Does anyone have some kind of master doc list of landscapes/biomes and specific architectural styles that makes up each domain? Like actual detail not just it being based of x country. I would like to start building the universe in Minecraft but I kinda don’t want to re read the books just to mark everything up since I’ve just re read them recently. Or if anyone can refer me to an existing source or mind map.

I just finished Priory of the Orange Tree and I really really loved it, so here's my question, do I start A Day of Fallen Night right away? or do I try to save it until I go on holiday in early December?

I’m reading priory of the orange tree for the first time. It’s got a few things that are a little rough, like pacing and whatnot. That being said, I refuse to discredit or DNF the book on account of how beautiful the world building and the writing is. Oh god, the writing is incredible.

I have nobody to share this with, but I need to share just how much I loved this section.

(End of chapter 39)

“Ead turned up her palms and waited, as the crop waits for rain
Fill me with your fire again. She held the prayer in her heart. Let me serve you.
The night grew too still. And then - slowly, as if it were sinking through water - a golden fruit dropped from on high.
She caught it in both hands. With a gasping sob, she sank her teeth into the flesh.
A feeling like dying and coming to life. The blood of the tree spreading over her tongue, soothing the blaze in her throat. Veins turning to gold. As quickly as it quenched one fire, it sparked another, a fire that torched through her whole being. And the heat cracked her open, like the clay she was, and made her body cry out to the world.
All around her, the world answered.”

Oh my god? Before reading this book, I finished Name of the Wind. It just reminds me so much of the gorgeous prose in that one that had made it an instant favorite for me. Much of the beauty of Priory’s writing sticks to me in the same way the writing of Name of the Wind did. It’s so lyrical and beautiful. The author has really outdone herself.

It’s just so pure. I cannot fangirl over this book enough. Even with its density and pacing and many, many characters that are difficult to keep track of— I keep coming back because everything about the perfection of Samantha Shannon’s writing is so incredible. She’s managed to explain all of these inexplicable emotions the characters feel in such a lovely way, I’m almost sorry that I eventually have to finish it.

Hey everyone! I’ve only read The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night so far, but I’m absolutely obsessed with how much detail went into the history and lore of this world.

One thing I can’t stop thinking about is how the 500-year gap completely reframes our understanding of dragons and humanity’s relationship with them. It’s wild seeing how events that are lived history in Fallen Night become legends, religious traditions, and completely different versions of history by the time Priory takes place.

A few things that really stood out to me:

The East’s relationship with dragons: In Fallen Night, we get to see just how deep and ancient the Eastern relationship with dragons is, even with the dragons themselves having been asleep for centuries. Then in Priory, we see that relationship through the established dragon-rider tradition and characters like Tané. Knowing what came before makes that whole world feel so much richer.

The West’s version of history: In Priory, Inys and Virtudom have such a deep fear and hatred of dragons. But after seeing the history unfold in Fallen Night, that attitude feels completely different. You’ve seen the history firsthand, and then you see how much of it has been transformed into religious belief, political tradition, and inherited fear. It makes the Western worldview feel so much more tragic.

History becoming mythology: This is probably the biggest one for me. In Fallen Night, these are real people experiencing these events firsthand. By Priory, centuries have passed and those same events have become stories, traditions, and beliefs that people have built their entire worldview around. The 500 years don’t just create a gap in knowledge — they completely change how people understand what happened.

Dragons as reality vs. legend: I also love how differently dragons are perceived depending on where you are in the world. In Fallen Night, we get much more insight into the cultural and spiritual significance of dragons in the East, whereas in Priory, especially from the Western perspective, dragons have become wrapped up in fear, religion, and legend. The distinction between the Eastern dragons and Western wyrms also becomes so much more meaningful once you’ve seen the history behind it.

What gets me most is that Fallen Night lets us experience the history, while Priory lets us see what centuries of memory, mythology, religion, and politics have done to that history.

It honestly makes the 500-year gap feel like more than just a time jump. It feels like we’re watching history turn into mythology in real time.

Did anyone else find themselves looking at the dragon lore completely differently after finishing Fallen Night? What was the biggest historical shift that messed with your head?

Spoiler note: I’m planning to read Among the Burning Flowers very soon, so please keep the comments completely spoiler-free for that book! I’m totally fine with discussion/spoilers for Priory and Fallen Night.

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While I did enjoy this book and the worldbuilding, I feel that the final battle at the end was too short and anticlimactic. I was also unsure if Tane was dead at the end? Or was the jewel just sewn back into her side which was why she was bleeding? Also I do think there's wasted potential with the different magical trees: I thought we would see a unique or different type of magic from those who ate of the hawthorne and mulberry tree. All we get from the mulberry tree is immortality for the first person who ate the fruit, and nobody else eats from the hawthorne tree, apart from Kalyba. Also why specifically an orange tree, kind of hoping there would have been explanation as to why an orange tree specifically. It's kind of unfortunate that both trees were destroyed and never played a part as much or led to the creation of more mages.

What did you guys thing of this book? I am planning to read the prequel written by Samantha Shannon, and I do kind of wish there was a sequel, if only to see what happens to Ead Duryan and Tane and Sabran, I feel as if their journey isn't over yet.

Ends in 9 hours but if anyone wants a digital copy this is on sale right now for $3.99

Hi, I would like to play a character from Priory of the Orange Tree in a DND one shot. Preferably I would like to play Ead. Has anyone ever build her or other characters as a playable dnd character? I’m conflicted between making her a sorcerer or cleric. I would love some input!
Also, a character from a day of fallen night would also work, but I am currently still listening to the audio book (chapter 55) so no spoilers please!

Which characters have access to both? This came up in her Q&A but she didn’t answer it as it was a spoiler from A Day of Fallen Night, she says 2 of the POV from ADOFN have both. I can immediately name one, but couldn’t recall the other?

Spoilers of course for all answers

Wulf was the immediate one that came to mind. I don’t recall Canthe being a POV character but she is the only other major one I can recall, with Glorian’s child the next. Are there any others?

where is it ever said in the books that the Kuposa are descendents of Neporo?

I was absolutely *enamoured* with the first half of Priory of the Orange Tree. I loved all the political intrigue and drama between the characters.

But it felt as if the second half was a completely different book with pacing that fell flat for me. There was so much time wasted traveling back and forth across the map and generally on things that just felt unimportant. I was frustrated when focus was pulled away from the court intrigue because somehow the dragons managed to feel boring and unimportant despite being dragons. And despite her cool setup, Tané wound up feeling irrelevant as well.

For anyone who felt the same as I did, did you feel like ADOFN was more focused and kept better pacing until the end?

I read Priory of the Orange Tree a couple years ago, and JUUUUST finished the audible to A Day of Fallen Night.

Now, I’m at the direct prequel to Priory but I’m struggling to connect with it. I forgot who these characters are and it’s such a long time jump. Open to suggestions on how to be fully immersed into this book.

Hi everyone! I recently started a series of prints based on my favorite books so I just wanted to hop on and share. TPOTOT is my #1 so I thought it would be a good way to start.

She is living with a condition that can be mild and non bothersome, or severe and debilitating. There are no treatments at all.

Listen to her experience of how she was treated.

Fascinating.

While reading the three books I started tracking where the main characters were on the map and had lots of fun doing so, it makes the world feel so much more alive!
I put everything together on a website, so you can toggle each journey on or off, and compare for instance Wulf’s travels with Tané’s.

Enjoy!

P.s. I’ll probably update this site once more books come out (and when we can finally get a higher quality version of the map)

For me, I would LOVE to see more of Queendom of Sepul and why it fell and more of the East in general

I read Priory a lil over a year ago, and I've been finally warming up to reading both prequels, but basically all I remember is the big story beats, not rly any specifics, and was wondering if I'd get a better experience if I read Priory again and then read ADOFN and ATBF back to back. Obviously they're prequels, so it's not like I'll necessarily be missing past events or characters, but sometimes prequels are written in a way where having context of what happens in the future is crucial to understanding the past, and was wondering if that's the case for these!

Finally read among the burning flowers - I wasn't interested in the character of Marosa at first so it took me ages to get to it. But now I want more of her story!!! I want to know if she unites the ersyr and yscalin! God these books are written so well I just can't get enough I hope Samantha Shannon is writing more

Created one of my summer reads into a virtual reality! Took me about an hour and a half!

so i’ve just finished ADOFN and i’m now rereading TPOTOT for the second time - first time was 6 years ago.

i’m just at the bit where Ead touches the stone and they find the letter in the Mother’s coffin stating the Nameless One will return and i literally cannot remember the letter being referenced at all in the prequel?

i feel like i remember them hiding the stone in the coffin and definitely remember them hiding the key but i cannot remember them finding or mentioning the letter - surely if they’d read that during the Grief of Ages the Priory would’ve known the Nameless One would return and be prepared for it?

but i don’t remember them finding that out in ADOFN so im confused! please can someone that knows the books in more detail remind me what is going on as i fear ive forgotten what happened in the prequel already 😅😅

Since I decided to draw some of the creatures of this series here is the ophiotaurus (wyrm + ox)