The Roots of Chaos
#1214.18 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Ongoing 2019–present Reading commitment Medium Samantha Shannon Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
A dragon-and-queendom epic fantasy told across four interwoven POV threads spanning three continents, notable for its major sapphic romance plotline. The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019) is the flagship volume; A Day of Fallen Night (2023) is a marketed “standalone prequel” set centuries earlier in the same world; Among the Burning Flowers (2025) is a further, shorter entry in the same continuity.
Epic fantasy, Romantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Roots of Chaos Samantha Shannon
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Priory of the Orange Tree | 2019 | core | 4.16 (297,651 ratings) |
 | A Day of Fallen Night | 2023 | core | 4.31 (61,678 ratings) |
 | Among the Burning Flowers | 2025 | core | 4.08 (14,143 ratings) |
New author record. A dragon-and-queendom epic fantasy told across 4 POV threads, notable for its major sapphic romance plotline. The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019) is the flagship volume; A Day of Fallen Night (2023) is a marketed 'standalone prequel' set centuries earlier in the same world; Among the Burning Flowers (2025) is a further, shorter entry in the same continuity. All 3 are published; registered by publication year, not by the series' own internal prequel numbering (#0.1/#0.2), matching this project's standing preference for sourced publication order over an editorializing reading order. In progress -- Shannon has stated further Roots of Chaos work is possible but nothing further is dated.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Roots of Chaos? The Roots of Chaos's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Roots of Chaos? Publication order, starting with The Priory of the Orange Tree. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Roots of Chaos finished? Ongoing (2019–present).
- How much reading does The Roots of Chaos take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is The Roots of Chaos ranked? #121 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 373,472 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #121?
Ranked #121 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.18 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 373k reader ratings.
- 0.01 behind #120, The Blacktongue Thief.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Ongoing · 373k ratings · Ranks #121 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019)
- A Day of Fallen Night (2023)
- Among the Burning Flowers (2025)
Awards (verified)
- No Hugo/Nebula/World Fantasy/Locus/British Fantasy award found. The Priory of the Orange Tree's 2020 Lambda Literary Award finalist placement and 2019 Readers' Choice Award nomination are noted above but not registered as AWD rows here (nominee/finalist-level, single-sourced) -- see Research notes.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.18 across 373,472 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Run 5: 3 admissions -- The Roots of Chaos, Legacy of Orisha, The Tide Child Trilogy accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: Core = the 3 published works (2019, 2023, 2025), registered by publication year rather than the series' own internal prequel numbering. In progress -- Shannon has stated further Roots of Chaos work is possible but nothing further is dated.