Shannon A. Chakraborty (born December 7, 1985) is an American

historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those c ...

and

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...

writer based in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, New York, best known for '' The Daevabad Trilogy''.

Literary career

Chakraborty's debut novel, ''

The City of Brass City of Brass may refer to: * "The City of Brass" (One Thousand and One Nights), one of the stories of the ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (''Arabian Nights'') *"City of Brass", a 1909 poem by Rudyard Kipling * City of Brass (Dungeons & Dragons), ...

'', was highly acclaimed when it debuted in 2017 and was a finalist for several science fiction and fantasy awards, including the

Crawford Award The IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (short: Crawford Award) is a literary award given to a writer whose first fantasy book was published during the preceding calendar year. It's one of several awards presented by the International Associat ...

Compton Crook Award The Compton Crook Award is presented by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) to the year's best English language debut novel in the science fiction, fantasy, or horror genres, as voted by its members. BSFS confers the award at their annua ...

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. Originally a poll ...

British Fantasy Award The British Fantasy Awards (BFA) are awarded annually by the British Fantasy Society (BFS), first in 1976. Prior to that they were known as The August Derleth Fantasy Awards (see August Derleth Award). First awarded in 1972 (to ''The Knight of ...

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

. It won the Booknest.eu award for best Debut Novel. The sequel, '' The Kingdom of Copper'', was published to critical acclaim in 2019, and later that year Chakraborty was named a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award. The final installment in the Daevabad trilogy, ''The Empire of Gold'', was released in June 2020. ''The'' ''River of Silver: Tales From the Daevabad Trilogy'', a collection of stories taking place in Daevabad, came out in 2022. Chakraborty's next trilogy, pitched as ''

Ocean's Eleven ''Ocean's Eleven'' is a 2001 heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Ted Griffin. A remake of the 1960 film of the same name, it serves as the first installment in the ''Ocean's'' franchise. The film features an ense ...

'' meets ''

Pirates of the Caribbean ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with Wa ...

'', is set in the 12th-century Indian Ocean. In the series debut, ''

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi ''The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi'' is a 2023 historical fantasy novel by Shannon Chakraborty. It is the first novel in a planned trilogy. The novel was a finalist for the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Plot In a frame story, pirate capta ...

,'' an infamous retired pirate returns to her old profession when she is offered the chance to right a wrong from her past and gain a fabled treasure. It was published in February 2023 by Harper Voyager.

Adaptations

In May 2020, it was announced that Complete Fiction, a film and television company, would be developing The Daevabad Trilogy as a series for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

Personal life

Chakraborty was born and raised in New Jersey to Catholic parents and converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

in her teens; Chakraborty is her married name. She originally intended to be a historian specializing in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

; however, the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

derailed those plans, so while she worked to support herself and her husband, she also kept herself occupied by writing what she called "historical fan fiction" that later became her first novel, ''The City of Brass''. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter.

Awards

*Listen List (2024).''The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.'' Narrated by Lameece Issaq and Amin El Gamal. HarperAudio.Moore, Ninah.(2024)
2024 RUSA Listen List Revealed.
American Library Association, January 20, 2024.

Bibliography

The Daevabad Trilogy

# ''

'' (2017) # '' The Kingdom of Copper'' (2019) # ''The Empire of Gold'' (2020)

Amina al-Sirafi

# ''

'' (2023)

Short fiction

# "The Djinn" (2011) (as S. Ali), published in ''Expanded Horizons'' issue 29, June 2011 # "Yerushalom" (2011) (as S. Ali), published in ''Crossed Genres'' issue 31, July 2011 # "Bilaadi" (2012) (as S. Ali), published in ''The Future Fire'' February 2012

Collections

# ''The River of Silver: Tales From the Daevabad Trilogy'' (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chakraborty, S.A. 1985 births Living people American fantasy writers 21st-century American novelists Muslims from New Jersey Converts to Islam from Roman Catholicism Writers from New Jersey American women novelists American women science fiction and fantasy writers 21st-century American women writers