Throne of Glass is a young adult high fantasy novel series by American author Sarah J. Maas, beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name, released in August 2012. The story follows the journey of Celaena Sardothien, a teenage assassin in a corrupted kingdom with a tyrannical ruler. As the tale progresses, Celaena forms unexpected bonds and uncovers a conspiracy amidst her adventures. The series is set to conclude with the seventh book in October 2018.
The series has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list, and has been optioned for a television series adaptation by Mark Gordon and will premiere on Hulu.
Video Throne of Glass
Overview
Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin in the kingdom of Adarlan. After being imprisoned for a year by the king, she accepts his son's offer to compete with other assassins and thieves for a chance to serve as the king's champion, after four years of which, she would be granted freedom. This leads her to form unexpected bonds with Chaol, the captain of the guard, and Dorian, the crown prince of Adarlan. Over time, Celaena is drawn into a conspiracy and a series of battles, leading to discoveries surrounding both the kingdom and herself.
Maps Throne of Glass
Books of the series
Characters of the series
- Celaena Sardothien - Eighteen years old, trained from childhood to become an assassin, she was betrayed by her master and imprisoned in the salt mines of Endovier with the expectation that she would die, and ended up surviving for an entire year. Before her capture, she was known to most as Adarlan's Assassin. Due to this, she gets offered an opportunity to participate in a competition to become the King's Champion, an assassin in service to the King of Adarlan. If she wins she must remain in the King's service for four years and then she will be granted her freedom and a full pardon. During the contest, she adopts the persona of Lillian Gordaina, a jewel thief from Bellhaven, to avoid her identity being revealed and a target painted on her back because of it.
- Prince Dorian Havilliard - He is the Crown Prince of Adarlan. He chooses Celaena to be his contender for the competition to become his father's champion. He tries at times to stand up against his father, especially when it comes to Celaena, but he is never fully able to defy his father. He is a real lady's man and some ladies are after him so that they can become queen when he attains the throne. He is also good-looking and tries to charm Celaena who is at times charmed by him. His best friend is the Captain of the Guard Chaol Westfall. In the novel it seems that he too has some feelings for Celaena. In the first book, he has a brief affair with Celaena, but she quickly ends it.
- Chaol Westfall - He is the Captain of the Guard and is very wary of Celaena throughout the book because he knows very well how big a threat she is to the kingdom. He is very close to Dorian and is willing to sacrifice his life for Dorian. Throughout the book he helps Celaena get back into shape during the tournament and trains diligently with her every morning. In the second book, he enters into a love affair with Celaena. This is ended after the murder of Nehemia; Celaena blamed Chaol for it.
- Princess Nehemia Ytger - She is a princess of the kingdom of Eyllwe. Eyllwe is deciding to rely on Adarlan so that they won't be killed. She pretends that she can only speak in her native tongue and doesn't understand what people say when they are speaking. She is a very strong-willed person and refuses to be looked down upon. Her weapon is her staff that the people from her kingdom produce. She is able to communicate with Celaena because Celaena can speak in Nehemia's language although not perfectly. She has Celaena teach her how to speak the common tongue.
- Nox Owens- He is a young thief who is also participating in the competition to become the King's champion. He doesn't know who Celeana really is because Dorian had her pose as a young lady from a merchant family in Bellhaven. He befriends Celaena and decides to team up with her for practice when Chaol is too busy or he can't participate. He seems to have an idea that 'Lillian' is not whos she says she is the entire way through the book. Celaena helps him to improve his fighting technique too.
- Kaltain Rompier - Kaltain is a young lady who comes from a family that is rich, but not so rich that they are widely known or have as many privileges as those in the King's court. She came to the palace as the guest of Duke Perrington so that she could get close to Dorian because she wanted to become his bride. She is addicted to opium because she has frequent headaches. She is also willing to do anything to become Dorian's bride and to be in a position of power.
- Cain - Cain is Duke Perrington's Champion in the king's competition. He is a hulking brute who is everyone's favorite to win. He comes from the White Fang Mountains and was in the king's army.
- The King of Adarlan - Dorian's unnamed father and the ruler of the Adarlanian Empire. He is the current monarch of the Empire and Head of House Havilliard.
Development
Background
Sarah J. Maas has cited Disney's Cinderella as an inspiration for writing Throne of Glass. While viewing the scene in which the heroine flees the ball, Maas found the soundtrack "way too dark and intense". This led her to re-imagine a number of details. "The music fit much better when I imagined a thief--no, an assassin!--fleeing the palace," she said. "But who was she? Who had sent her to kill the prince? Who might the prince's enemies be? A powerful, corrupt empire, perhaps?"
Originally known as Queen of Glass, the story initially appeared on FictionPress.com. Bloomsbury acquired the novel in 2010, and purchased two additional Throne of Glass novels in 2012. Publicist Emma Bradshaw noted Maas' "huge online following, particularly in the US". Additionally, Throne of Glass became the first Bloomsbury children's novel to be featured on Netgalley.com, attracting requests "from all over the world." During the story's time on FictionPress.com, artist Kelly de Groot drew a map of the tale's world, Erilea, and shared it with Maas. Bloomsbury later hired de Groot to draw the map which appears in the opening novel.
Following its acquisition by Bloomsbury, the story went through a number of revisions prior to publication. Regarding the tale's development, Maas stated, "In the 10 years that I've been working on the series, Throne of Glass has become more of an original epic fantasy than a Cinderella retelling, but you can still find a few nods to the legend here and there."
Characters
In an interview prior to the series' debut, Maas discussed the process of creating her protagonist:
The story's teenage heroine, Celaena Sardothien, is introduced as an orphan who was raised and trained by an assassin. She is characterized as skilled, arrogant, and witty. While shaping her protagonist, Maas was inspired by the heroism of Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings, and by the characterization of Velma Kelly from Chicago. Maas has stated that the latter's "arrogance and fierceness made me want to write about a woman like her--about a woman who never once said sorry for being talented and determined and utterly in love with herself."
The author ultimately designed Celaena as a highly capable character whose talents also form a basis for numerous faults. In interviews preceding the series' release, Maas noted her heroine's issues with "impatience" and "vanity". She also suggested that Celaena would grow while adjusting to her new role. In addition to Celaena's skills as an assassin, Maas wanted the character to have several traits and hobbies befitting her age, including a fondness for "shopping, books, and fine dining", as well as a "penchant for getting into trouble."
In creating the friendship between Celaena and Chaol, Maas gave the characters a number of differences. As the story begins, Chaol is introduced as a strict and ethical captain, while Celaena is presented as a morally ambiguous assassin. According to the author, this contrast contributes to Chaol's character development as his bond with Celaena grows. Amidst their experiences, Chaol eventually comes to view her not just as a captive criminal, but also "as a human being." While writing the novel, Maas envisioned Chaol as a character who had "always seen the world in black and white," and concluded that "Celaena just throws a wrench in that."
Prince Dorian is presented as a suitor for Celaena as well. However, their relationship is complicated by his status as the crown prince.
Release
Publicity
In anticipation of the series' debut, Bloomsbury released e-book editions of four prequel novellas--The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld, and The Assassin and the Empire--between January and July 2012. Throne of Glass was previewed by Publishers Weekly in February, while the book trailer premiered on MTV.com in May. Additionally, film option rights were acquired by Creative Artists Agency.
Reception
Throne of Glass has received generally positive reviews, making its debut on the New York Times Best Seller list with the release of the second novel, Crown of Midnight. A review from Publishers Weekly lauded the series' opening as a "strong debut novel." The review went on to state, "This is not cuddly romance, but neither is it grim. Celaena is trained to murder, yet she hasn't lost her taste for pretty dresses or good books, and a gleam of optimism tinges her outlook. Maas tends toward overdescription, but the verve and freshness of the narration make for a thrilling read." The Guardian gave it 5 stars out of 5 with the author of the review stating that the main character, Celaena, was more "relatable" than most other female protagonists. In her review for USA Today, Serena Chase called Celaena a "next-level Cinderella".
Kirkus stated, "A teenage assassin, a rebel princess, menacing gargoyles, supernatural portals and a glass castle prove to be as thrilling as they sound." With regard to the protagonist, Kirkus noted that "Celaena is still just a teenager trying to forge her way, giving the story timelessness. She might be in the throes of a bloodthirsty competition, but that doesn't mean she's not in turmoil over which tall, dark and handsomely titled man of the royal court should be her boyfriend--and which fancy gown she should wear to a costume party." The review concluded that the story's "commingling of comedy, brutality and fantasy evokes a rich alternate universe with a spitfire young woman as its brightest star."
Throne of Glass was named Amazon.com's "Best Book of the Month for Kids & Teens" in August 2012. Whitney Kate Sullivan of Romantic Times stated that "Maas' YA fantasy world is one of the most compelling that this reviewer has visited all year. The assassin heroine's growth and the multilayered secondary characters are amazing." Serena Chase of USA Today applauded the story's love triangle, and noted that "Maas excels at world building, spicing up this unusual take on the Cinderella story by injecting myths, fairy tales and religious traditions with the magic of a fresh and faulted world. Whereas many authors rely on geographic detail to build their worlds, Maas' environment is more politically driven and her characterizations are deftly drawn to support that sort of structure." Chase also commended Maas for creating "a truly remarkable heroine who doesn't sacrifice the grit that makes her real in order to do what's right in the end."
Television adaptation
In September 2016, it was announced that the Throne of Glass series had been opted for a television adaptation produced by Hulu. The series is set to be titled Queen of Shadows, named after the fourth novel in the series, with the Mark Gordon Company serving as the main project studio. The adaptation will be written by Kira Snyder from The 100, with the pilot potentially being directed by Anna Foerster from Underworld: Blood Wars.
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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