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The Infernal DevicesThe Last HoursThe Bane ChroniclesGhosts of the Shadow MarketThe Mortal InstrumentsTales from the Shadowhunter AcademyThe Eldest CursesThe Dark ArtificesThe Wicked Powers
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The Shadowhunter Chronicles,[1][2] also known as Shadowhunters,[3][4] is a young-adult fantasy franchise by American author Cassandra Clare. As of 2023, it is comprised of five main series containing seventeen novels so far; along with a number of companion books, short stories, graphic novels, manga, film, and TV series adaptations.

Each story follows the supernatural conflict between the Shadowhunters—a race of powerful human-angel hybrids—and Downworlders—a society of mythological beings consisting of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and faeries—in their battle against demons.

Main series

The Mortal Instruments

The Infernal Devices

The Dark Artifices

The Eldest Curses

The Last Hours

The Wicked Powers

Companion books

Adaptations

Future

  • The Wicked Powers - the trilogy set to wrap up the Shadowhunter Chronicles;
  • The Secret Treasons - the planned graphic novel project about the Circle which is currently on a permanent hold;
  • Cassie hopes to retell City of Bones from Jace Herondale's POV and dig more into the Lightwoods' relationships;[5]
  • Cassandra has a number of novella collection projects that she would like to work on—including one on Clary Fairchild and Jace, possibly one on Tessa Gray's life after leaving London,[6] an alternate universe one, and one following Matthew Fairchild—but nothing is confirmed or planned as the The Wicked Powers is her next priority to schedule.[7][8]

History

In 2003, Clare started working on her first published novel, City of Bones, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan. City of Bones was released by Simon & Schuster in 2007 and was adapted into a film that was released on August 21, 2013.

City of Bones became a New York Times bestseller upon its release. City of Ashes and City of Glass completed the trilogy. Clare originally intended to have a spin-off graphic novel follow up the story;[9] her plans for the story built on elements already set up in the trilogy and were mostly similar to how the events of the second half turned out,[10] with Simon Lewis becoming a Shadowhunter at the end of it.[11] The graphic novel didn't work out for her, and the series was instead continued with City of Fallen Angels,[12] announced in 2009 and published on April 5, 2011, the start of a second Mortal Instruments cycle. City of Lost Souls followed and the conclusion, City of Heavenly Fire, was released on May 27, 2014.

In 2009, Clare also announced a new series called The Infernal Devices, a prequel trilogy set in the Victorian era, in the same universe as The Mortal Instruments. The first installment, Clockwork Angel, was released on August 31, 2010, followed by Clockwork Prince, and the last, Clockwork Princess, was released on March 19, 2013.

The Dark Artifices, a trilogy set in 2013, five years after the end of The Mortal Instruments, was first announced in 2011.[13] The first installment, Lady Midnight, was published on March 8, 2016, followed by Lord of Shadows, and the last, Queen of Air and Darkness, was released on December 4, 2018.

In 2013, she shared that she hoped to get more stories set in the same universe released: The Last Hours, focusing on the children of The Infernal Devices characters, and The Wicked Powers, a trilogy or tetralogy set three years after the end of The Dark Artifices. The Last Hours publication rights were acquired by Walker Books, and its first installment, Chain of Gold, was released on March 3, 2020, followed by Chain of Iron and the last, Chain of Thorns, was released on January 31, 2023. Much like The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, The Last Hours interconnects with The Dark Artifices;[14] this was more thoroughly explored in the online novel Secrets of Blackthorn Hall—even connecting The Wicked Powers to both.

Co-written with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson, The Bane Chronicles, following the adventures of Magnus Bane, was released in installments in e-book format beginning in 2013, with its print edition published on November 11, 2014 with a bonus story and art by Cassandra Jean for all 11 stories.

Additionally, some of the ideas that would have been used in the spin-off featuring Simon were altered and later used in the following books, particularly the second half of The Mortal Instruments and even The Dark Artifices (for example, Simon's story would have taken place in Los Angeles, and the questions left unanswered in City of Glass were eventually resolved).[15] In 2014, a collection of novellas revolving around Simon and the Shadowhunter Academy, entitled Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, was announced and released in a monthly e-book format beginning on February 17, 2015, with a print edition published on November 15, 2016.

A collaboration series with Wesley Chu called The Eldest Curses was announced in November, 2016.[16] The stories center on Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood and take place over several years in the breaks between Cassie's other series. The first book in the trilogy, The Red Scrolls of Magic, was released on April 9, 2019 with the second book, The Lost Book of the White, following it on September 1, 2020.

Ghosts of the Shadow Market, a collection of novellas focused on Brother Zachariah and later Jem Carstairs, was announced in October 2017.[17] The book was co-written by Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Kelly Link and Robin Wasserman. The first 8 short stories were released in e-book format every month from April 10 till November 13, 2018. The print edition was published on June 4, 2019 with an additional two stories.

In September 2023, Cassandra launched a Kickstarter to fund the Seasons of Shadowhunters. This project was made to fund the releases of a print edition of Secrets of Blackthorn Hall, an updated version of An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters & Denizens of Downworld, Better in Black: Tales of Romance, and Careful of Books. The distribution of these books are set for one per season throughout 2024 and early 2025.[18]

The concluding series of this world is set to be The Wicked Powers. The trilogy/tetralogy currently does not have a release date but the first book is projected by Clare to come in 2025.[19]

Trivia

  • So far, all of the official book covers for the series have been designed by Russell Gordon, and its photo illustrations done by Cliff Nielsen. Michael Rosamilia designs the interior layout of the books, and the book text of all the main installments have so far all been set with the font Dolly.
  • The US/Canada paperback book covers for The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices were updated and officially replaced with new ones with a more modern look in September 2015,[20][21] while the old/original ones remain hardcovers.[22] These were still designed by Russell Gordon and illustrated by Cliff Nielsen. Cassandra Clare also gave a lot of input for the final cover, such as giving the general direction or vision for the covers, and also picked the models and the poses.[23][24][25] The book spines line up and form an image (Manhattan for The Mortal Instruments and Blackfriars Bridge for The Infernal Devices) drawn in pen and ink by another artist.[26][27][28]
    • The repackaged version are updated with minor corrections and changes.[29] It also features a number of bonuses, including maps of cities (such as Shadowhunter London and New York) with book locations illustrated,[30][31] new forewords,[32][33], and new exclusive content written by Cassandra Clare.[34]
  • The UK publisher also released new, alternate covers in July 2015.[35] Unlike the US repackages, these did not replace the originals.[36]
  • Alternative US adult covers are also in the works for both series.[37][38]
  • Cassandra Clare draws inspiration from several classical works for her series, namely: Paradise Lost, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Annabel Lee.

See also

External links

References

  1. Cassandra Clare first sharing the title on Twitter when asked for a name for the series
  2. Cassandra Clare's official site
  3. Shadowhunters World: the series's official site
  4. Repackaged US covers "that reflected that all these books tied together."
  5. "I’ve always wanted to retell City of Bones from Jace’s POV and dig more into the Lightwoods’ relationships." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
  6. "I might [write about what Tessa did during the 130 years between TID and TMI] — Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
  7. "There are a ton of projects I’d like to work on — a Jules and Emma novella collection, a Clace one, an alternate universe one, one that follows a character from TLH" Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
  8. "I thought of doing a novella about Matthew and what happens to him after the end of the books." Cassandra Clare at her Dublin Chain of Thorns event
  9. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/19299069111/thank-you-for-everything-your-amazing-my
  10. http://gallifreyan-asleth.tumblr.com/post/92271421175/about-the-sword-rune-foreshadowing-in-city-of
  11. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/94500821254/clary-simon-parabatai
  12. http://www.cassandraclare.com/faq/how-did-you-go-from-having-decided-to-write-the-mortal-instruments-as-a-trilogy-to-deciding-that-it-would-be-four-books-and-then-six/
  13. http://twishort.com/8d6bc
  14. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/77422013165/walker-acquires-new-cassandra-clare-trilogy-the
  15. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/100427717939/hi-cassie-d-firstly-id-just-like-to-say-that-i-am-a
  16. https://tmisource.com/2016/11/03/exclusive-cassandra-clare-reveals-titles-of-magnus-bane-series-and-more/
  17. https://tmisource.com/2017/10/13/cassandra-clare-shares-news-about-ghosts-of-the-shadow-market/
  18. Cassandra Clare's September 2023 newsletter
  19. An update on my publishing plans! Cassandra Clare on Instagram
  20. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/111580259954/city-of-bones-has-a-brand-new-look-usa-today
  21. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/118725350474/so-as-you-all-know-coming-september-1st-the
  22. "old covers will be hardcovers. new are paperback." - Cassandra Clare on Twitter
  23. Tor.com - New Cover Art for Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices Trilogy!
  24. "I helped create them." Cassandra Clare on Twitter
  25. "I picked my favorite poses." Cassandra Clare on Twitter
  26. https://twitter.com/cassieclare/status/597891763228037121
  27. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/118790620589/the-mortal-instruments-new-covers-are-being
  28. https://twitter.com/cassieclare/status/598177494886383616
  29. "the new ones do have minor corrections and changes. Also maps and new stuff." Cassandra Clare on Twitter
  30. Yes, and there's a map of London, and spine art. Cassandra Clare on Twitter
  31. "Maps of cities with all the book locations illustrated."
  32. https://twitter.com/cassieclare/status/598173331167322113
  33. https://twitter.com/cassieclare/status/598175104967831552
  34. "Exclusive reveal: New cover of 'City of Bones' by Cassandra Clare"USA Today
  35. http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/world-exclusive-new-mortal-instruments-book-covers-revealed-657223.html
  36. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/112800650959/lots-of-people-asked-about-the-new-designs-for-the
  37. http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/113175260614/hey-cassie-ive-read-on-your-blog-that-the-new
  38. https://twitter.com/cassieclare/status/574987224355356672
Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter Chronicles
The Mortal Instruments
City of Bones City of Ashes City of Glass
City of Fallen Angels City of Lost Souls City of Heavenly Fire
The Infernal Devices The Dark Artifices
Clockwork Angel Lady Midnight
Clockwork Prince Lord of Shadows
Clockwork Princess Queen of Air and Darkness
The Last Hours The Wicked Powers
Chain of Gold The Last King of Faerie
Chain of Iron The Last Prince of Hell
Chain of Thorns The Last Shadowhunter
The Eldest Curses
The Red Scrolls of Magic The Lost Book of the White The Black Volume of the Dead
The Bane Chronicles
What Really Happened in Peru Saving Raphael Santiago
The Runaway Queen The Fall of the Hotel Dumort
Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything
The Midnight Heir The Last Stand of the New York Institute
The Rise of the Hotel Dumort The Course of True Love (And First Dates)
The Voicemail of Magnus Bane
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy Pale Kings and Princes
The Lost Herondale Bitter of Tongue
The Whitechapel Fiend The Fiery Trial
Nothing but Shadows Born to Endless Night
The Evil We Love Angels Twice Descending
Ghosts of the Shadow Market
Cast Long Shadows Son of the Dawn
Every Exquisite Thing The Land I Lost
Learn About Loss Through Blood, Through Fire
A Deeper Love The Lost World
The Wicked Ones Forever Fallen
Companion books
Secrets of Blackthorn Hall
Better in Black: Tales of Romance
The Shadowhunter's Codex
A Long Conversation
An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters & Denizens of Downworld
All the Stories are True: Classics Reimagined in the World of the Shadowhunters
Adaptations
The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novels
The Official Mortal Instruments Coloring Book
The Infernal Devices: Manga Series
City of Bones: The Graphic Novel
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
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