Incredible illustration by @wykartt
When I tell you that this story captivated my entire being from the very first page....
I'm not even sure where to start with The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I have been furiously recommending it to anyone in earshot since I finished it.
This story is a 850-page epic that manages to create not only an entire world but an entire universe. I'm not even a huge fantasy novel reader. I haven't read Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, and I stopped reading the Harry Potter books after #2. (I know, I know) And still Priory managed to become one of my favorite books of the past 5 years.
Shannon's story sprawls across the intertwined stories of Tané, the dragon rider; exiled alchemist Niclays Roos; Queen Sabran of Inys; Mistress Ead Duryan; and Lord Arteloth Beck; the top billing for this cast of thousands. While I found it difficult at the beginning to keep track of the seemingly endless names, it became readily ingrained as we went along.
As with any novel that interweaves narratives from different points of view, I was more endeared to some storylines more than others. I simply didn't care about Niclays, for instance, and he felt entirely unnecessary to the plot. But his was the only story I found truly odious. I was deeply engaged in the stories of Ead and Sabran, and enthralled by Tané whenever the narrative returned to her.
The strength of Priory lies in Shannon's ability to create a mesmerizing ecology of worlds without drowning the audience in so many details we feel overstuffed—the literary version of post-Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, she writes with such confidence and fluency that allows her audience to sample all of these cultures, and understand the most relevant parts, without having to consider the interesting, if unnecessary, rest of it. I left this book assured that Samantha Shannon knows the complete and total history, lore, culture, language, religion etc of each of the worlds she created for Priory. It's impressive to encounter an author who withholds that information strategically.
This book has it all: dragons (aka wyrms), alchemy, treachery, mind control, love stories that feature both queer + straight couples, strong platonic bonds, and a firmly feminist spine that holds everything together. I giggled, I cried, I gasped. I could not put it down (to the chagrin of my family members. Seriously.) You simply must take a visit to The Priory of the Orange Tree.
If you're interested in this kind of thing, or simply looking for a more critical review (not critical as negative, critical as engaging with the applications of Shannon's choices), I found this video review incredibly interesting. Obviously, I am a fan of Priory. Because this book is something I picked up in my free time, my criteria for being a fan is simply that I found a lot of enjoyment while reading it. At the same time, I do also find myself agreeing with many of the points made in this critical review. I think it's important to be able to enjoy something wholly for its merits and critique it justly.
P.S. Author Samantha Shannon created this Spotify playlist to accompany Priory. How cool is that?!
Note from Kate: Hi! If you buy something through a link on my page, I may earn an affiliate commission. I recommend only products I genuinely like, and my recommendation is not for sale. Thank you!
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