S
Samantha Shannon
British author of dystopian and fantasy fiction
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Synopsis
Queen Sabran the Ninth rules Inys under the weight of a thousand-year-old myth: her bloodline alone can keep an ancient wyrm sealed away, and only her own daughter can continue it. Ead Duryan, a mage sent by a secret order to guard the queen from assassins, must hide both her magic and her true loyalties inside a court that would burn her for either. Across the sea, Tané has trained her whole life for the chance to become a dragonrider, only to have one impulsive night threaten everything she's worked for. And in the fallen ally-state of Yscalin, the disappearance of a nobleman named Loth draws him into a conspiracy that stretches from the eastern seas to the Nameless One's prison itself.
Four points of view, spanning several kingdoms with dragons of different kinds, converge as the wyrm's return draws near and old political and religious divisions threaten to keep the world from uniting against it.
Genres
Characters
Tané MiduchiProtagonist
A Seiikinese apprentice who has trained her whole life to become a dragonrider.
Ead DuryanProtagonist
A mage of the Priory of the Orange Tree, posing as a lady-in-waiting at the Inysh court in order to protect Queen Sabran.
Arteloth BeckProtagonist
An Inysh lord and Sabran's childhood friend, sent away from court and into the draconic kingdom of Yscalin.
Sabran the NinthProtagonist
Queen of Inys of the House of Berethnet, whose bloodline is held to keep the Nameless One bound.
Niclays RoosProtagonist
A Mentish anatomist and alchemist exiled to the trading post of Orisima in the East.
Goodreads Choice Award (2019)Lambda Literary Award (2019)
Frequently asked questions
Is this book part of a series or a standalone story?
While this book functions as a self-contained narrative, it shares a world with the prequel novel A Day of Fallen Night, which explores events set centuries before the timeline of this story.
Why is Jorge Rizzo listed as an author?
Jorge Rizzo is a translator who worked on the Spanish-language edition of this book, and his name is frequently misattributed as a co-author in automated library and retail databases.