The Bane Chronicles (Bane Chronicles, 1-11)

by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson

Cassandra Clare (Editor)

The Bane Chronicles follows the adventures of immortal warlock Magnus Bane, a fan-favourite character from The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series.

10 stories about immortal warlock Magnus Bane have been brought together for the first time, along with a bonus never-before-seen tale and comic-strip illustrations. A fan-favourite character from Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter Chronicles, Magnus features in The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and the movie of City of Bones. Magnus will never be able to tell all of his tales. No one would believe him. But these stories shed a little light on his often inscrutable character. They are stories he probably wishes had never got out.

• ISBN10: 1442495995
• ISBN13: 9781442495999
• Publish Date: 11 November 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 528
• Language: English

Reviews

[girlinthepages]

I resisted reading the Shadowhunter short story bind ups for a LONG time. I was just so confused because there were so many, seemed to jump around timeline wise, and honestly just wasn't sure if I'd enjoy them or not. I was also very confused as to which were necessary to read. In my review of The Bane Chronicles, I've decided to give a brief summary about my thoughts of each story along with my opinion on if it's ~required~ reading or not (of course, my opinion is bound to differ from others, this is just based on if I personally felt like I needed to read it to understand the series more fully).

What Really Happened in Peru | 1 Star | Not Necessary | This was my least favorite of all of the stories AND it's the first one in the book so I was deeply concerned about how the rest of them would go (can confirm they got better). This story is pointless and there's really no significance (that I could see) to the other books. I happily recommend skipping this one if you're pressed for time.

The Runaway Queen | 2 Stars | Not Necessary | This story was a bit more interesting and it's always fun to see fictional books mention actual historical figures (in this case Marie Antoinette) but again I didn't feel like there was anything here that really added to my overall understanding of the Shadowhunter universe.

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale | 4 Stars | Necessary | I was so excited when I hit this story because I thought YES we are finally getting to the relevant stuff! This short story not only gives us a glimpse into Will Herondale's parents' backgrounds, but also features the original negotiations of the Accords, and features characters from TMI that are only mentioned in passing (such as Charlotte's father and Woolsey Scott's older brother).

The Midnight Heir | 5 Stars | Necessary | Yesss to everything in this story, from seeing Jem, Will and Tessa again to Magnus having to babysit James Herondale, King of Ducks (and who's a real spoiled brat TBH). We also find out what happens to Tatiana Blackthorn after the "worm" incident and learn about her adoptive daughter who's bound to play a key role in future books. This is a really good primer for Chain of Gold.

The Rise of Hotel Dumort | 2 Stars | Not Necessary | It was fun seeing Magnus get to run a speakeasy in this one and see the Great Depression looming on the horizon, but I honestly didn't really get the relevance. Some old warlock turns the hotel into a portal to hell, and that's basically all I really remember despite JUST reading it. I feel like you get more useful info about the hotel and it's history from the next story.

Saving Raphael Santiago | 3 Stars | Somewhat Necessary | If you're interested in more backstory surrounding everyone's favorite vamp, then definitely read this story. I forgot how much I loved Raphael, and his backstory is equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. It's nice info to have to round out the Shadowhunter world (and covers more pertinent info about Hotel Dumort becoming a vampire lair) but not anything that's especially important or relevant.

The Fall of Hotel Dumort | 2 Stars | Not Necessary | This took an unexpected turn, with vampires become addicts from drinking the blood of humans who were on drugs. It was sort of bizarre and I really didn't like what was done with Camille's character- it felt super out of character for her.

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (and Who You're Not Officially Dating Anyway) | 3 Stars | Somewhat Necessary | Alec was never one of my favorite characters (I found him more tolerable in The Last Hours trilogy) so I'm personally not too interested in his and Magnus' relationship's beginning, but I did like seeing Magnus and Izzy's banter and how there was just a Fleetwood Mac loving demon in Magnus' apartment throughout the duration of this story.

The Last Stand of the New York Institute | 5 Stars | Necessary | I was not expecting to get a full on story about Valentine and the Circle but here we are and man was he brutal. Like, I can't believe he got away with some of the stuff he did in this story (and to other Shadowhunters, too! I was wondering why I wasn't familiar with the Whitelaws...) I also was plesantly surprised at how this story tackled some key issues of the time, such as homophobia and the AIDS crisis and subsequent paranoia and discrimination. I liked that we got a bit of a tackling of mundane social issues in the series and how the Shadowhunters' own prejudices can mirror them. Also, Catarina is a boss. We also get to see Jocelyn bringing Clary to Magnus for the first time and Tessa makes an apperance!

The Course of True Love (and First Dates) | 3 Stars | Somewhat Necessary | Again, if you're a big Malec fan then you'll of course want to read about Magnus and Alec's first date. It was sweet seeing them both bashful and unsettled in their own way, and it was interesting to see the tension of Magnus bringing Alec to a Downworlder restaurant.

The Voicemail of Magnus Bane | 3 Stars | Not Necessary | This was a fun way to end the book, with a bunch of voicemails that are left for Magnus after events that happened in City of Lost Souls (which I don't remember, oops. I take it they had a falling out, though). The voicemails are funny although not really necessary.

Overall: I'm glad I read this to gain more insight into the Shadowhunter world, especially during the post-TID time period and the pre-TMI period with Valentine. It wasn't my favorite thing to read but I'm glad I did so before reading Chain of Gold!

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[maggiefan]

What can I say, Magnus has done it again.

2,5 stars

"You have a good heart under all the glitter." (Catarina Loss)

Magnus Bane is another one of my favourite Cassandra Clare characters. He's sassy, sparkly, fashionable and powerful. Most of Magnus's past is a mystery and I was extremely excited to find out more about him in The Bane Chronicles.

Unfortunately, most of the short stories in The Bane Chronicles drag and are such a chore to get through. I knew that these stories were going to be about the people that Magnus meets and the adventures that he goes on, but for the most part, they failed to hold my attention.

There are a few stories that stood out:
★ The Midnight Heir. This features some of my favourite Infernal Devices characters and characters that I'm excited to see in Chain of Gold. The James Herondale that Magnus meets is so different from the one in Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy. I'm also really interested in all that's been happening at the Lightwood manor.
★ Saving Raphael Santiago. I enjoyed this one mainly because of Raphael's caustic personality. This short story gives Raphael humanity and shows what he'll go through for his family. I also approve of the unlikely friendship between Raphael and Ragnor.
★ The Last Stand of the New York Institute. I'm tired of hearing about Valentine and the Circle, but this story does something that other stories haven't. It details the torture that Downworlders faced at the hands of the Circle, the reactions of its brainwashed members, the chaos that the Circle created and it's quite sad.
★ The Course of True Love (And First Dates). This is a cute and hilarious story about Malec's first date.

I also enjoyed Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale because we get to meet Will Herondale's parents and What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything because Magnus fretting over what present to get Alec and the reactions from Catarina and Ragnor are priceless. Also, every story became 10 times better when Catarina and Ragnor were mentioned.

The rest of the short stories are disappointing. I love Camille, but I didn't enjoy any of the stories that she was in. Magnus runs the most coolest speakeasy in 1920's New York in the most boring story in The Bane Chronicles, The Rise of the Hotel Dumort. I usually enjoy stories involving the French Revolution, but The Runaway Queen did nothing for me. I also still have no idea why Magnus was banned from Peru.

I wanted to read The Bane Chronicles so that I could learn more about Magnus and his past. However, the stories in The Bane Chronicles contain details that I already knew or could have guessed.

"Humans did not live forever. They could only hope what they made would endure." (Magnus Bane)

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Magnus Bane is my favorite character in Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter universe, so I was expecting much more. It felt very rushed, and like it had been cobbled together in a weekend. I wanted more insight into his early life, maybe a history of things he had witnessed throughout the years, but most of it was about odd little adventures with Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss. It seemed a lost opportunity.

[Heather]

I had a really hard time reading Cassandra Clare's two series about Shadowhunters who fight demons.  I couldn't keep them apart in my head.  One was set in England in the 1800s and one was in New York in present times but I still don't know which series title refers to which.  I didn't know they had different locations either.  I was reading them as they came out intermingled and with time in between.  I was never clear on who the bad guy was supposed to be in each series.  Everybody had the same last names in both series so I kept waiting for characters that I thought were in one book to show up in another only to realize halfway through that they were in the other series.  The only character I could keep straight was the warlock Magnus Bane because he was in both series because he was immortal.

I downloaded the audiobook version of the stories from the library.  These were really good.  They are co-written by several authors and read by different actors including David Oyelowo and Gareth David-Lloyd (I went to his shrine!). 

What Really Happened in Peru? -  Magnus convinces his warlock friend Ragnor to accompany him on several trips to Peru, none of which end well.

The Runaway Queen - Magnus tries to help Marie Antoinette and her family escape from Paris.

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale - The Shadowhunters and the Downworlders are trying to make a peace agreement but neither side can trust the other.

The Midnight Heir - Magnus meets the son of the protagonists of the first Shadowhunter series.

The Rise of the Hotel Dumont - It is the 1920s in New York and an ancient warlock is playing with humans for his own evil plans.

Saving Raphael Santiago - Magnus is hired to find a young man who went hunting a vampire.

The Fall of the Hotel Dumont - Vampires are acting strangely and Magnus needs to figure out what's wrong before they are all killed.

The Last Stand of the New York Institute - This chronicles the rise of the villain who is in the second Shadowhunter series.

The Course of True Love - Magnus takes a Shadowhunter on a horrible first date.

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything - Magnus tries to figure out a birthday present while summoning a demon for a client.



I actually understand what happened in the series now.  Seeing it in chronological order helped.  These stories made everything else fit together.

When I read both Shadowhunter series I kept thinking that the Shadowhunters were pretty horrible people.  The nice thing about this book is that Magnus has pretty much nothing but contempt for them either.  He likes a few individuals here and there but as a race, he despises them.  That's a risky choice for the author to make in writing a book about a minor character.  It is hard to cast your heroes as the bad guys.  I like it.

 

 

 This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[Chelsea]

I'm getting a little upset and tired of Cassandra Clare. Her books are getting worse. I don't know if it's because she's exhausted this idea already or if she's just not putting as much of her time and energy into it. But to be honest, I think she's just not that great of a writer anymore and it makes me sad.

[anne]

slow start - Peru stories bit silly - then picks up from there to end on a high in terms of what Cassandra Clare fans will like