Series · fantasy

Shadowhunter Chronicles: Short Fiction Collections

by Cassandra Clare

The Shadowhunter Chronicles: Short Fiction Collections series by Cassandra Clare has 4 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Bane Chronicles (2014).

Books
4 books
First published
2014
Status
ongoing
Last checked

Start here: The Bane Chronicles (2014) — then read straight through in publication order.

Reading order

The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.

  1. Book 1:

    The Bane Chronicles

    Novel

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bane Chronicles
  2. Book 2:

    Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

    Novel

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
  3. Book 3:

    Ghosts of the Shadow Market

    Novel

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ghosts of the Shadow Market
  4. Book 4:

    Better in Black: Ten Stories of Shadowhunter Romance

    Novel

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Better in Black: Ten Stories of Shadowhunter Romance

About the Shadowhunter Chronicles: Short Fiction Collections series

Alongside the main Shadowhunter novels, Cassandra Clare has written four collections of interconnected short stories that fill in corners of the same world. The Bane Chronicles gathers eleven stories tracing centuries of Magnus Bane's life, from his first meeting with a young Will Herondale to his early days with Alec Lightwood. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy follows Simon Lewis's uneasy return to Shadowhunter training after The Mortal Instruments, told across ten linked stories. Ghosts of the Shadow Market turns to the past, following the parabatai Jem Carstairs and Tessa Gray as they search the underground Shadow Markets across the decades for a way to help someone Jem cannot save alone. Better in Black is a later, solo-authored collection of ten original love stories pairing up couples from across the whole franchise -- Jace and Clary, Will and Tessa, Simon and Isabelle, Emma and Julian, James and Cordelia, and more -- and includes a sneak peek at The Wicked Powers.

The first three collections are co-written with other YA authors -- Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson appear across all three, joined by Robin Wasserman on Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and by Robin Wasserman and Kelly Link on Ghosts of the Shadow Market. Better in Black, by contrast, is written by Clare alone. All four are companion material for readers already invested in the Shadowhunter Chronicles rather than an entry point, filling in backstory and romance beats that the main novels only gesture at.

Frequently asked questions

How many Shadowhunter short story collections are there?

Four: The Bane Chronicles (2014), Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (2016), Ghosts of the Shadow Market (2019), and Better in Black (2025). The first three are also sold together as a boxed set.

Do I need to read these collections to understand the main Shadowhunter series?

No. They're optional companion material that deepens the backstory of Magnus Bane, Simon Lewis, Jem Carstairs and Tessa Gray, and other established couples, but the core novels stand on their own.

Who co-wrote the Shadowhunter short story collections with Cassandra Clare?

Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson co-wrote The Bane Chronicles, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, and Ghosts of the Shadow Market. Robin Wasserman joined for the latter two, with Kelly Link also contributing to Ghosts of the Shadow Market. Better in Black (2025) is written by Cassandra Clare alone.

What order should I read the collections in relative to the main series?

The Bane Chronicles after starting The Mortal Instruments, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy right after City of Heavenly Fire, Ghosts of the Shadow Market after The Infernal Devices, and Better in Black after you've read most of the main novels, since its ten stories touch couples from across the whole franchise.

What is Better in Black?

A 2025 collection of ten original short stories pairing up couples from across the Shadowhunter Chronicles -- including Jace and Clary, Will and Tessa, and James and Cordelia -- written solely by Cassandra Clare, with a sneak peek at her upcoming trilogy The Wicked Powers.


Reading order last verified .