I was not really aware of the dystopian genre before I read 'The Handmaid's Tale.' Many poets as well, like John Donne and Emily Dickinson, would be the influences; I specialized in Emily Dickinson at university. Both of those poets have really interesting ways of looking at life and death.

Samantha Shannon

Categorized in : Looking Death Life Life And Death

There was no normal. There never had been. "Normal" and "natural" were the biggest lies we'd ever created.

Samantha Shannon

normal natural lying

Knowledge is dangerous. Once you know something, you can't get rid of it. You have to carry it. Always.

Samantha Shannon

knowledge-is-dangerous dangerous knows

I fell even more deeply in love with Tolkiens legendarium after studying Old English literature at uni, as I got a sense of the historical events and cultures that Tolkien used to create his world. My favourite of his imaginary locations is Lothlorien.

Samantha Shannon

events historical culture

I always felt that sci-fi and fantasy were my thing. Bit of a geek, Im afraid. But I like creating worlds, and I felt it was a genre that gave me more freedom. It just seemed like I belonged there.

Samantha Shannon

geek creating world

I was born in 1991, and Harry Potter came out in 97, so, you know, I was really obsessed. I used to read them in one night.

Samantha Shannon

potters obsessed night

I was not a rebellious teenager. I was a sit-in-your-room teenager.

Samantha Shannon

rebellious teenager rooms

I do not know what I can do for this world but I will not let any harm come to you

Samantha Shannon

harm knows world

Not all of us know what we are. Some of us die without ever knowing. Some of us know, and never get caught. But we're out there. Trust me.

Samantha Shannon

caught trust-me knowing

My father thought I would lead a simple life; that I was bright but unambitious, complacant with whatever work life threw at me. My father, as usual, was wrong.

Samantha Shannon

usual simple father

They'd branded me like some kind of animal. Lower than an animal. A number.

Samantha Shannon

kind numbers animal

Writing a novel is like knocking on a door that will never open. You are so desperate to get in, you will say or do anything. You feel: please take my novel.

Samantha Shannon

desperate writing doors

I'm often daydreaming and it's because I've always liked the idea of there being something more than the normal world.

Samantha Shannon

normal world ideas

Words are everything. Words give wings even to those who have been stamped upon, broken beyond all hope of repair.

Samantha Shannon

broken wings giving

Nothing’s worse than a story without an end.

Samantha Shannon

ends stories

There are certain things in life that you never forget. Things that dig deep, things that nest in the hadal zone.

Samantha Shannon

nests things-in-life never-forget

I would never see him again. But as I watched the tunnel race before my eyes, I was certain of one thing: I did trust him. Now I had only to trust in myself.

Samantha Shannon

tunnels eye race

I don't know. I just want you with me. I had never said those words aloud. Now that I could taste my freedom I wanted him to share it with me. But he couldn't change his life for me. And I couldn't sacrifice my life to be with him

Samantha Shannon

sacrifice taste want

I looked at him and he looked at me. A moment. A choice. My choice. His choice.

Samantha Shannon

moments choices

his thumbs ran over my cheeks. Our foreheads touched. My dreamscape scorched. He set fire to the poppies

Samantha Shannon

poppies thumbs fire

I like to imagine there were more of us in the beginning. Not many, I suppose. But more than there are now.

Samantha Shannon

imagine