Shannon Messenger

Shannon Messenger is an American writer of fantasy for young readers from Southern California, best known for the upper-middle-grade series Keeper of the Lost Cities, which began in 2012.

She studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts before turning to fiction. Keeper of the Lost Cities, published by Simon & Schuster, opened on 2 October 2012 and continued with Exile (2013), Everblaze (2014), Neverseen (2015), Lodestar (2016), Nightfall (2017), Flashback (2018), Legacy (2019) and Stellarlune (2022), with the novellas Unlocked (2020) and Unraveled (2024) between the main volumes. A concluding book, Elysian, was announced in November 2025. For older teenagers she wrote the Sky Fall trilogy: Let the Sky Fall (2013), Let the Storm Break (2014) and Let the Wind Rise (2016).

The first Keeper book won the 2017 California Young Reader Medal in the middle school category, and the series has appeared on the New York Times best seller list. A graphic novel adaptation began in November 2023. Film rights passed from Walt Disney Pictures, which announced Ben Affleck as director in 2021, to Warner Bros. Pictures in 2024, with Messenger as an executive producer.

For collectors

The first edition to look for is the Simon & Schuster hardback of Keeper of the Lost Cities, published in the United States on 2 October 2012. Later spin-offs include an illustrated and annotated paperback of the first book (August 2020) and a two-part graphic novel adaptation (November 2023 and December 2025).