It’s not easy being Magnus Bane. As a warlock, he’s often called upon to fix the problems of others. His life has been long, and his loves have been many. And Magnus has a way of making sure he’s at the right place—or perhaps wrong—time. The French Revolution, Prohibition, the great blackout of New York City, the first great battle between Valentine and the New York Institute. . . Magnus was there, and usually in the middle of it. But smuggling Marie Antoinette out of France is nothing compared to loving a vampire like Camille Belcourt—or having a first date with Alec Lightwood.
Though Magnus’s tale is far from over, these stories shed a little light on his often instructable character. What happens when an immortal warlock goes mad? Are all Herondales as problematic as Will? (Answer: Yes). What exactly happened at the Hotel Dumort? How did Raphael Santiago become a vampire? What do you buy for your Shadowhunter boyfriend when you’re not officially dating? And why was Magnus banned from Peru?
Magnus will never be able to tell all of his tales. No one would believe him. But here are eleven stories that fill in some of the blanks—stories he probably wishes had never gotten out.
My Rating: 4 stars
My Review:
“The Bane Chronicles” was whimsical, funny and definintely intriguing—just like the main character itself, Magnus Bane. If you’ve read the Mortal Instruments and/or The Infernal Devices, then the stories in this book will help you to understand him a bit more. Magnus is... well, magnificent (pun totally intended). He’s charming, funny, often insane, usually over-dramatic, and well... what else can I say? He’s my absolute favourite character in both Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices. The things he gets himself into had me shaking my head at several points.
I really enjoyed learning more about the background of my favourite character. Even if he wasn’t my favourite, I probably would’ve loved this book anyway. I found that “What Really Happened in Peru” (the story that opens the book) sort of dragged at first, but it was fun. I really enjoyed “Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale” (which tells the story of Will’s father). But by FAR my favourite stories in this book were “Saving Raphael Santiago” (made me even tear up at several points), and “The Course of True Love [And First Dates]” and, “What To Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re not ofiically dating anyway).
Magnus’s history is so very vast, it would need several different books like this to even come close to telling all of Magnus’s tales. I would really like to know what it was like for Magnus in the first several years after the events of his childhood, though I can’t imagine they were pleasant. I really liked the relationships between him, Ragnor and Catarina. I also enjoyed seeing Tessa & Will in “The Midnight Hier”, as well as again in “The Last Stand of the New York Institute” (Also loved little Clary and Tessa moment in here as well.) I believe this might be why Tessa seems familiar to Clary when she first sees her in City of Glass. Also, the mention of Jem “I know a Silent Brother who will keep any secret, if I ask him to” kind of made me break inside all over again. My heart always breaks whenever Jem is mentioned. Seeing him in “The MIdnight Heir” just made me cry.
There is so much of Magnus to know, and these stories only barely touch the surface. “The Bane Chronicles” is deliciously wonderful, though. I want more Magnus! (I’m really hoping to see him the Dark Artifces, and I can’t wait to see him in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy). I love Magnus, and I miss him already even though I just finished this book.
All in all, The Bane Chronicles is definitely a must-add to your growing Shadowhunter collection. I would say that while they are each stand-alone stories and do not have to be read in order, it is definitely necesary to have read The Infernal Devices FIRST, before beginning the Bane Chronicles. There is a lot of stuff from that time period that you will not understand unless you read The Infernal Devices, the mentions of Jem, Will & Tessa, etc. You could possibly get by reading it without having read The Mortal Instruments, though the bits with the Circle & everything to do with Alec will end up being confusing, though you could probably follow along. I still recommend reading both series first before you go reading The Bane Chronicles, else you will end up extremely confused and you just won’t appreciate the deliciousness that is Magnus Bane. (Not that Magnus is something to eat, I’m just referring to his sexiness when I say “delicious”.)
Magnifcent. Suberb. Wonderful. Absolutely delightful. A MUST READ.
Side note: I am very pleased to say that I have completely finished ALL of Cassandra Clare’s works that are available to date, including the Shadowhunter’s Codex. This is one of my highest accomplishments. I have finished (devoured might be a better word for it) The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, The Shadowhunter’s Codex, & The Bane Chronicles, and now I have nothing left of Cassie’s to read. Alas, I must retire to Fanfiction.net, where I must be satisfied with occasionally decent stories featuring the Shadowhunters. I have not succumbed to writing my own, though I have been tempted (especially during that torturously long way between City of Lost Souls, Clockwork Princess, and City of Heavenly Fire).
This little Shadowhunter is off to bed, where she may dream about being as fabulously dressed as the Magnificent Bane.
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