Navigating the Shadow World

August 19, 2013
A breathlessly enthusiastic tour of Persian-American author Cassandra Clare's popular urban fantasy series, this work delves into the worlds of the Mortal Instruments books and of the upcoming movie. Presented for Clare's fans' delectation are synopses of the books, discussions of the significant factions in the books, as well as discussions of the mythological and other sources Clare draws on; also included are short but detailed biographies for the cast and crew of the movie. The work provides some biographical details, from Clare's days as a plagiarism scandal-plagued fan fiction scribe to best-selling author. Although intended for an existing fan-base, the work is not without its points of interest for people unfamiliar with Clare and her work; the decision to deal with the plagiarism scandal so directly in particular is a bold decision. That said, the book comes across less as a sincere work of affection by genuine fans or scholars of Clare's work and more as 240 pages of blatantly commercial product placement aimed at said fans, a prose trailer for the movie. That said, Spencer brings a slick competence to the effort; other authors of this sort of material would do well to emulate.