SAMANTHA SHANNON’s debut novel, The Bone Season, was published in 2013, the first in her ‘Bone Season’ series.
Good Reading spoke to the author on the release of the fifth book in the hugely popular series, The Dark Mirror.
ABOUT THE DARK MIRROR
Paige Mahoney is outside the Republic of Scion for the first time in more than a decade – but she has no idea how she got to the free world. Half a year has been wiped from her memory.
As she makes her way back to the revolution, her journey takes her to Venice, where she learns a dangerous secret – one that could change the face of the war between humans and immortals. Before she can return to London, she must help the Domino Programme unravel the sinister Operation Ventriloquist.
And it soon becomes clear that the one person who could recover her memories – Arcturus Mesarthim – might also hold the key to saving Italy.
MEET SAMANTHA SHANNON
The Dark Mirror is the fifth novel in your ‘Bone Season’ series – how has your vision for the series changed since you first started writing The Bone Season?
I rewrote the first four books in the series to create the Author’s Preferred Texts last year, but that was more about the style than it was about the story. My vision has remained fairly consistent since I came up with The Bone Season when I was 19 – I’ve always known how it will end, and that hasn’t changed so far. I’ve had the bones – no pun intended – laid out from the beginning, but I do like to allow for some flexibility when it comes to the connective tissue between the key events.
What inspired the Republic of Scion?
In 2011, I was doing a summer internship in Seven Dials – a district of Covent Garden in London – and noticed that a few of the shops in the area sold crystal balls, tarot cards, aura beads, that sort of thing. I’d never even a psychic reading of any sort, but I suddenly had a flash of inspiration; what if something like a witch hunt were to happen, but with clairvoyants instead of witches? I loved the idea of a magic system based on different sorts of divination and communication with the spirit world. I fused this concept with a separate idea I’d had about humanlike gods running the University of Oxford, where I was studying, and out came The Bone Season. The dystopian Republic of Scion was also born, in part, of my desire to confront imperialism, Anglocentrism, hibernophobia, and the ways in which governments can use hatred and propaganda to control a population.
What drew you to the location of Venice in this novel? And how does it help shape the book’s atmosphere and themes?
I loved Venice from the moment I set eyes on it. My research trips for this book are some of my fondest memories; I always had to factor in an extra hour to get anywhere in Venice, in particular, because I was so often drawn to exploring its backstreets. Some cities immediately strike me as a perfect fit for the Bone Season series, and Venice was one of them, as were Prague and Orvieto, which both appear in this instalment. Paige has aquaphobia, which courses through The Dark Mirror – even the title refers to how water looks when it’s still – and having to stay in the Floating City is a key part of her journey to overcoming that fear.
What challenges will Paige face in this novel?
The main challenge she’s facing is not knowing how she ended up outside Scion, as her memories of the last six months have been suppressed, and the only person who might be able to help – Arcturus, her former enemy, now close friend and lover – is missing. The first third of the book is focused on her quest to find him. There’s a great deal of tension involved in the search – firstly because Paige blames herself for his disappearance, and second, because the fate of at least one country rests on information he might have. Paige goes through a great deal of personal growth in this book, resolving to learn from her past mistakes, take better care of herself, and think before she acts.
The ‘Bone Season’ series is known for its intricate world-building. Can you walk us through your process for expanding the world with each book?
It’s much easier now I’m several books into the series. For me, the main challenge of worldbuilding is always in the first instalment, where you have to establish the rules and hook the reader without overwhelming or confusing them. Now we’ve been in Scion for four books – six, if you count the novellas – all I have to do is to keep adding layers to the foundation. It was great fun to bring Paige outside Scion for the first time, since the outside world is far more like the one we know, albeit with some differences.
Was there a scene or chapter in this book that you found especially challenging or rewarding to write?
I don’t usually like writing action or battle scenes, so I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed the main set piece in The Dark Mirror, which unfolds across Rome. It’s so massive and theatrical, with a fight in the Vatican and an ethereal duel in the Colosseum, that I couldn’t help but be swept away; the words were pouring out of me. But the most rewarding sections were those involving the friendship and romance between Arcturus and Paige. There’s a great deal of angst, healing and catharsis as they make their way back to each other.
Is there a particular character in this series that holds a special place in your heart?
Arcturus Mesarthim, the deuteragonist, came to me when I was 15. I’m now 33, so I’ve lived longer with him in my imagination than I’ve lived without him. He’s my favourite character I’ve ever created, and I can’t wait for you to see how his journey continues in The Dark Mirror.
ABOUT THE 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.
Visit Samantha Shannon’s website
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