter IR Bell-Webb, an alum of the U.K. National Film & TV School who was nominated for a best British short BAFTA Award for co-writing “Slap.” The Bone Season was also named the first book in NBC's Today show's monthly book club.
Jennifer Lynn Armentrout, also known by the pseudonym J. Lynn, is an American writer of contemporary romance, new adult and fantasy. Several of her works have made The New York Times Best Seller list.
Sarah Janet Maas, known as Sarah J. Maas is an American fantasy author known for her fantasy series Throne of Glass,A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. As of 2024, she has sold nearly 40 million copies of her books and her work has been translated into 38 languages.
Leigh Bardugo is an American fantasy author. She is best known for her young adult Grishaverse novels, which include the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows and King of Scars duologies. She also received acclaim for her paranormal fantasy adult debut, Ninth House. The Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows series have been adapted into Shadow and Bone by Netflix, and Ninth House will be adapted by Amazon Studios; Bardugo is an executive producer on both works.
Susan Dennard is an American YA fantasy author. Her debut novel, Something Strange and Deadly, was published in 2012 by HarperCollins.
Fonda Lee is a Canadian-American author of speculative fiction. She is best known for writing The Green Bone Saga, the first of which, Jade City, won the 2018 World Fantasy Award and was named one of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time by Time magazine. The Green Bone Saga was also included on NPR's list, "50 Favorite Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the Past Decade".
The Priory of the Orange Tree is a 2019 fantasy novel by writer Samantha Shannon. The novel was published on 26 February 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing. Shannon describes the novel as a "feminist retelling of Saint George and the Dragon."
Madeleine Roux is an American fiction author. She has written several young adult paranormal and horror fiction series, including the Asylum series. She has also written two standalone adult science fiction novels along with several novels for licensed properties such as World of Warcraft and Dungeons & Dragons.
The Pale Dreamer is a 2016 supernatural dystopian novella by British writer Samantha Shannon, the prequel of The Bone Season series.
The Mask Falling is a 2021 supernatural dystopian novel by British writer Samantha Shannon, the fourth in The Bone Season series.