Brainfullofbooks

Slaying dragons is an ancient literary tradition, one that goes back to some of the earliest texts that we have. And The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon shows that this genre is very much alive and well. In her feminist retelling of this time tested trope, Shannon turns the typical dragon slaying narrative on its head. The night before her initiation into being a dragonrider, Tané discovers a half-drowned boy on the beach. . .one who is clearly an outsider. In an east that is still very much cut off from the West this could very well be a death sentence for both of them. Across the world in the kingdom of Inys, Ead lives a lavish life as a lady of the bedchamber to queen Sabran the ninth. . .but she too has her secrets, hidden from everyone in the court. Bit draconic creatures are stirring again across the world and with the-nameless-one himself seemingly set to rise, the tides of fate will bring these two girls together.

The most important part of any story to do with dragons are the dragons themselves and Shannon doesn’t disappoint. In most stories I’ve read the dragons are dragons and then there is everything else. . .the fierce beasts battle against Griffin and wyverns and all other manner of creatures. But The priory of the orange tree doesn’t take the easy way out. It creates a dichotomy of bad dragons against good dragons–beasts that are similar but different enough readers can see them as two separate breeds of the same specifics. I appreciate that she makes space for the evil, greedy devouring dragons of archaic tradition as well as the more friendly version that appears in more modern literature. But mostly this is due to cultural influences. Whole the priory of the orange tree claims to be just a retelling of George and the dragon it is so much more than that, this tale skillfully interweaves myths and Legends from across the world into one coherent narrative. And I loved seeing that and picking out the influences as I read. Shannon obviously based the perception of dragons in her novel off of European tradition which depicts them as an evil to be defeated and power hungry against the eastern version which are friendly, helpful and kind more often than not. It’s the interplay of various cultures and the cultural difference throughout the book that really make the novel shine.

What made me pick up this book–besides the dragons –was the promise of a feminist retelling which Shannon clearly top k very seriously. It’s very clear Shannon took the promise of a feminist retelling very seriously. Almost all of the main characters and even the majority of side characters are women. In fact, there are only three main male characters in the entire book– making them an overwhelming presence in the novel which i found delightful an refreshing. I don’t think I’ve ever done across a novel with so many female characters and it was a refreshing change of pace. And as if to emphasize the point Shannon chose not to have just one heroine, no that wasn’t good enough– she centered the entire story around two girls. In fact, even the villains Tané and Ead end up fazing along the way are women. So, if you’ve held off reading this book because of token representation, then put your fears aside. I expected it wouldn’t be when I saw a woman had written it and Shannon didn’t disappoint. But even I Was pleased to see that the numbers were overwhelmingly skewed in the opposite direction then they usually are.

Most wonderful of all though is the representation that practically bursts from every page. There are many different people and places and cultures and traditions on display. This is accurate in terms of Shannon’s world and our own, even more than the simply east/ west divide that seems to separate the lore on dragons, her interpretation of them and the world she created. And though gender identity does not come up on this medieval based fantasy world this diversity extends to sexuality. There is more than one straight couple, but Shannon also has several gay and lesbian pairings; More than enough to make any reader happy. Beyond the dragons and unabashed feminism, it was this that made me like the book the most of all, it created a vivid, vibrant world that captured me.