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The Mortal Instruments

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The Mortal Instruments Series
File:Miboxed set.jpg
City of Bones
City of Ashes
City of Glass
City of Fallen Angels
City of Lost Souls
City of Heavenly Fire
AuthorCassandra Clare
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy, young-adult fiction, urban fantasy
PublisherMargaret K. McElderry (US)
Walker Books (UK, Australia, New Zealand)
Arena Verlag (Germany)
Univers Poche (France)
PublishedMarch 27, 2007 – Present
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Audiobook
Followed byThe Infernal Devices

The Mortal Instruments is a series of six young adult fantasy novels written by Cassandra Clare, of which five have been published so far.

Publication history

  1. City of Bones (published March 27, 2007)
  2. City of Ashes (published March 25, 2008)
  3. City of Glass (published March 24, 2009)
  4. City of Fallen Angels (published April 5, 2011)
  5. City of Lost Souls (published May 8, 2012)
  6. City of Heavenly Fire (scheduled for March 1, 2014)

Main Characters

Clarissa 'Clary' Fray/Fairchild/Morgenstern is described to have long, curly red hair and bright green eyes. She is very small and thin and often viewed as younger than she actually is. Clary is an artist and in the first book, City of Bones, she believes she is a mundane, or a human without angel powers. It is later revealed she is in fact a Shadowhunter, or a human with angelic qualities. Clary is described as being incredibly stubborn and often rushes into dangerous situations without thinking about the consequences. Her best friend in the series is Simon Lewis and she is dating Jace Wayland/Lightwood/Morgenstern/Herondale.

Jace (J.C, Jonathan Christopher) Wayland/Lightwood/Morgenstern/Herondale is a Shadowhunter and described as being tall and muscular with scars across his golden skin from worn-out runes, or magical Marks. He has curly blond hair and golden eyes, and, like Clary, he is part angel. Jace is one of the best fighters the Nephilim have and is always ready to defend his family. Jace is often flirty and insensitive, and is described to have 'pretend' arrogance. Throughout the books, Jace's family remains unknown. In City of Bones, he believes he is a Wayland but at the end of the book Valentine Morgenstern reveals to him that he is Jace's father. However, in City of Glass, Jace is told his father is actually Stephen Herondale. Throughout the book Jace's last name remains uncertain, but in City of Glass, he decides that he wants to take the last name of his adoptive family, the Lightwoods.

Simon Lewis is relatively small with curly brown hair, brown eyes and glasses. He is often seen wearing t-shirts with gamer slogans. In City of Lost Souls, Simon describes himself as being 'hipster' but his best friend Clary Fray/Fairchild/Morgenstern tells him he is a geek. Simon is the only character to begin his life as a mundane, but in City of Ashes he is transformed into a vampire. Simon is quirky and caring, often putting other people before himself. In City of Fallen Angels, Simon finds himself in a love triangle with the characters of Maia Roberts and Isabelle Lightwood; however, in City of Lost Souls it becomes apparent that he and Isabelle are a couple.

Isabelle Lightwood is a Shadowhunter; tall and thin, she has long black hair and dark brown eyes, and is often carrying her trademark gold whip. Isabelle is described as being incredibly girly but with a fierce attitude. She is often considered flirty and never seems committed with relationships, although in City of Lost Souls, she admits to being in love with Simon Lewis.

Alec Lightwood is the oldest Lightwood Shadowhunter. Alec has floppy black hair and beautiful blue eyes. He is described as being quiet but protective of his younger siblings Isabelle and Max (died in City of Glass). Alec believes he is in love with Jace in The City of Bones, but then he meets Magnus Bane and in City of Glass kisses him in front of his parents, revealing that he is gay. In City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls, Alec becomes insecure about his and Magnus's relationship because of Magnus's immortality. This insecurity leads him to consider turning Magnus mortal against his will, which causes Magnus to break up with him in City of Lost Souls.

Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Magnus is an 800 year old warlock who appears 19. He is tall and thin with jet black hair and amber and green cat eyes. Magnus Bane is often described to wear glitter and throws countless parties. Magnus begins a relationship with Alec Lightwood, therefore he feels obliged to become the New York Shadowhunters 'pet warlock' in order to impress Alec. Magnus appears in the prequel to The Mortal Instruments--The Infernal Devices--and there is a series of 10 short stories describing some of the events that occurred in Magnus Bane's long life to be released starting April 16, 2013, titled The Bane Chronicles.

Critical reception

City of Bones was highly popular at the time of release, reaching #8 on the New York Times Best Seller list (Children's books) in April 2007.[1] City of Ashes was one of the YALSA's top ten teen books for 2009.[2]

Publishers Weekly commented that it "is a sprawling urban fantasy packed with just about every type of creature known to the genre".[3] Locus praised the book as "a highly readable first novel".[4] Booklist said that there was "plenty of romance, loss, honor, and betrayal to make the journey worthwhile. An experienced storyteller, Clare moves the plot quickly to a satisfying end."[5] School Library Journal said "Though the story is hampered by predictability and overblown writing, Clare continues her talent for mixing hip, modern humor with traditional fantasy, and fans eagerly awaiting the series conclusion should come away more than satisfied."[6] A review in the School Library Journal noted that the book contained a variety of narrative flaws including characters that were "sporadically characterized" and whose behavior was predictable. In spite of this they noted that the book was entertaining and would leave readers anticipating the next installment.[7]

In City of Ashes, the Faerie Realm and its inhabitants are characters from Holly Black's faerie series, beginning with Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale. Also, the characters Val and Luis from Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie appear in another scene in that book. Within Holly Black's third book, Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale, there is a reference to the Mortal Cup mentioned in the Mortal Instruments series.

Further books in the series

Prequels

Cassandra Clare has written a series of prequels called The Infernal Devices set in the same universe as The Mortal Instruments, but in the Victorian era. This series consists of three books: Clockwork Angel, published on August 31, 2010, Clockwork Prince, published December 6, 2011, and Clockwork Princess, published March 19, 2013.[8] There is the potential for an as yet untitled sequel series to The Infernal Devices set in the same universe detailing the adventures of the next generation of Shadowhunters almost two decades after the events of Clockwork Princess.

Sequels

Cassandra Clare has announced a new series of sequels called The Dark Artifices set in the same universe as The Mortal Instruments, but five years in the future. This series will be a trilogy with all new characters and the focus will shift from New York to the Los Angeles Institute. They are to be called "Lady Midnight", "Prince of Shadows", and "The Queen of Air and Darkness". The first book is scheduled to be published in 2015.[9]

Film adaptations

Main article: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

On June 10, 2010, Screen Gems announced that they were going into production on a film adaptation of City of Bones, with a script written by Jessica Postigo.[10] Harald Zwart was announced as the film's director, with Lily Collins starring as Clary Fray.[11] The role of Jace Wayland was initially offered to Alex Pettyfer, who declined the role, with Jamie Campbell Bower eventually being cast as Wayland.[12][13] Later casting announcements stated that Robert Maillet, Robert Sheehan, Godfrey Gao, Lena Headey, Jared Harris, Jemima West and Jonathan Rhys Meyers would be joining the cast.[14] Elyas M'Barek of The Wave and Türkisch für Anfänger fame has been cast as a vampire lieutenant. [15] Raphael will not be in City of Bones, nor will Max Lightwood (since he does not appear in the book.) A teaser trailer for the movie was released in November of 2012, and a second trailer was released at the end of March 2013.

The film has a projected release date of August 23, 2013,[16] Shooting was done in Toronto and Hamilton in late August and November.[17][18]

References

  1. ^ "Children's Books". nytimes.com. April 22, 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  2. ^ ALA Teen's Top Ten 2008
  3. ^ "Children's Book Reviews: Week of 4/9/2007". Publishers Weekly. 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2008-01-11. [dead link]
  4. ^ Locus - "The Mortal Instruments, Book One: City of Bones", Faren Miller, June 2007
  5. ^ "Booklist Review: City of Glass". Booklist. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  6. ^ Langhans, Eliza. "Grades 5 & Up". School Library Journal. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  7. ^ "Clare, Cassandra. City of Bones.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)". School Library Journal. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
  8. ^ Henderson, William. "Want to Know How Cassandra Clare's Widely Anticipated Clockwork Princess Begins?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  9. ^ Driscoll, Molly (March 15, 2012). "Cassandra Clare offers a few hints about her next Shadowhunters series". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  10. ^ Bettinger, Brendan. "Screen Gems Positioning CITY OF BONES as the First Film in a MORTAL INSTRUMENTS Franchise". Collider. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  11. ^ Meza, Ed (April 20, 2012). "Constantin boards Clare, Black project: 'The Iron Trial' centers on boy magician". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Jamie Campbell Bower Cast as Jace Wayland in The Mortal Instruments". Reelz. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  13. ^ Wilkinson, aMY. "'Mortal Instruments' Author Cassandra Clare Reacts To Jamie Campbell Bower Casting". MTV. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  14. ^ "City of Bones Casts Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Valentine". Oh No They Didn't. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  15. ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/german-star-elyas-mbarek-cast-364722
  16. ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers Heads to The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones". Coming Soon. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  17. ^ RODRIGUEZ, Cain. "http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/jonathan-rhys-meyers-is-a-shadowhunter-in-mortal-instruments-city-of-bones-20120808#". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 August 2012. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  18. ^ Kennedy, John. "Total Recall kicks off season of big movies made in Toronto Read it on Global News: Global Edmonton | Total Recall kicks off season of big movies made in Toronto". Global Edmonton. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
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