The Bone Season | ||
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Author | Samantha Shannon | |
Release Date | August 20, 2013 (original) August 2023 (revised) | |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing | |
Pages | 480 | |
Preceded by | The Pale Dreamer | |
Followed by | The Mime Order |
The Bone Season (2013) is the first book in The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon. It was published on August 20th, 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing. The extensively revised 10th Anniversary Edition, also known as the Author's Preferred Text, was published in August 2023.
Synopsis[]
The year is 2059. For two centuries, the Republic of Scion has led an oppressive campaign against unnaturalness in Europe.
In London, Paige Mahoney holds a high rank in the criminal underworld. The right hand of the ruthless White Binder, Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare and formidable kind of clairvoyant. Under Scion law, she commits treason simply by breathing.
When Paige is arrested for murder, she meets the mysterious founders of Scion, who have designs on her uncommon abilities. If she is to survive and escape, Paige must use every skill at her disposal—and put her trust in someone who ought to be her enemy.
Plot[]
Set in Scion-controlled London in 2059, when clairvoyance is a crime and has been proclaimed unnatural, we are introduced to Paige Mahoney, a dreamwalker working with the Seven Seals, scouting out prospect business in I Cohort, Section 4.
On the train ride to her father's home, Paige encounters another clairvoyant. They are the last two left in the train when the two Underguards of the Night Vigilance Division come aboard on rounds. Detecting that they were both voyants, the Underguards proceed to interrogate them and are unable to determine what kind of voyant Paige is. They attempt to capture them, and the encounter leads to a summoning of a guardian angel by the other voyant, William Linwood, and three poltergeists by the Underguard. The other Underguard banishes the guardian angel, allowing the 'geists to flush the spirit out of Linwood. Meanwhile, Paige loses control of her ability and, through her spirit and their dreamscape, accidentally killed one Underguard and drove the other to insanity.
Editions[]
Audiobook[]
- The audiobook is narrated by Irish actress Alana Kerr Collins.[1]
Trivia[]
- During the naming process, the author had considered naming the book Third Eye Blind, Flux, and, briefly, Luna Moth.[2]
- The chapter titles in the original version were based on poems by Dr. John Donne, the author's favourite Renaissance man.[3]