The Bone Season occupies a distinct place in the fantasy genre and includes many of the standard conventions: supernatural spirits, practitioners of magic, and otherworldly creatures. In a classic example of the “Chosen One” trope, Shannon’s heroine, Paige, must develop her rare magical ability in order to challenge the formidable Nashira, a textbook fantasy villain in the mold of Maleficent or Marisa Coulter of The Golden Compass trilogy. Paige’s training under the tutelage of Warden is another familiar trope: the apprentice-in-training who is groomed for a heroic destiny.

At an even more basic level, The Bone Season’s theme of rebellion against oppression—good versus evil—embodies the mythic ingredient that drives so many fantasy narratives. However, The Bone Season diverges from these familiar elements in its deliberate blending of several different genres. As the plot develops, it works as both fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction, incorporating elements of both. Rather than the swordplay, wizards, and swashbuckling knights typical of the fantasy genre, Shannon’s characters drive cars, use phones, and fire guns. Although these narrative elements ostensibly run counter to the fantasy genre’s attempts to take readers outside of the contemporary world, they do fit the post-apocalyptic mold perfectly.