From the Publisher
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews
Review
“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 Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon’s sprawling, breathtaking prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, soars as it expands her beautiful world of warrior nuns, queens and dragons with a new era of catastrophe and heroism … demonstrates that Shannon’s magnificent world contains a wealth of intriguing stories.” ―Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
“[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
“A Day of Fallen Night is an absolutely stunning work of fantasy that takes place five hundred years before Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree. This book has it all – a vividly realized world, political intrigue, romance, and an array of incredibly strong female characters, each with their own unique voice and narrative that are seamlessly woven together. This book may be a beast, but it just sucks you in and doesn’t let you go until the last word.” ―Powell’s Best Science Fiction/Fantasy 2023
“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 2023!
“In this stunning epic fantasy, lush with detail and nuance, Shannon weaves a tale of three powerful women that intersect in the most thrilling ways. Huge in scope, rich with emotion, and gorgeously queer, A Day of Fallen Night is the Roots of Chaos book fans have been waiting for. Shannon is simply a master of the genre’” ―C. S. Pacat, New York Times-bestselling author of Dark Rise
“Like a dragon in flight, Samantha Shannon takes you soaring through a tale full of fire and spirit. It is in that freefall that I fell utterly in love with these new characters. The novel draws strength from the power of a woman’s choice, giving the characters a depth of fortitude that is masterful in its craft and execution. Shannon lays bare the intricacies of the world she’s created with sublime skill, enrapturing the reader with political intrigue and momentous action, cleaved through with heart and passion. Simply put, Samantha Shannon hasn’t just done it again, she’s surpassed all that has come before and cemented herself as a legend of the genre.” ―Saara El-Arifi, Internationally-bestselling author of The Final Strife
“Epic in scope, yet careful and tender in its depiction of personal grief, A Day of Fallen Night shows the heights of courage and depths of hope that people can find during terrifying, destruction chaos. A triumph of a book.” ―Helen Corcoran, author of Queen of Coin and Whispers
““A Day of Fallen Night has what readers want in high fantasy: strong women, masterful worldbuilding and, of course, dragons. Samantha Shannon’s prequel to her highly acclaimed The Priory of the Orange Tree, is a welcome return to the lands and skies of this mystical world.”” ―Barnes & Noble “Poured Over” Podcast
“· “the Absolute Best Kind of Expansive Fantasy Epic … Shannon’s immense and immersive worldbuilding [tells] a story that spans both kingdoms and generations … grounding sweeping, apocalyptic events in emotional, deeply human stories of connection, love, and agency … Like Priory before it, the world in A Day of Fallen Night is effortlessly diverse and inclusive … what makes [A Day of] Fallen Night sing is the way it uses its fantastical framework to explore complex issues of love and loss, sacrifice and duty, bodily autonomy, and motherhood. The rare fantasy epic where every page not only builds on what came before-but what comes after as well.”” ―Paste Magazine
Amazon Customer –
Actual review:Good Lord, was this book fantastic! Honestly, I’m struggling to think of a book that’s just as well written, well plotted, and just so well done overall. I was in love with A Day Of Fallen Night from the very first chapter right up until the last page. I haven’t read Priory of the Orange Tree yet, but I am so excited for it now after reading this book.So, this book follows four perspectives in a world where dragons and wyverns are very real. There’s a shared myth among most of the people in this world of the Nameless One, a deadly dragon whose fire has the power to turn the world to ash. Each country has their own version of events about what happened to the Nameless One and what it is, but I’m not going to get into it because it would be too long. In this book, an eruption of the Dreadmount and a series of disturbing events lead people to believe that perhaps the Nameless One, or something else, has come back to destroy humanity.We follow four different perspectives in A Day of Fallen Night, each of them from a different corner of the world. Dumai is a godsinger who hails from the East, which is pretty much isolated from the West due to a harsh sea. Then there is Glorian, heir to the Inys throne in the West and child to two very important and brutal political figures. Wulfert Glenn is one of Glorian’s father’s men in the North, who has a mysterious past. Finally, there’s Tunuva, a warrior priestess from the South with strange magic. I would explain more about these characters’ roles in the book, but again, it would take too long and also would take away from the story.All of these perspectives interweave in ways you wouldn’t expect and are so interesting. I was eagerly invested in each of the perspectives, which is a rare thing for me, especially in an epic fantasy. Usually, I prefer one perspective over the others, but I was equally invested in each of these characters’ stories. Honestly, i did not want this book to end because I did not want to leave these characters.As much as I loved the characters, I think the setting and the world was my favorite part of the book. Every time I picked up this book, I felt like I was literally in the world. Samantha Shannon did such a fantastic job writing the setting, the lore, and even the different cultures. I just love feeling like I’m in another world when I read fantasy, and it’s rare for me to find a book where I become so immersed that it takes me a few minutes to come back to reality.I struggle to come up with a single flaw for this book. If I had to find something I didn’t like, I’d probably say it was how some things feel unresolved.
Michael J. Anderson –
In my Priory of the Orange Tree review I mentioned how the first ~25%+ was a slog that took me three tries to get through, but the last half was really good. A Day of Fallen Night was pretty much the opposite.This time around I was drawn right in and thoroughly enjoyed the characters, relationships and world building in the first half, but suddenly there was an interaction that felt forced and unnatural (as if it was a milestone in an outline that was force-fit) and then we launched into a battle heavy second half that revealed that battles are not the author’s strongest suit.Stakes in a book like this are interesting – there are things we know about the Grief of Ages from the first book that define the overall scope of what this book can accomplish, both in terms of people as well as outcomes. That made much of the second half feel like sketches of battles in a bounded box.But where the book shines is in the characters and their relationships. This is a world that is diverse in its representation, and that really shines here as well. There are at least a dozen major characters we get to explore from four different regions of the world – there are multiple generations, romances, alliances and betrayals, political machinations, and more.One area that I loved in this book was how much of a focus there was on older characters – and not just as wisened elders, but as vibrant main characters. One of the key POV characters was old enough to be a grandmother but still fought on the front lines and was critical to everything in the story. As an older reader I truly appreciated this representation.Another exploration was motherhood – what it means to those who want it, don’t want it, have it forced upon them, have it taken from them, or how found family can be every bit as real.The book wraps up with a character by character epilogue that I liked but felt weird because it felt unnatural and like another thing tacked-on unnaturally – and yet I appreciated getting that ‘after the story ends’ look. Which is likely why it was added.Overall I enjoyed Fallen Night about as much as Priory but for different reasons – and definitely recommend it. It is a ‘door stop’ volume, and will take an investment of time, but is overall a worthwhile read.
Laura Hollar –
A bit slow to start and looking forward to re-reading now that I’m familiar with all of the characters and world building.Story/Plot is fantastic, pacing superb, world building is original and fun to immerse yourself in.Too many times I’ve found books or movies proclaiming/critic reviewed to be Feminist leaning are too on the nose and I made the purchase before realizing aDoFN was such a book. Had I read it without seeing the reviews on the back cover wouldn’t have thought twice about the Fem/LGBTQ aspects of the story. Shannon writes in a way that folds the characters and relationships together effortlessly. Love is love; self-identity is defined by no one but the person it belongs to. Shannon writes these truths and ideologies in such a beautiful way. If only everyone could share this perspective.Although the Writing style is a bit flowery for my taste, this book is the best new fantasy I’ve read in many years. I would certainly put it on par with other big names and classics of the genre and can’t wait to read the Priory and the Orange Tree*To clarify – I LOVE stories with female MC’s and LGBTQ inclusiveness (Favorites authors include McKinley, Pierce, Sanderson, Maas, Nix…). my point is, for those who might be put off by the reviews which almost make it seem like the Feminist/LGBTQ is the primary focus of the book…that just isn’t the case here any more than it would be for a relationship or self-identity in the real world. It’s not about making a statement for statements sake. aDoFN just a beautiful story that anyone who loves fantasy will enjoy. If you have a problem with the feminist/LGBTQ aspects…that’s your loss.
Emilie Guay –
Amazing!
Great story. You can easily read this before The Priory of the Orange Tree. Highly recommend this one!Be careful, many editions and very different dimensions between each.
No –
Maravilhoso
Maravilhoso fantástico magnífico originalMelhor lançamento do ano 2023
Suchitra –
Loveee the cover page!!!
Omg it’s the prettiest book I’ve ever owned! I’m halfway through the book an am loving it!
M –
?
?
Marta Manent –
Increible
Muy contenta con el estado del libro, perfecto. I el libro en si me ha encantado… merece la pena leerlo!Lo unico me ha sorprendido que el libro es MUY largo!!! Aunque a mi me encanta, así que lo recomiendo