A Day of Fallen Night: A Roots of Chaos Novel (The Roots of Chaos)

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Wulf only meant to lie down, to remember how it felt to sleep close to his family… always there, never seen.” Wulf’s haunting childhood dreams capture his deep sense of abandonment and foreshadow his journey towards self-discovery. Wulf: I haven’t really talked (typed?) about him, because I was focusing on the women, but he’s one of my favourites! He’s so sweet, and I just wanted to hug him too!

A return to the world of Samantha Shannon's Sunday Times and New York Times-bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree The Roots of Chaos is a series that both honors and skewers fantasy traditions (as well as knifing patriarchal religions, like Christianity, in the guts at every opportunity). Inys is a queendom, which seems radical on the face of it, but in reality, it has reduced its unbroken line of queens into walking, talking wombs. The queens of Inys rule the realm, and stand in for the Saint, but they don’t even have control over their own bodies. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a magical, communal sisterhood, one where women lead, and women do the fighting, while men cook the food and tend the gardens and raise the babies — but no love is allowed to come before love of their founder, the Mother, even the love of their own children. Rulers convert to religions to expand their own nations and consolidate power, driving out heathens in the process — but those witches who know the ancient ways are often saviors, not bad guys. In A Day of Fallen Night, various nations and dynasties are portrayed, with many rulers inheriting their positions through generations. Among them are the Berethnets of Inys, passing their crown from mother to daughter, claiming it keeps the Nameless One at bay. This belief demands every Berethnet Queen to bear an heir promptly. This obligation becomes even more pressing during crises, such as Glorian’s situation after her parents’ demise.

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Through Tunuva we see the most siden magic, a magic of heat and day and fire. I have always adored the careful balance of this world's magic system and was delighted to see so much magic throughout the different perspectives. I’m not a warrior,’ Glorian said. Her throat ached. ‘I want to be, Father. I want to be like you.’ The cast of his jaw softened. ‘But a warrior possesses her own body. Inys has mine.’”

Wulf is our point of view in the North. He's such an engaging character, an intriguing man trying to escape the mysteries of his past. He serves as a warrior under King Bardholt, fighting against the rumours of the Haithwood, trying to be someone his family will be proud of. Wulf is also an incredibly loyal character, much like Tunuva, a fierce defender of those he loves, and a caring friend. There’s no way to get around the real-world troubles that make their way into this fictional universe. The brutal ramifications of climate change. The endless suffering caused by leaders that won’t heed the warnings of a coming pandemic. The violence of governments seizing control of women’s bodies. But there’s hope here too — and hope in story is how humanity has found hope for real, since the beginning of time. “A flower in a world of ash,” the Grand Empress tells Duami, “is proof that life endures.” Here, Shannon explores the most important storyline of them all. Here, Shannon (with her passion for women in history blazing brighter than any flame) explores monarchy through the lens of what women in monarchies were forced to endure and provide to continue these bloodlines. Here, Shannon is at her best. Two central families, both featuring LGBTQIA+ parental figures, play pivotal roles, intricately linked by Wulfert Glenn. These families are bound not merely by shared blood but by deep emotional connections, emphasizing the power of love and dedication in forming lasting familial ties. This prequel takes place 500 years before the events of The Priory of the Orange Tree. Each of the four geographical regions has its own historical, religious, and political beliefs. All of their beliefs are at odds with each other.To the North, Wulf’s chosen family is led by two gay men, demonstrating that love transcends blood relations. Despite the origins shrouded in mystery and rumors, Wulf was welcomed into their family after being discovered near the haithwood. Wulf’s fathers and siblings shower him with unconditional love and support, offering reassurance in the face of his uncertainties: “Wulf tried and tried not to imagine. His father held his face. ‘You,’ he said, ‘are not evil. Every night, I thank the Saint he brought you to this family’” (542-43). I Although this reunion doesn’t completely heal her or compensate for the lost years, Tuva finds solace. His departure doesn’t shatter her; she can move forward without the burden of his mysterious disappearance. Throughout the novel, she confronts her grief, trying to understand it and survive. In the end, she learns to live with it, leading to a stronger bond with Esbar. Together, they defeat the wyrm Dedalugun. Glorian Hraustr Berethnet Not just the beautiful sapphic relationships, but also the grandmothers, the mothers, the sisters, adopted or birth, they were an absolutely stunning representation of how women can protect and help each other.

A Day of Fallen Night explores what it means to be a strong female character and does not shy away from tough subjects such as pregnancy, labor, motherhood, the relationship between mothers and daughters as well as sisters, and the loss of a child. What I like the most about this novel is that each female character showcases a different kind of strength. Unlike most modern forms of entertainment, which associate a strong and independent female character with one that is single, alone, or without family, friends, or other loved ones to rely upon in times of need— A Day of Fallen Night shows these women as fiercely capable whether they are with loved ones or not.Yes, but with no set number of books, at present. When I wrote Priory, I originally intended it to be a one-off standalone, but the longer I sat with it, the more I came to realise that this world had a much larger story to tell. However, because each instalment seems to take me about three years to finish, I need to consider my schedule carefully before I jump into each one, especially since I have other ongoing projects.

I stayed up reading this book until I was actually drifting off! Having to put this book down was so hard, especially as it’s better in large chunks, so you can get fully into it! Whilst I fell in love with many of these characters there was just too many to fully appreciate them all and quite a few added little to the overall story. With an impressive eye for detail, Shannon seamlessly weaves the three women’s narratives together with a fourth—a young man struggling to prove his worth despite rumors that he’s the son of a witch. Each perspective leads into the next, building suspense and tension while drawing the reader deeply into the world of each character. Where some epic fantasy stories lag and linger for the sake of character development or world-building, Shannon doesn’t waste a single scene, making them all do double, sometimes triple duty to ensure they are all important and compelling without sacrificing narrative momentum.Kuposa pa Nikeya is a character in A Day of Fallen Night who undergoes a significant transformation from antagonist to ally. Initially, she is viewed with suspicion by Dumai and her allies because of her association with Clan Kuposa and her father, the River Lord of Seiiki. Nikeya’s actions, like threatening Kanifa, fuel this distrust. She is portrayed as a cunning and manipulative person, using her beauty and threats to get her way, following her father’s wishes. Despite this, Nikeya expresses her reluctance and inner conflict, revealing her desire for a different life away from her father’s control, especially after her mother’s death. While Samantha Shannon already shined at creating strong, emotionally complex female leads in The Priory of the Orange Tree, the male characters were underdeveloped by comparison. In A Day of Fallen Night, Shannon avoids this problem by introducing Wulf, a young man from the North who becomes the fourth main protagonist in the second part of the book. Wulf strives to find his calling in a world that underestimates him, proving to be a multidimensional character every bit as compelling as the three female leads.