In the East, a young woman called Tané has been working all her life to be a “dragonrider.” Dragons are considered holy in the East. West and East are completely isolated from each other, each believing the beliefs and practices of the other heretical. The story is told in the third-person limited through the point of view of four characters: Tané, Ead Duryan, Niclays Roos, and Loth Beck. The world of the novel is divided between regions of the West, East, and South.

However, in the world of the novel, magic is real, as are dragons and other legendary creatures, and rule by women is common. The Priory of the Orange Tree is set in a fantastical world that resembles Earth during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Priory of the Orange Tree is Shannon’s first book outside The Bone Season saga. Shannon has published the first four books of the series so far. She published her debut novel, The Bone Season, in 2013 as part of a seven-book futuristic fantasy series. Shannon has a special interest in history, Middle English, and world mythology. Though her works are set in alternate and fantasy universes, they are often loosely based on real-world history and offer a commentary on historical narratives. Shannon, who read English at Oxford, began writing at an early age, finishing her first (unpublished) novel in her teens.

This study guide follows the Bloomsbury UK 2021 edition.īorn in London in 1991, Samantha Shannon is a writer of futuristic and fantasy fiction. Critically acclaimed for its rich world-building and progressive themes, the book was a New York Times bestseller in the epic fantasy genre in 2019. Though the novel is supposed to be a stand-alone work, the text leaves many questions unresolved, suggesting the possibility of a sequel. Inspired by the folklore and mythology of Europe, Japan, and China, the novel’s key themes are the redemptive power of love and the importance of feminist and queer retelling of stories. To vanquish this enemy, the various regions of the world must cast aside their differences and come together, heroes must retrieve lost magical artifacts, and people must question all known truths. The densely plotted novel spans several continents to tell the story of a divided world threatened by the return of an ancient enemy. The novel is notable for its subversion of the medieval fantasy genre, as well as its queer and feminist themes.

Published in 2019, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is an epic high fantasy novel set in a fictional universe in which dragons are real and women rulers are the norm.

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