Bane, Magnus

 I feel like every teenager and their mother has read The Mortal Instruments, to be honest.

And if you are part of the small population that hasn’t, then you’ve probably seen the god-awful movie that I will not speak of ever again, because it was truly abysmal and a disgrace to the glory that the books hold.

The series itself had a great set of life lessons that are taught throughout the books. They address things like racial discrimination, prejudice, genocide, sexual orientation, sexism, what it means to be in love, and a lot of other things that teenagers of this generation can relate to. And it does so in a way that is entirely not offensive.

The same goes for The Infernal Devices, Cassandra Clare’s prequel series, but not as much because it is set in the Victorian Era, where things like sexism and sexuality were not openly addressed and opinions on the subjects were looked down upon extremely. And I’m sure each and every problem will be addressed again in her upcoming series, The Dark Artifices.

                But what I want to focus on right now is her recently released collection of short stories titled, The Bane Chronicles. The shorts had been published as ebooks originally, one at a time, and for a few dollars per download. Now, however, they are included in a large book, and available to anyone with access to a bookstore.

                When I stumbled upon the book at Barnes and Noble, I squealed quite loudly in delight. Magnus Bane, the esteemed warlock featured in both The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices is one of my favorites—possibly THE favorite—fictional character that I’ve read about in my short lifespan filled with hundreds of books.

                He’s freaking fabulous, and bisexual, which is great representation for the LBGTQIA community, and it dismisses the popular opinion that bisexuality does not exist.

                The book is about his many adventures and misadventures and frankly is wonderful, because while his is an important character in Clare’s series, he is considered a background character by some. These stories allow a look into his past that we haven’t gotten to see before, and it provides a better sense of his personality, how immortality could wear on a person, and what has shaped his life. It’s great insight to get to know Magnus better, and now I love him even more.

                I think what the most impressive part of the book is that it’s not only written by Clare, but also Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson. You can’t really tell, however. They’re styles of writing and the tone they take throughout the stories flow together seamlessly, creating a wonderful world which revolves around the great and powerful High Warlock of Brooklyn.