Shannon Chakraborty returns to the world of Daevabad with The River of Silver, an anthology of about 15 stories, which continue to add layers and meaning to this political-magical-fantasy series. This is really for the fans of the trilogy, which I highly recommend.
With these extra scenes, Shannon gives voice to characters which did not have their own POV in the main series. My personal favorites are the POVs for the Qahtani siblings, Muntadhir and Zaynab. We get a glimpse of what goes inside their head, how they deal with the pressures of royalty, their relationship with their tyrant father and what ultimately drives their actions.
We also have stories that bookend the series. Shannon takes us in the past, laying the foundation of the conflict between the Nahids & Geziris. Manizheh’s POV makes a compelling villain origin story. In the alternate epilogue, we get to see what the future of the magical world of Djinn looks like after the great battle of Daevabad.
For Ali & Nahir fans, Shannon is more than generous. Their scenes add a nice layer to their journey as leaders of their people. And for the shippers, there is a such a gift if I say something more I will spoil the book.
Each story comes with Shannon’s trademark attention to detail in world building, witty dialogs and a good dose of palace politics. The River of Silver is an excellent excuse to revisit the world of Daevabad.
