Samantha Shannon

Samantha Shannon (born November 8, 1991, in Hammersmith, London) is a bestselling British fantasy author best known for The Bone Season dystopian series and the feminist fantasy epic The Priory of the Orange Tree. Her work is celebrated for its expansive world-building, strong female leads, and fresh takes on classic fantasy tropes.

Shannon studied English Language and Literature at St Anne’s College, Oxford, graduating in 2013. At the age of 21, she signed a seven-book deal with Bloomsbury for The Bone Season, a futuristic dystopian novel set in an alternate 2059 London where clairvoyants are hunted by a totalitarian regime. The book was a commercial success and drew early comparisons to The Hunger Games and The Handmaid’s Tale.

The series now includes The Mime Order, The Song Rising, and The Mask Falling, with more entries forthcoming. Film rights were optioned shortly after its release, and the series continues to attract interest for adaptation.

In 2019, Shannon released The Priory of the Orange Tree, a sprawling standalone epic inspired by Eastern and Western dragon mythology, feminist history, and queer representation. The novel became an international bestseller and a modern fantasy favorite for its sweeping narrative and inclusive storytelling. In 2023, she expanded the world with A Day of Fallen Night, a prequel novel set centuries earlier.

Shannon is known for her articulate advocacy for LGBTQ+ inclusion, strong female heroes, and genre-bending narratives that challenge traditional fantasy frameworks. Her work has been translated into over 25 languages.

She currently resides in London, where she continues to write and engage with readers around the world through events, social media, and newsletters.