 Cassandra Clare

The Bane Chronicles

Sarah Rees Brennan

Maureen Johnson

The perfect gift for Shadowhunters everywhere. Eleven stories and comic-strip illustrations featuring immortal warlock Magnus Bane. A fan-favourite character from Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter Chronicles, Magnus features in The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, The Dark Artifices and the movie and TV series of City of Bones. Magnus will never be able to tell all of his tales. No one would believe him. But these stories shed a little light on his often inscrutable character. They are stories he probably wishes had never got out.

Shannon C

Ellie M.

this book was so extra i liked it 🤍 

this is actually the first book i finished in months after being busy with uni and it took me a lot of time to get through it. magnus is one of my favorite characters, and the stories this novella had to tell were extremely hilarious and had me choking for air, but at the same time nostalgic and made me teary-eyed. it brought me home to my shadowhunters, i felt the comfort and pain of reading about will, jem, and tessa, and i loved how magnus explored romance in the centuries he lived through before he met alec. it also was reflective, in a way to read about magnus’ realizations and the lessons he learned the hard way during the course of his life.

just wanna know if we’ll ever get a tessa novella like this one? 🤩

Monicap

Some of the stories in here weren't the best. Like "What Really Happened in Peru"? Never actually got told what really happened in Peru, so I'm kind of left wondering why that was even a thing.

Also, "Midnight Heir" just makes me want TLH THAT. MUCH. MORE. (I still think TLH stands for the Last Herondale, even though I know it actually stands for The Last Hours or something like that)

Omigod, all the Raphael stories, just YES. I mean, that was really where the gold was. THing is, I never like Raphael that much in TMI, but now I kind of want a book just about him. Seeing him from Magnus's perspective just gave him another level, you know?

Also, Malec. Malec all the fucking way, dude.

I really can't wait to read all of Simon's stories now. 

And also, WHERE THE HELL IS TDA? IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUT THIS FALL, NOW I GOTTA WAIT FOR MAY 2016? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM, CLARE? SOMEONE WHO HAS PATIENCE?

Does this look like the face of patient person?

(I know you can't see my face, but you get the idea)

i like this book!! but not as much as tales from shadowhunters academy, dunno why. some of the stories were so ... ancient (?) so i couldn’t really keep up with:”)

Tatiana

The Bane Chronicles: 3/5

This book is a collection of shorter stories throughout Magnus Bane's Life. These stories, I think, really show the characters complexity, and he is now easily one of my favorite characters in the Shadowhunter universe. These stories all have co-authors, but they flowed together extremely well and made for one extremely well-written cohesive story.

 What Really Happened In Peru: ★.5 
This was a whole lot of nothing. We see Magnus and his warlock friends, Ragnor and Catarina, drinking and having different Peru events. I think this sets up the rest of the book well since Ragnor and Catarina are mentioned in the other stories. Those two are a staple in Magnus's extremely long life, so I enjoyed learning more about them. Unfortunately, this story still did little for me, and I forget most of it already.

 The Runaway Queen: ★.5 
This is a small adventure that follows Magnus in Paris during the French Revolution. He takes on the difficult task of smuggling Marie Antoinette and her family out of the city. This was another story that didn't do it for me, and I also forget most of this one.

 Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale: ★★★ 
This was a pleasant surprise. In this story, we see Will Herondale's parents, Edmund and Linette, Woolsey’s older brother, Ralf, Charlotte as a baby, Benedict Lightwood, some Morgensterns, and Camille! It was SO NICE to be reunited with these old characters and names that I recognized. Within this story, the shadowhunters are trying to make a treaty with the downworlders, but of course, it is not easy. I really loved this story, and although some pieces were kind of boring, I appreciated the cameos and learning the backstories of characters I have grown to love.

 The Midnight Heir: ★★★★ 
“…For one Herondale to be saved by love, and another Herondale dammed by it.”
Hands down, this was my FAVORITE story within The Bane Chronicles. We are within the time period of The Last Hours (which I have not read yet, I am just assuming), and Magnus Bane sees James Herondale on the street looking disheveled. He escorts young James Herondale back home, where we get to see Tessa and Will as parents, and even Jem makes a lovely appearance within his Silent Brother state. We finally get glimpses of Will, Tessa, and Jem all interacting post-TID events. I was obsessed with this story, and 100% will reread it! We also get a glimpse at Tatiana Blackthorn and her plans, which she called Magnus Bane to fulfill. I want more James Herondale and Grace content so much. I am so intrigued!

 The Rise of Hotel Dumort: ★★ 
This story was really forgettable. We see Magnus trying to run a speakeasy which was entertaining, but everything else was kind of chaotic. I don't really remember it, lol.

 Saving Rafael Santiago: ★★★ 
This story follows Magnus in 1953, where he is working as a private detective. Guadalupe, Raphael’s mother, hires Magnus to find her son. There are so many TWs that go into this story, but it was heartbreaking to see Raphael's backstory since we always knew there was something more to him.

 The Fall of Hotel Dumort: ★★ 
This one didn't do it for me. It takes place in 1977 New York, and all the vampires are drinking blood from mundanes who have taken a drug. They all get addicted, and Magnus saves the day. It was just boring.

 What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You're Not Officially Dating Anyway) ★★★★ 
I really liked this one! I was actually laughing out loud that the High Warlock of Brooklyn is asking his immortal friends what to get Alec for his 18th birthday, and they all just hang-up on him. I really liked the appearance of the demon and thought he was funny and added to the story. In the end, Izzy and Magnus share a really heartfelt moment that I loved. Overall this was really lighthearted, and I enjoyed seeing the lovesick side of Magnus.

 The Last Stand of the New York Institute ★★★ 
This story opens with Magnus dealing with a homophobic incident, and I really enjoyed watching Magnus and Catarina maneuvering the genuine issue of harmful prejudice. Later on, we get to see Valentine and a sort of mini uprising. In the end, Magnus is with Tessa gets a visit from Jocelyn, who pleads to take Clary's memories of the shadow world. I liked seeing this first encounter, and Tessa with Clary really made my heart melt.

 The Course of True Love and First Dates ★★★ 
This story outlines Magnus and Alec's first date. It was pretty funny while everything keeps going wrong. All the way until they have to fight a werewolf at a bar together. I like this little snapshot of their early days.

 The Voicemail of Magnus Bane ★★ 
This was pretty pointless. This is just a transcript of voicemails left on Magnus's phone after the City of Lost Souls' events. I liked the voicemail pieces from a heartbroken Alec, but everybody else calling (especially Izzy) really seemed like harassment, which was overall annoying. I also wish maybe we concluded with the first date story or Magnus freaking out over what to buy Alec. This was such a bummer to end on, but whatever. 

Overall, this book was kind of all over the place. I enjoyed getting to know Magnus better, and I think some pieces may be important in the future (maybe). I don't regret reading it, but it is definitely not my favorite shadowhunter book by any means.

as one of my favorite characters i’m really glad to get some more in-depth lore. it was overall just a fun book to read!!

samantha lias

I'd been dreading reading this for ages because I'm usually not a fan of short stories but this was good! I'm not the biggest Magnus fan either but I feel like I have a new appreciation for him idk...

I loved the stories with Raphael in and literally any one with Tessa (bc if you don't know she is my queeeeeeen) 

Granted one or two of the stories were a bit boring or pointless in places  *cough* what really happened in Peru *cough* but overall I enjoyed this!

Jamieson

ACTUAL RATING: 3.5  (goodreads rating system kills me) 

I really enjoyed some of these -- and others I was just watiting to end. I particularly liked any of the ones with Alec in them, and the one about Edmund Herondale, the Circle and Raphael Santiago. 

I think I just don't really like short stories much in general, and while I was excited to pick these up, they started to get a little repetitive at times. 

On the other hand, I loved the relationship between Raphael and Magnus being explored in this and I loved the introduction of the Circle. Being able to see these people from a different perspective is really interesting -- especially Raphael. 

Overall I did really enjoyed these, I just didn't LOVE all of them. And I didn't even like some of them. It took me a LONG time to get through this.

11 stories with comic-strip illustrations about immortal warlock Magnus Bane from Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter novelsThe perfect gift for Shadowhunters everywhere. Eleven stories and comic-strip illustrations featuring immortal warlock Magnus Bane. A fan-favourite character from Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter Chronicles, Magnus features in The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, The Dark Artifices and the movie and TV series of City of Bones. Magnus will never be able to tell all of his tales. No one would believe him. But these stories shed a little light on his often inscrutable character. They are stories he probably wishes had never got out.

Marloes

Some of the stories were better than others, but overall, I loved learning more about Magnus's back story.

Courtney

I mean, he's my favourite character. Loved Magnus, like always, being iconic and the malec was amazing, their first date is so beautiful (kind of chaotic too) that I can't even believe it.

Nuria Nephilim

Loved this book! So much connects with the infernal devices and the mortal instruments.

Nicole Dykeman

Loved this. So much. Magnus is one of my favorite characters in any book I've ever read, so it was like a gift from the heavens when I found out this book was going to be a thing. It was even better than I was hoping for it to be! If you're a Magnus fan, this is totally for you.

Kailey Rios

magnus is my favorite character in the tmi series so i knew i would like this book before i even read it simply because i love him so much.

it was so great to get to know his character a little more and see his interactions with characters we already know and some new ones as well.

a few of the stories dragged on and felt a little slow to me, which is the only reason this isn’t getting five stars.


  4.25 stars

ingrid

the rating would be higher if it weren’t for the first stories which were a bit boring (except for herongraystairs one). but starting from raphael’s story the book got very good. anyways, magnus and alec best characters, they will always be loved by me!

Zeinat Bazzi

What Really Happened In Peru: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Runaway Queen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vampires, Scones & Edmund Herondale: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Midnight Heir: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Rise of The Hotel Dumort: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Saving Raphael Santiago: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Fall of The Hotel Dumort: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What To Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Last Stand of The New York Institute: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Course of True Love: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Voicemail of Magnus Bane: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

marilynn

A book all about Magnus Bane What more would you want? Apparently a little more substance lol.

Out of the 11 stories, I could only find myself caring about 4 (the one with Will and Tessa's son James (I cried), the ones with Alec obviously, and the last one was pretty funny)
For the rest I found myself skimming them and wishing we could get to Alec faster so there's that.

Kat Demond

My favorite short stories were The Midnight Heir and The Last Stand of the New York Institute! It’s so nice to see Tessa, Will, and Jem again!

Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices can get to know warlock Magnus Bane like never before in this collection of New York Times bestselling tales, with an exclusive new story and illustrated material. This collection of eleven short stories illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality, flamboyant style, and sharp wit populate the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. Originally released one-by-one as e-only short stories by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, this compilation presents all ten together in print and includes a special eleventh tale, as well as eleven comic illustrations.

Natalie Noble

I find it difficult to rate short story collections so I gave each story a rating and the book rating is just the average. I think overall this was a bad book, out of the 11 short stories I really only liked 3 of them. I don’t think anything in this added to the experience of the main series.

You can really tell this isn’t just written by Cassandra Clare and it comes off as fanfic which was not what I was looking for and even if taken as fanfic still isn’t great.

What Really Happened in Peru? ⭐️
Skip this, it’s a waste of time. A bunch of poorly written anecdotes of Peru and none of them tell you why he’s banned. 

The Runaway Queen ⭐️
I’ll be honest I couldn’t tell you what happened in this I skipped almost all of it because it was boring

Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is this first decent story. We get to see how Will’s parents meet 🥰 and it also gives a historic perspective to the relations between shadowhunters and downworlders. Camille and Magnus meet for the first time here as well so in terms of back story for Magnus this one’s probably the best.

The Midnight Heir ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnus meets James Herondale and confirms my love for all Herondales (except Stephen). This story makes me want to read more about Tessa and Will’s children and learn about Grace Blackthorn. The little moments of Tessa/Will/Jem in this are also cute and James calling Jem ‘Uncle Brother Zachariah’ and ‘Uncle Jem’ 🥺

The Rise of Hotel Dumort ⭐️
Not sure what I was meant to get from this story? It was hotel for rich people until a warlock used it to make a portal to Hell and then it was abandoned?

Saving Raphael Santiago ⭐️⭐️
Raphael deserves better in the books and in the tv show. This short story proves how strong willed he is but also how broken he feels as a vampire that he believes he is damned. I liked seeing this relationship between him and Magnus and it gives weight to what happens to them in the main series.

The Fall of Hotel Dumort ⭐️
Again not sure what to take from this? If a vampire drinks from a high person they get high? Cool

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who has Everything? ⭐️⭐️
This was kind of cute but also kind of boring it could have been half the length it was I just needed the conversation with Isabelle and then Alec showing up at the end of the day I didn’t need the demon summoning and client interaction.

The Last Stand of the New York Institute ⭐️⭐️
This makes me not like Luke very much, I suspect if he hadn’t been turned he wouldn’t have really gone against Valentine and that’s gross. Robert and Maryse already had Alec and they were doing this? Gross. Tessa was the only good thing in this chapter

The Course of True Love (and First Dates) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I LOVE MALEC. This was cute! If you only read one of the stories in this book choose this one. Alec being so unaware of himself is adorable and Magnus realising he is falling in love with a Shadowhunter as he spirals through his feelings is cute

The Voicemail of Magnus Bane ⭐️
I love Izzy but these voicemails didn’t feel like her character at all not that she wouldn’t leave multiple voicemails I believe that but the content of the messages was off character for me and the others I think were meant to be funny but just weren’t. 

Mijs Franssen

I just want to hereby declare Magnus Bane as my favorite character ever. Who would have thought that it would be possible to love him even more then I already did?!

This book was just everything. Seeing parts of Magnus’ live though the centuries was so much fun. I loved how Cassandra Clare brought important history into this book; for instance (spoiler alert) [with the French revolution]
And it was very lovely to see the characters of Clare’s series, like Jem, Tessa and Will, and Tessa and Will’s son, (spoiler alert) [but also more of Malec’s relationship, and how he met Jocelyn.]

It was just very very interesting, and lovely to read. I will forever cherish Magnus as a character

Regina

It was so nice to finally read more about Magnus' adventures and stories and learn more about him. I loved this book :< I read a few of the stories back when it came out but never the whole thing and i just, wish i read it a lot sooner. He has been a favorite character of mine in the Shadowhunters series and just has a special place in my heart.

Sophie 

Loved it !! Adored seeing more of Magnus’ past and present. I laughed the hardest at The Voicemail of Magnus Bane and got misty eyed at The Midnight Heir & Saving Raphael Santiago.
Fave story was The Midnight Heir <3

He smiled, and as he smiled, his waving black locks blended with the night, and the glow of his skin and his eyes grew as distant as the light of the stars until they became so pale, they diffused. He was nothing but a shadow among shadows again. He was an infuriating Cheshire cat of a boy, nothing left of him but the impression of his smile.
“My father was cursed," James said from the darkness.
"Whereas I? I'm damned."

Jaclyn

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! ALL THE EMOTIONS AND FEELS! LAUGHS AND TEARS! CASSANDRA CLARE IS PURE GENIUS!!!

The Bane Chronicles

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