Paige Mahoney has escaped from Oxford. Alongside her clairvoyant allies at the Bicentenary, she finds herself back in London confronting who she was before with everything she had to become to survive. Having angered her employer Jaxon by refusing to abandon her allies at Oxford, Paige must decide if she wants to return to his side as the Pale Dreamer. Her desire for justice cannot be accomplished alone and though her Rephaim allies could provide aid, it is her place within the London Syndicate that could give her a fighting chance to enact change. Paige courts danger with her growing ire towards Jaxon and plans that could reveal the truth behind Scion to the public. When the Underlord of London is violently slain, the fight for power within the London Syndicate will play out in a brutal arena to crown the next leader. Jaxon Hall plans to place himself as the next Underlord by emerging victorious in the upcoming Rose Ring, with Paige at his side as Mollisher Supreme. Yet with everything she has endured and the knowledge that the Bone Seasons may not have been a complete secret within the syndicate, Paige knows that challenging Jaxon and winning the Rose Crown may be the only thing that saves them from the threat of Scion. At Oxford, all she could do was survive, but in returning to London Paige will become something else in order to win.
The Mime Order is the gritty and violent succession to Samantha Shannon’s, Bone Season and recenters the world back on London and its underworld of clairvoyants now facing a voyant killer and a leadership struggle within the syndicate. Paige Mahoney, Dreamwalker, and Mollisher to the White Binder learned to survive in Oxford, but back in London resists being pinned within the confines of her former roles. To continue the revolution that began in Oxford, Paige must first uncover a conspiracy within the syndicate and decide how she wants to transform in the face of her previous experiences. With the board strictly set, Samantha Shannon brings in new threats to the fight against the Scion Republic and the truth behind the Bone Seasons. With strong foundations from its very first moments, The Mime Order expands upon the scope of this world, aided by Samantha Shannon’s meticulous plotting and high attention to detail. The Mime Order is another exquisite foray into the world of clairvoyants resisting Scion, and Paige Mahoney, the one person who could stand to unite them into a force to be reckoned with.
The Mime Order is easily one of the best sequels out there, drawing on what is known and yet to be revealed to design a gilded stage over which the fate of the London Syndicate will be decided. Returning to London after six months held as a prisoner at Oxford, Paige confronts former memories and the knowledge of who she got to be outside of the orbit of Jaxon Hall. Like a round peg in a square hole, Paige finds she cannot just cast off her experiences to become Jaxon’s prized puppet once more. Samantha Shannon hones in sharply on this relationship and Jaxon’s narcissistic tendencies that make it impossible for him to see any way forward outside those of his own desires. Paige by extent is a commodity, The Pale Dreamer a persona to be pinned down and presented as another representation of his power. Paige’s unwillingness to return to who she was before allows her to move forward with her plans which could shake the leadership within the syndicate. Propelled toward action by a brimming rage and a desire to correct the injustice of the bone seasons and the truth to Scion, Paige cleverly bides her time until the opportune moment, culminating in an immensely gratifying outcome within the Rose Ring.
Where the Bone Season was a literal descent into darkness, mirroring the shattered reality of Scion, The Mime Order is a journey back into the light. This physical return into a life lived around daylight is a warped reality for Paige who knows the truth to Scion and fights to reveal it to the Clairvoyant Syndicate. Samantha Shannon melds Oxford with London and it’s interesting to see the staggering differences in temperament between the Oxford clairvoyants and those who live and exist freely in London – even if that freedom is limited. Knowing the truth about Scion further ostracizes them and impacts their return to the paths they walked within London. A very niche trope that I love is one character who sees another so clearly that they can’t help but believe the best in them and be a source of reassurance when things get difficult. That’s basically Arcturus in London. He’s still committed to his stoicism but he places himself by Paige’s side and aids in her plan to oust Jaxon and become Underqueen. He’s still her strongest ally even as Samantha Shannon brings focus back on those outside of Oxford. The Golden Cord that binds them together is as mystifying as ever but is layered further with the Rephaim lore and the history of their decimated homeland. The romantic moments between Paige and Arcturus continue to center around truth and the sharing of their lived experiences, which are made all the deeper with these revelations. Those quiet moments in The Old Lyre and her bedroom were like a bolt of longing shot directly into my chest and I fear that I will never recover. These two are just so earnest with one another that you can’t help but hang on to their every interaction. Their newfound romantic relationship being something that can just be for them in the face of everything else they must share with the world is way more devastating the more you think about it. That for all the pieces they’ve carved out of themselves to walk the path of revolution, it is their connection that can remain sacred.
The Mime Order brings mystery and unrest sprawling into the criminal underworld, building to a violent takeover within the Rose Ring as clairvoyant fights against clairvoyant for a chance to win the Rose Crown. This has to be one of the best finales– vindicating and the exact level of ruthlessness befitting Paige Mahoney. Paige’s triumph in the Rose Ring as the end result of the Scrimmage was exhilarating to bear witness to. Her taking on the mantle of the Black Moth and reclaiming a symbol which to the Sargas is representative of weakness but to her is power centered within struggle was another brilliant twist. Samantha Shannon dreams up a sequel that takes this series from passive enjoyment to full-on obsession. Succinctly plotted and executed with finesse, The Mime Order will leave you desperate for more from this fully realized world.
Trigger warnings: blood, violence, gore, murder, imprisonment, drug use, human trafficking
Literaryrobin 