The Mortal Instruments

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The Mortal Instruments
The Mortal Instruments boxed set.jpg
Author Cassandra Clare
Cover artist Cliff Nielsen
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Urban fantasy, Contemporary fantasy, Paranormal romance, Young adult
Publisher
PublishedMarch 27, 2007 – May 27, 2014
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Audiobook
Preceded by The Last Hours
Followed by The Dark Artifices

The Mortal Instruments is a series of six young adult fantasy novels written by American author Cassandra Clare, the last of which was published on May 27, 2014. The Mortal Instruments is chronologically the third [1] series of a planned six in The Shadowhunter Chronicles but was the first one published. It follows Clary Fray, who interacts with a group of Nephilim known as Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The Shadowhunters protect the world of mundane/human people, who are also called mundanes or "mundies", from dark forces beyond their world. The book series falls under the young adult genre, specifically that of the paranormal romance/urban fantasy and supernatural genres. [2]

Contents

Novels

  1. City of Bones (March 27, 2007)
  2. City of Ashes (March 25, 2008)
  3. City of Glass (March 23, 2009)
  4. City of Fallen Angels (April 5, 2011)
  5. City of Lost Souls (May 8, 2012)
  6. City of Heavenly Fire (May 27, 2014)

Main characters

Critical reception

City of Bones was popular at the time of release, reaching #8 on the New York Times Best Seller list (Children's books) in April 2007. [3] City of Ashes was one of the YALSA's top ten teen books for 2009. [4]

Publishers Weekly commented that it "is a sprawling urban fantasy packed with just about every type of creature known to the genre". [5] Locus praised the book as "a highly readable first novel". [6] Booklist said that there was "plenty of romance, loss, honor, and betrayal to make the journey worthwhile. An experienced storyteller, Clare moves the plot quickly to a satisfying end." [7] School Library Journal said "Though the story is hampered by predictability and overblown writing, Clare continues her talent for mixing hip, modern humor with traditional fantasy, and fans eagerly awaiting the series conclusion should come away more than satisfied." [8] A review in the School Library Journal noted that the book contained a variety of narrative flaws including characters that were "sporadically characterized" and whose behavior was predictable. In spite of this they noted that the book was entertaining and would leave readers anticipating the next installment. [9] The series has been in the New York Times Best Sellers List for 102 consecutive weeks as of September 5, 2013, and No. 1 for 9 weeks straight, knocking series such as The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson and The Olympians off the top spot.[ citation needed ] The last time The Mortal Instruments spent 100 consecutive weeks on the best sellers list was in May 2012. On August 29, 2013, City of Bones topped the USA Today's Best Sellers List, which made it the Best Seller Book of the country at the time. Four other Mortal Instruments books also made the list. City of Ashes was No. 8, City of Glass was No. 20, City of Fallen Angels was 35 and City of Lost Souls was No. 46. [10]

In City of Ashes, the Faerie Realm and its inhabitants are characters from Holly Black's faerie series, beginning with Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale . Also, the characters Val and Luis from Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie appear in another scene in that book. Within Holly Black's third book, Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale , there is a reference to the Mortal Cup mentioned in The Mortal Instruments series.

Clare delved deeply into world mythology in order to build the Shadowhunter world featured in The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and all other offshoots of the series. There are strong influences from Paradise Lost and The Inferno ; while there are many references to Western religious mythology, Clare also studied world mythology deeply, specifically demonic myth featured in Japanese, Tibetan, and other Eastern cultural texts. Her references to angels and nephilim throughout the series also come from this study of world religions and folklore. These myths were then adapted to fit into her stories. [2]

Further books in the series

Prequels

Cassandra Clare has written a series of prequels called The Infernal Devices set in the same universe as The Mortal Instruments, but in Victorian London. This series consists of three books: Clockwork Angel, published on August 31, 2010, Clockwork Prince, published December 6, 2011, and Clockwork Princess, published March 19, 2013. [11] The main characters in this series are Will Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Jem Carstairs, who reside in the London Institute.

There is a sequel series to The Infernal Devices called The Last Hours set in the same universe detailing the adventures of the next generation of Shadowhunters almost two decades after the events of Clockwork Princess. The series consists of three books: Chain of Gold,Chain of Iron, and Chain of Thorns. [12] [13]

Sequels

The Dark Artifices is a sequel trilogy set in the same universe as The Mortal Instruments, but five years in the future. The first book, Lady Midnight, was published on March 8, 2016. The second book, Lord of Shadows was released on May 23, 2017. The third and final book, Queen of Air and Darkness was published on December 4, 2018. [14] [15]

Anthology compilation of novellas

Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson have written a complementary series of ten short stories called The Bane Chronicles that recount the experiences of the Warlock Magnus Bane character from The Mortal Instruments series. This series has been published over the course of 2013 and 2014 and consists of "What Really Happened in Peru", "The Runaway Queen", "Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale", "The Midnight Heir", "The Rise of the Hotel Dumort", "Saving Raphael Santiago", "The Fall of The Hotel Dumort", "What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You're Not Officially Dating Anyway)", "The Last Stand of the New York Institute", and "The Course of True Love (and First Dates)". [16]

Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan also wrote a series of books called Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy that are focused on the character of Simon Lewis, Clary's best friend and Isabelle's boyfriend as he journeys to become a Shadowhunter. The series consists of ten books that have been released over the course of 2015. The books and release dates are: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy, February 17; The Lost Herondale, March 17; The Whitechapel Fiend, April 21; Nothing but Shadows, May 19; The Evil We Love, June 16; Pale Kings and Princes, July 21; Bitter of Tongue, August 18; The Fiery Trial, September 15; Born to Endless Night, October 20; and Angels Twice Descending, November 17. [17]

In addition, Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan edited a side book titled Ghosts of the Shadow Market. The book contains 10 stories of the Mortal Instrument characters, The Infernal Devices characters, The Dark Artifices characters, and The Last Hours characters. The titles of the stories are "Son of Dawn", "Cast Long Shadows", "Every Exquisite Thing", "Learn About Loss", "A Deeper Love", "The Wicked Ones", "The Land I Lost", "Through Blood", "Through Fire", "The Lost World", Forever Fallen. [18]

Adaptations

Graphic novels

The City of Bones, The Clockwork Angel, The Clockwork Prince, and The Clockwork Princess have all been released in graphic novel form by Th3rd World Publishing. [19]

Film

In 2010, Screen Gems announced that they would produce on the film adaptation of City of Bones , [20] the first book in The Mortal Instruments series, with hopes of starting a successful film franchise. The film premiered on August 12, 2013, at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. [21] Production on a film adaptation of the second book, City of Ashes , was due to start in September 2013, but was delayed to 2014, and eventually cancelled, after the first film failed to recoup its budget. [22]

Television

Constantin Film announced on October 12, 2014 that The Mortal Instruments would be reintroduced as a television series. The show ran for three seasons, with a total of 55 episodes, beginning on January 12, 2016 and ending on May 6, 2019.

A graphic novel based on the first book was released to coincide with the series premiere.

On October 12, 2014, at Mipcom, Constantin confirmed that The Mortal Instruments would return as a television series with Ed Decter as showrunner. [23] Constantin Film and TV head Martin Moszkowicz told The Hollywood Reporter that, "It actually makes sense to do [the novels] as a TV series. There was so much from the book that we had to leave out of the Mortal Instruments film. In the series we'll be able to go deeper and explore this world in greater detail and depth." [23] [24] The producers hoped to adapt the entire book series. [23] In February 2015, book series author Cassandra Clare announced via Twitter that the television series would be called Shadowhunters rather than The Mortal Instruments. [25] In March 2015, ABC Family picked up Shadowhunters straight-to-series. [26] The series was renewed for a second season in March 2016, consisting of 20 episodes, which premiered on January 2, 2017. [27] [28] [29] In April 2017, it was announced that the series was renewed for a third season of 20 episodes. The first half of ten episodes premiered on March 20, 2018, while the second aired in mid-2018. [30] [31] The two-part series finale aired on May 6, 2019. [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassandra Clare</span> American author (born 1973)

Judith Lewis, better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

<i>City of Bones</i> (Clare novel) 2007 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones is the first urban fantasy book in author Cassandra Clare's New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments. The novel, first published in 2007, is set in modern-day New York City and has been released in several languages, including Bulgarian, Hebrew, Polish and Japanese. It is the first book in the first trilogy of The Mortal Instruments which includes the books City of Ashes and City of Glass.

<i>The Infernal Devices</i> Novel trilogy by Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices is a trilogy by author Cassandra Clare, centring on a race called the Shadowhunters introduced in her The Mortal Instruments series. The trilogy is a prequel series to TheMortal Instruments series. Cassandra Clare has stated that the two series are able to be read in any order, but it is best to read them in publication order.

<i>City of Ashes</i> 2008 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes is the second installment in The Mortal Instruments series, an urban fantasy series set in New York written by Cassandra Clare. The novel was one of YALSA's top ten teen books for 2009.

<i>City of Glass</i> (Clare novel) 2009 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass is the third book in the urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. In 2009, Walker Books published the third book of the series worldwide. It is a journey that explores Simon's and Clary's experience in the Shadowhunter city, and Clary works on saving her mother, as they travel from the New York institute to Alicante, Idris.

<i>City of Fallen Angels</i> 2011 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. The series was meant to end with City of Glass; it was announced in March 2010 that a fourth book would be added, with Cassandra Clare later saying that she views this as a "second trilogy" in the series. The book was released on April 5, 2011.

<i>Clockwork Angel</i> 2010 novel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel is the first installment of The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. After the death of her aunt, Tessa Gray is sent a ticket to travel to London by her brother Nathaniel. On arrival, she is kidnapped and abused by two cruel sisters who work under the name of 'The Dark Sisters', until her eventual saving by a group of people who are referred to as Shadowhunters. The rest of the book is based around her discovering the Shadow world and making a life with the new people she encounters.

<i>City of Lost Souls</i> (novel) 2012 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls is the fifth book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. City of Lost Souls was released on May 8, 2012, and was followed by the sixth and final book in the series, City of Heavenly Fire in 2014.

<i>City of Heavenly Fire</i> 2014 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire is a young adult fantasy romance novel, the sixth and final installment in The Mortal Instruments series, and chronologically the twelfth installment in The Shadowhunter Chronicles franchise by Cassandra Clare. It was released on May 27, 2014. The book once again follows the adventures of the teenage Shadowhunter, Clary Fray, and her allies in facing her brother Sebastian Morgenstern and his allies of Endarkened Shadowhunters. It also ties in with both The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices series by having their main protagonists, Tessa Gray and Emma Carstairs, appear as supporting characters and connecting the worlds of The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices.

The Dark Artifices is a trilogy written by Cassandra Clare. The series is chronologically the fourth series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles and a sequel to The Mortal Instruments. It is set in Los Angeles. The series consists of three books: Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows and Queen of Air and Darkness, in that particular order. Centered around the protagonist, Emma Carstairs, the series follows her journey as a Shadowhunter at the Los Angeles Institute, and her life with her best-friend and parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, and his family. The series is about a sacred bond of "parabatai", two bonded Shadowhunters, and it is more valuable than any bond in this world. This bond makes the two more powerful and strong, but there is only one drawback - it is forbidden to fall in love with your parabatai. It so happens that Emma and Julian, two parabatai, have fallen in love. The Dark Artifices is a trilogy about their struggle against their enemies and how the two protagonists deal with their forbidden love and the resulting consequences. The series is told from the point-of-view of the various different characters in the story.

<i>The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones</i> 2013 urban fantasy film

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a 2013 urban fantasy film based on the first book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. It was directed by Harald Zwart, with a script written by Jessica Postigo. The film stars Lily Collins as Clary Fray, a teenager from New York City who meets a group of Nephilim known as the Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The cast also includes Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, CCH Pounder, Jared Harris, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes was set to be a 2014 action film based on the second book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

<i>Clockwork Prince</i> 2011 book by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince is a 2011 novel written by Cassandra Clare. It is the second novel in The Infernal Devices trilogy and is written through the perspective of the protagonist, Tessa Gray, who lives at the London Institute among Shadowhunters, a group of half-angel/half-human beings called Nephilim. After the recent failings of Charlotte, the head of the London Institute, the Council of Shadowhunters begin to question her ability to lead. Now Tessa and her friends must find Mortmain – an evil industrialist bent on destroying all the Nephilim in the world – or risk losing control of the Institute.

<i>Clockwork Princess</i> 2013 novel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess is a 2013 fantasy novel written by young adult author, Cassandra Clare. It is the third and final installment of The Infernal Devices trilogy, following the first book, Clockwork Angel, and the second book, Clockwork Prince. It is written in the third person through the perspective of the main protagonist, Tessa Gray, who resides in the Shadowhunter's London Institute. This final installment follows Tessa and her friends as they face off against the series main antagonist, The Magister, who plans to completely obliterate the Shadowhunter race.

The Shadowhunter Chronicles is a media franchise based on the writings of American young adult fiction writer Cassandra Clare, which currently encompasses six series of novels, three short-story collections, five graphic novels, one film, a television series, and other media.

<i>Shadowhunters</i> 2016 American supernatural drama television series

Shadowhunters, also known as Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Ed Decter, based on the novel series The Mortal Instruments written by Cassandra Clare. It premiered in North America on Freeform on January 12, 2016. Primarily filmed in Toronto, Canada, the series follows Clary Fray, who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she comes from a long line of Shadowhunters, human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons, and has to deal with the struggle of forbidden love.

<i>Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy</i>

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy or simply called Shadowhunter Academy is a series of connected novellas featuring the character of Simon Lewis from Cassandra Clare's best-selling The Mortal Instruments series. It consists of ten novellas written by Cassandra Clare in collaboration with other authors that were published online on a monthly basis. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy was released in print on November 15, 2016.

<i>Lord of Shadows</i> 2017 novel by Cassandra Clare

Lord of Shadows is a young adult urban fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare. It is the second book in The Dark Artifices, which is chronologically the fourth series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. The book is set in the Los Angeles area in 2012. The titles from each chapter are derived from the poem Dreamland by Edgar Allan Poe.

<i>Queen of Air and Darkness</i> (Clare novel) 2018 novel by Cassandra Clare

Queen of Air and Darkness is the third and final book in The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare, which is the fourth chronological series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. This series follows the characters of the LA Institute in 2012 and features characters from all of the previous series. The chapter titles all come from the poem The City in the Sea by Edgar Allan Poe.

References

  1. ↑ "4 Ways to Read the Cassandra Clare Books in Order". T.L. Branson. December 13, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "My Bio - Cassandra Clare". cassandraclare.com.
  3. ↑ "Children's Books". The New York Times . April 22, 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  4. ↑ "The 2008 Teens' Top Ten". ala.org.
  5. ↑ "Children's Book Reviews: Week of 4/9/2007". Publishers Weekly. 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
  6. ↑ Locus - "The Mortal Instruments, Book One: City of Bones", Faren Miller, June 2007
  7. ↑ "Booklist Review: City of Glass". Booklist. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  8. ↑ Langhans, Eliza. "Grades 5 & Up". School Library Journal. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Clare, Cassandra. City of Bones.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)". School Library Journal. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
  10. ↑ "New York Times Bestsellers List – TMI Source". tmisource.com. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  11. ↑ Henderson, William (17 July 2012). "Want to Know How Cassandra Clare's Widely Anticipated Clockwork Princess Begins?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "The Last Hours - Cassandra Clare". cassandraclare.com.
  13. ↑ "Clockwork Princess Special Content - Cassandra Clare". cassandraclare.com.
  14. ↑ Driscoll, Molly (March 15, 2012). "Cassandra Clare offers a few hints about her next Shadowhunters series". Christian Science Monitor . Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "The Dark Artifices". cassandraclare.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "The Bane Chronicles". Shadowhunters.
  17. ↑ "Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy". Shadowhunters.
  18. ↑ "Ghosts of the shadow Hunter market". Goodreads . Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  19. ↑ "Graphic Novels - Cassandra Clare". cassandraclare.com.
  20. ↑ Bettinger, Brendan (October 4, 2010). "Screen Gems Positioning CITY OF BONES as the First Film in a MORTAL INSTRUMENTS Franchise". Collider . Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  21. ↑ Stedman, Alex (August 13, 2013). "Cassandra Clare Brought to Tears on 'Mortal Instruments' Set". Variety. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  22. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. (January 9, 2016). "'Shadowhunters' Cast & Producers Pledge Faithfulness To Popular Novels – TCA". Deadline Hollywood .
  23. 1 2 3 Barraclough, Leo (October 12, 2014). "Constantin to Produce TV Series Based on 'Mortal Instruments,' 'Resident Evil' Franchises". Variety . Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  24. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (October 12, 2014). "MIPCOM: 'The Mortal Instruments' to Return as TV Series". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Cassandra Clare Reveals THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS TV Series Name". TheFandom.net. February 22, 2015.
  26. ↑ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (March 30, 2015). "'The Mortal Instruments' Series: ABC Family Orders 'Shadowhunters'". Variety .
  27. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (March 14, 2016). "'Shadowhunters' Renewed for Second Season at Freeform". The Hollywood Reporter .
  28. ↑ "'Shadowhunters Season 2! Freeform Picks Up Shadowhunters For A Second Season!'". Shadowhunters TV. March 14, 2016.
  29. ↑ Patten, Dominic (October 8, 2016). "'Shadowhunters' Reveals Season 2 Debut Date & 'Vampire Diaries' Star Directing – NY Comic-Con". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  30. ↑ "New year, new date". shadowhunterstv. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  31. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (October 7, 2017). "'Shadowhunters' Scores Additional 10-Episode Freeform Order". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Freeform Announces Summer Premieres & Finales". The Futon Critic . March 27, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
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