Book Review: Priory of the Orange Tree (by Samantha Shannon)

Confession: I probably read this book due to its catchy title.

There is fantasy and then there is epic fantasy! At 840+ pages, this is a mammoth book by any standards. I read the Kindle version, and can only imagine how thick the actual book must be. Readers of fantasy are used to reading massive tomes on a regular basis, especially if one is a GRRM fan. The author, Samantha Shannon has said that this is a standalone book, though she may return to writing more about this world eventually.

The basic premise of the book is the inevitable return of the Nameless One; a 'wyrm' of immense power that is, at the start of the book, in a state of hibernation due to a spell that has bound it into the Abyss for one thousand years. (Flashbacks to The-One-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, anyone?). The world has been divided since centuries by religion and geography; where the West and East cannot stand each other. The story follows Eadaz and Tane; two female protagonists belonging to the West and East respectively, and through their experiences, we learn how prejudices are born from nothing more than blind faith and intolerance toward perceived differences. There are two other characters of significance in the story: Niclays (an unbearable character) and Loth. 

The book blazes through the pages where Eadaz holds sway. She is any feminist's dream and by the author's own confession, this novel belongs to feminism. Eadaz is, in equal measures, courageous and tender. She is the glue that holds the whole story together. For me, Tane was too flawed, and although she redeems herself towards the end, I could not find myself looking forward to chapters with her story. Thankfully, much of the book belongs to Eadaz, and she was compelling enough to make me finish the book inside three days.

As has been noted by many readers before me, the book excels at depicting equality between men and women. LGBT characters are wonderfully etched. The only blemish that I could find with the book was the length: it is both a blessing and a bane. There are stretches of pages where nothing really happens, and the reader may tend to lose interest. Other than this, the novel is pure and unadulterated bliss. Do read if you're a fan of fantasy literature.

My rating: 4/5
Image source: goodreads.com