Samantha Shannon on The Roots of Chaos series

At 21, Samantha Shannon was hailed as the next big thing in genre fiction for her bestselling dystopian debut, The Bone Season.

Samantha’s latest queer fantasy series, The Roots of Chaos, is a feat of feminist worldbuilding, reimagining the legend of Saint George and the Dragon to create a universe where princesses save themselves. Following smash-hit The Priory of the Orange Tree, the prequel, A Day of Fallen Night, is an engrossing saga about a world on the brink of war with dragons – and the women warriors who must protect humankind. Meet fantasy’s new mother of dragons, joined on stage by Shelley Parker-Chan.

This episode was recorded live in May at the 2024 Sydney Writers’ Festival.

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