Samantha Shannon ©Jamie Drew

Books by Samantha Shannon

Samantha Shannon is an award-winning New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling fantasy author. Born in London in 1991, Samantha studied English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford from 2010 to 2013. In 2013, at the age of 21, she published The Bone Season, the internationally bestselling first instalment in a seven-book series of fantasy novels. Her first book outside the series, The Priory of the Orange Tree, has sold over a million copies in English worldwide. Its prequel, A Day of Fallen Night, hit shelves in February 2023, becoming an instant #1 Sunday Times bestseller. Her most recent book is Among the Burning Flowers, published on 16 September 2025.

Interviews with Samantha Shannon

The Best Fantasy Book Series, recommended by Samantha Shannon

A fantasy series allows us to explore the complexities of characters, the far corners of their worlds, and the consequences of their actions – for best-selling author Samantha Shannon, this is “a privilege, and such a joy.” Here she recommends five rich, sustained fantasy worlds, featuring old gods, spymasters, witches, plagues, and the land of the dead – and above all, characters who keep surprising us.

The Best Mythopoeic Fantasy, recommended by Samantha Shannon

Fantasy writers often create vivid, intricately detailed worlds in which their stories unfold. Rich mythmaking of this kind often features alternative religions, languages and cultures, and is known among fans and scholars as ‘mythopoeia’. Here, Samantha Shannon—author of the internationally bestselling The Bone Season sequence—recommends five of the best mythopoeic fantasy books.

Interviews where books by Samantha Shannon were recommended

The Best Sci-Fi Romance Novels, recommended by Natasha Pulley

Sci fi opens up new possibilities for romance stories, unconstrained by social reality. It’s an exciting time for the genre, says Natasha Pulley, bestselling author of The Mars House. Through her five contemporary favourites, she explores how human emotion – including romantic love and friendship – elevates the best sci-fi novels, creating stories with realism and depth.

© Five Books 2025

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