Roots of Chaos reading order
Samantha Shannon’s Roots of Chaos path — The Priory of the Orange Tree first, then A Day of Fallen Night and Among the Burning Flowers — prequels labeled.
Start here
The Priory of the Orange Tree
It is the book that started the cycle (2019). Shannon built later volumes to work as their own visits. Chronology still puts Priory last. For a first read, start where the cycle started. Do not start with A Day of Fallen Night because it is longer and earlier.
Three published prose objects so far. Publication order and chronological order disagree. Shannon has said you can enter at more than one door. This house still treats Priory as the first visit.
Her cycle page is explicit: Priory is third in chronological order. A Day of Fallen Night is a full-length prequel five centuries earlier. Among the Burning Flowers is a shorter direct prequel to Priory, and she names it as a possible start if you want a faster read.
Publication order — the first-read path
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Priory of the Orange Tree | 2019 | Cycle door for this house. | Amazon |
| 2 |  A Day of Fallen Night | 2023 | Prequel. After Priory for a first read. | Amazon |
| 3 |  Among the Burning Flowers | 2025 | Shorter direct prequel to Priory. After Priory. Not a new book one unless you only want a short door. | Amazon |
Chronology — labeled, not the on-ramp
Contested order, labeled:
- A Day of Fallen Night
- Among the Burning Flowers
- The Priory of the Orange Tree
That path keeps future knowledge out of the Grief of Ages. It also hands you the longest, most political book first. Shannon has noted that Priory is the easier layer of knowledge if you want one.
House rule:
- The Priory of the Orange Tree
- A Day of Fallen Night if you want more of the cycle
- Among the Burning Flowers if you want the short bridge back toward Priory
If you bounced off Priory’s length and want the short door Shannon names, Among the Burning Flowers is allowed. Then read Priory before treating the cycle as done. Do not open A Day of Fallen Night as “the real book one.”
The Bone Season is a different Shannon series.
Common mistakes
- Starting with A Day of Fallen Night because a chronology chart put it first.
- Starting with Among the Burning Flowers and stopping there.
- Treating Priory as optional preamble to the prequels.
- Mixing in The Bone Season as Roots of Chaos 0.
What to read next
- Winternight (Katherine Arden) — If you want another finished folk-history trilogy with a correct first winter.
- A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin) — If you want another long political dragon shelf, unfinished, with extras that look like novels.
- [The Priory of the Orange Tree, then stop.] It was built as a complete visit.
- Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin) — If you want dragons and institutions at a much shorter length.
- Temeraire (Naomi Novik) — If you want another complete dragon-and-state argument, Napoleonic rather than queendoms.
FAQ
Can I read them in any order?
Shannon designed them to work as standalones. Chronology and publication still change what you know when. This house starts at Priory.
Is Among the Burning Flowers a novel?
It is a shorter, illustrated prequel. Not Priory 2, and not a substitute for Priory.
Do I need The Bone Season first?
No.
Is the cycle finished?
Three published visits. Shannon has described a longer cycle. Later books will not be a new Priory.
Sources
- Samantha Shannon, The Roots of Chaos — author cycle page: chronology, Priory as the 2019 start, Among the Burning Flowers as a possible short door. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Bloomsbury, The Priory of the Orange Tree — publisher page for the 2019 novel. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
