A Day of Fallen Night
The New York Times and No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.
Content guide
Cancer (implied), childbirth, child loss, child marriage,
climate change, mass death, mind control, miscarriage
(mention), pandemic, parental death, postnatal depression,
pregnancy, reproductive coercion, violence, vomiting
BUY
*
SPECIAL EDITIONS
Barnes & Noble (unsigned)
Waterstones (unsigned)
Reviews
This story is epic in scope, but its density is the sort that pulls you in. The biggest pull comes from the humanity displayed by the central characters, whose hearts ache for their children and their futures in a world fraught with turmoil [...] The very real struggles these characters face, whether they ride dragons or bear the suffocating rules of monarchy, make this a consuming read [...] This is expansive, emotionally complex, and bound to suck you in’ – Kirkus Reviews ★
‘The novel overflows with characters whose wins you’ll cheer for and whose failures you’ll mourn. Shannon examines the relationship between mother and child, including the grief that comes with the loss of a child, the hope that a new generation brings and the frustration of trying to live up to your forerunners' expectations. Her female characters are fierce, but they’re also vulnerable, clever and lonely. At times, her poetic prose overwhelms the senses with sumptuous detail and explosive energy. In other moments, she paints complex emotions with goosebump-inducing empathy’ – BookPage ★
‘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
‘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, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Final Strife
‘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’ – C. S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Rise
‘An intricate epic; a lavishly glittering fantasy tapestry vividly depicting generations of compelling relationships and characters that feel legendary and human. A Day of Fallen Night both stands along and magnificent, and is a worthy successor’ – Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon
‘A magnificent, sweeping epic. Shannon has created a world rich in intricate mythology, beautifully realised and complex, and placed at its heart bold and vivid characters. Their journeys sweep the reader along, compelled by a thrilling plot of peril and warfare, but utterly captivated by the heartfelt relationships, the simmering romances, the betrayals, the loss and the love. Highly recommended for hiding away from the real world and losing yourself in this one instead’ – Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne
‘Aching in its intimacy and undaunted in its chaos, never before has such terror presented itself so tenderly. A tremendous triumph. The Roots of Chaos series firmly plants Shannon as a master of the genre’ – London Shah, award-winning author of the Light the Abyss series
‘A Day of Fallen Night is a mythic and timeless meditation on grief, faith and the bonds of love and fealty that define us. An exquisite epic fantasy’ – Tasha Suri, award-winning author of The Jasmine Throne
‘Shannon writes a feat of a book that should be recognized for its splendor as much as for its expert worldbuilding and electric characters. With A Day of Fallen Night, Shannon is guaranteed an entrenched position in the fantasy world and genre, and will surely be an author who is read for years to come’ – Michigan Daily
‘No matter how far you travel on the back of your ichneumon, no matter how high you fly your dragon, no matter how deeply you dig with shovels or magic, you will never even come close to the edge of Shannon’s world’ – Autostraddle
‘Like all the greats, Samantha Shannon has built a world with geography, rules that govern its characters’ lives and, above all, a history [...] Miraculously pacy, given its thumping scale, this is another gorgeous, glittering epic’ – Daily Mail
‘Shannon’s prose is a symphony to experience, with beautiful sentences readers will find themselves pausing to revel in. But as with her scenes, not a word is wasted, and woven inside the words are details you won’t want to miss. Each character is distinct, including the side characters, which is no easy feat given such an expansive cast’ – The Portalist
Translations
- Czech by HOST – coming September 2024
- French by De Saxus, Un Jour de Nuit Tombée, translated by Benjamin Kuntzer
- German by Penhaligon – coming soon
- Italian by Oscar Vault, Un Giorno di Notte Cadente – coming December 2023
- Polish by Wydawnictwo SQN, Dzień Nastania Nocy, translated by Kamila Regel
- Portuguese (Brazil) by Plataforma21 – coming soon
- Spanish by Roca Editorial, El Día que se Abrió el Cielo, translated by Jorge Rizzo
- Ukrainian by Vivat – coming soon