 | |
| Author | Samantha Shannon |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Bone Season |
| Genre | Urban fantasy |
| Published | 2021 (Bloomsbury) |
Publication date | January 27, 2021 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| ISBN | 9781408865576 |
| Preceded by | The Dawn Chorus |
| Followed by | The Dark Mirror (2025) |
The Mask Falling is a 2021 supernatural dystopian novel by British writer Samantha Shannon, the fourth in The Bone Season series.
Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney is presumed dead, having escaped Scion London to seek shelter at safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris. The Domino program has plans for Paige, whose bond with her former captor Arcturus Mesarthim is growing ever stronger. Paige works with Arcturus as she goes on a journey through the French underworld, seeking to escalate her fledgling rebellion while coming to terms with her own ordeal.
The Guardian's Lisa Tuttle lists The Mask Falling among the best recent science fiction and fantasy, applauding its "uniquely different and complex setting". [1] The novel was a Sunday Times Bestseller. [2] [3]
Prior to publication, Grazia named The Mask Falling among the most anticipated books of 2021, commenting, "Fiercely intelligent and articulate, Samantha Shannon ha been blazing a trail for a new generation of feminist fantasy authors." [2]
The American Library Association's Donna Seaman writes "For all its superbly choreographed action and paranormal inventiveness [The Mask Falling] is is, at heart, a gripping tale of trust and love, valor and sacrifice, and equality and justice." [4]
Publishers Weekly said of The Mask Falling, "Shannon expertly blends genres to create a story that is at once a political thriller, a dystopian epic, and a paranormal adventure". [5]
Kirkus Reviews calls The Mask Falling "A tantalizing, strategic setup for the next installment, which has all the ingredients to be a knockout." [6]
Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, placing supernatural elements in an approximation of a contemporary urban setting. The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes, quixotic plot-elements, and unusual characters—without demanding the creation of an entire imaginary world.
Slow River is a science fiction novel by British writer Nicola Griffith, first published in 1995. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel and the Lambda Literary Award. The novel received critical praise for its writing and setting, while its use of multiple narrative modes was criticised.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-born American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her short story collection, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award in 1996. Two of her novels, as well as a short story were adapted into films.
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.
Austenland is a 2007 novel by Shannon Hale, published by Bloomsbury. It follows protagonist Jane Hayes, a graphic designer living in New York City who is secretly obsessed with Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice, specifically Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC adaptation. Her aunt dies and, in her will, leaves Jane a trip to an Austen theme park in the English countryside, where customers and actors role-play as characters in the Regency era. The novel is the first in Hale's Austenland series, followed by Midnight in Austenland. A film based on the first novel was released in 2013, starring Keri Russell and directed by Jerusha Hess.
The Lazarus Project is a 2008 novel by Bosnian fiction writer and journalist Aleksandar Hemon. It features the true story of the death of Lazarus Averbuch, a teenaged Jewish immigrant to Chicago who was shot and killed by a police officer in 1908. It was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as the winner of the inaugural Jan Michalski Prize for Literature in 2010.
Samantha Shannon is a British author of dystopian and fantasy fiction. Her debut novel, The Bone Season, was published in 2013 and is the first of a seven-book series.
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.
Princess Academy: Palace of Stone is a fantasy novel by Shannon Hale published in 2012 by Bloomsbury USA. It is the sequel to Princess Academy, the first book in the series, and is followed by Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters. It continues the story of Miri Larendaughter as she visits the capital city of Asland to attend the Queen's Castle academy and the royal wedding. It is a New York Times best seller. It has been published in English, German, Russian, and Chinese.
Alif the Unseen is a 2012 cyberpunk fantasy novel by American writer G. Willow Wilson. In the novel, a Middle Eastern hacker named Alif discovers a book of djinn tales which may lead to a new age of quantum computing. The novel won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
The Mime Order is a 2015 supernatural dystopian novel by British writer Samantha Shannon, the second in The Bone Season series.
A Torch Against the Night is a fantasy novel written by Pakistani-American author Sabaa Tahir. It was published on August 30, 2016, by Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House. It is the second book in the An Ember in the Ashes series, preceded by An Ember in the Ashes and followed by A Reaper at the Gates. The story follows former slave Laia and former soldier Elias on a mission to save Laia's brother; and Helene, the unfortunate blood shrike. The novel is narrated in the first-person, alternating between the points of view of Laia, Elias and Helene.
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".
Under the Pendulum Sun is a 2017 fantasy novel by British writer Jeannette Ng. Ng's debut novel, it was published by Angry Robot.
Arwen Elys Dayton is an American author of science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction. The author of seven published works, she is best known for her award-winning novel Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful and for her Seeker trilogy. Her 2012 novel Resurrection was an Amazon.com Kindle best seller, reaching #1 and #2 on national and international sales charts. The rights to her 2015 novel Seeker were purchased by Columbia Pictures in 2013. Her 2018 novel, Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful, was cited by Tom Shippey of The Wall Street Journal as one of the best science fiction novels of 2018. She is married to tech entrepreneur Sky Dayton and lives in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
The Song Rising is a 2017 supernatural dystopian novel by British writer Samantha Shannon, the third in The Bone Season series.
Christina Soontornvat is an American author, educator, and mechanical engineer. She won two Newbery Honors in 2021 for the children's books A Wish in the Dark and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team, and another Newbery Honor in 2023 for the middle grade novel "The Last Mapmaker".
Harrow is a science-fiction fantasy novel by Joy Williams, published September 14, 2021 by Knopf Publishing Group.
An Extraordinary Union is a 2017 romance novel by American author Alyssa Cole. It was received favorably by critics and named to multiple best-of lists. It won multiple awards but was passed over by Romance Writers of America's nominations process for their major award, sparking discussions of racism within the romance fiction industry.
The Pale Dreamer is a 2016 supernatural dystopian novella by British writer Samantha Shannon, the prequel of The Bone Season series.