[This story contains spoilers from the first season of Shadow and Bone.]
Shadow and Bone’s debut season finale was full of surprises, but fans of Leigh Bardugo’s novel experienced an extra unexpected twist.
Arguably the book’s darkest moment takes place on the desert skiff near the story’s end. Alina Starkov (played by Jessie Mei Li in the Netflix series) has been manipulated and tormented by General Kirigan (Ben Barnes) and betrayed by the Grisha royalty she once thought were her friends. Once she realizes she can fully control her own power, she decides to flee the skiff with Mal (Archie Renaux) – and take her protective cone of light with her into the Shadow Fold. In other words: The story’s hero brutally leaves everybody on the skiff – all those who betrayed her and refused to help her fight back against Kirigan – to die. In the novel, a panicking Kirigan asks Alina, “You begged me for clemency once … Is this your idea of mercy?” And Alina thinks: “Yes … the mercy you taught me.”
But in the show, only the villainous Kirigian is abandoned to the dark while Alina helps usher the skiff and its surviving passengers to safety.
The Hollywood Reporter asked showrunner Eric Heisserer about the reason for change.
Video: Alyson Hannigan Remembers Working on 'How I Met Your Mother' as a 'Montage of Great Memories' (Entertainment Weekly)
Even though Shadow and Bone the TV series differs from the book slightly - thanks to the inclusion of Six of Crows characters Kaz, Inej and Jesper - it's still probably safe to say that like the. May 18, 2021 Shadow and Bone, Netflix's adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's bestselling book series, became an instant hit when it premiered. The series follows a young woman named Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) who. Spoilers for the end of Shadow and Bone season 1. The show ends with our heroes Alina, Mal, Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and Zoya escaping from the Fold, with the evil General Kirigan presumably left for. Shadow and Bone Season 1 Release year: 2021 Dark forces conspire against orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov when she unleashes an extraordinary power that could change the fate of her war-torn world.
“We had a number of characters on the skiff with Alina in the finale, including ones not from the original book, and we all felt that their collaboration against the many enemies there is what would save them,” he explained. “Their teamwork made it all possible. So the empathy for one another led to them saving each other and escaping as an allied group.”
Another key shift from the books near the season’s end was a speech by Kirigan right before the skiff scene, a moment that helped inspire Alina’s “mercy” revenge moment above. In the book, Alina offers herself to Kirigan to save Mal, pleading for mercy, and he responds with a rather monstrous speech: “Tomorrow, we enter the Shadow Fold, and when we do, I will feed your friend to the volcra, and you will watch him die … That is all the mercy traitors deserve … You’ll tire of [hating me] soon enough. You’ll tire of everything. You will wear that collar for the rest of your very, very long life, Alina. Fight me as long as you’re able. You will find I have far more practice with eternity.”
There’s a similar meeting scene in the show, but Kirigan exhibiting a gentler edge, and with some of his lines shifted for his one-on-one scene with Mal instead. We asked Heisserer if the idea was to soften The Darkling’s character at all.
“When dealing with someone with as many sins in his history as the Darkling, we looked for every opportunity to allow you to at least empathize with his [point of view],” he replied. “And since we had seen him commit some terrible deeds in the episode already, he needed room to breathe as someone carrying old emotional wounds (and with it, old biases and assumptions).”
In a previous story, Barnes discussed another key shakeup from the book: Addressing the issue of sexual consent in the romantic scenes between Alina and Kirigan.
Shadow And Bone Map
Shadow and Bone is currently streaming on Netflix.
| Author | Leigh Bardugo |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Lauren Fortgang |
| Cover artist | Rich Deas[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Grisha trilogy (Book 1) |
| Genre | Fantasy, young-adult novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan Publishers |
Publication date | June 5, 2012 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
| Pages | 358 |
| ISBN | 978-0-8050-9459-6 |
| Followed by | Siege and Storm |
Shadow and Bone is a young adult fantasyadventure and debut novel written by Israeli-American author Leigh Bardugo. It was published by Macmillan Publishers on June 5, 2012. The novel is narrated by Alina Starkov, a teenage orphan who grows up in the Russia-inspired land of Ravka when, unexpectedly harnessing a power she never knew in order to save her childhood best friend, she becomes a target of intrigue and violence. It is the first book in the Grisha trilogy, followed by Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising. It is also the namesake and basis for Netflix adaptation, Shadow and Bone, which premiered in April 2021.
Plot[edit]
Alina Starkov is a teenage girl who grew up with Malyen (Mal) Oretsev at an orphanage in Keramzin in the Kingdom of Ravka. The story begins as they march through the Unsea (also called the Fold), a perpetually dark, barren strip of land cutting most of Ravka off from the sea. Periodic expeditions sent across the Fold to transport goods and bring back imports are often plagued by monsters called volcra that inhabit the Unsea. During their crossing, the volcra attack, and, while saving Mal, Alina displays an extraordinary Grisha talent. The Grisha are people with the ability to manipulate the elements to use as weapons, e.g. to call fire, to summon wind, to regulate hearts. Alina is able to summon light and is thus considered a Sun Summoner.
The leader of the Grisha, the Darkling, rushes Alina to the capital Os Alta, saying her power is unique and valuable which makes her an assassination target by enemies of Ravka. She struggles to fit in with other Grisha and to have confidence in her own abilities as she begins rigorous training. She feels a strong attraction to the Darkling, which he seems to reciprocate. During two encounters they kiss, and Alina is confused by her reactions to the kisses.
After demonstrating her power to the King and his court, Alina is told by her tutor Baghra that she must flee, that the Darkling is using her, that the Darkling created the Unsea, and that he intends to enslave her and use her Grisha power to conquer the world. Baghra also reveals that she is the Darkling's mother. Two weeks into Alina's flight, she is nearly captured, but is saved by Mal who has a nearly supernatural ability to track and was sent to find her. Instead of turning her in, he helps her escape.
They decide to hunt a magic stag in the far north. If Alina kills the stag and makes a necklace of its antlers, her powers will be greatly amplified. After much time and effort, Alina and Mal find the stag, just as they realize how much they love each other. She refuses to kill the stag, and the stag acknowledges this. At that moment the Darkling and his minions appear. The Darkling kills the stag and forces the antler necklace on Alina, making her his absolute slave, unable to disobey him in the slightest.
They quickly return south to the major crossing point of the Unsea. The Darkling forces Alina to protect the ship during the crossing. Near the other side, the Darkling extends the Unsea, causing great death and destruction. He then throws Mal off the ship, onto the Unsea, to be devoured by monsters. In desperation, Alina finally realizes that her act of mercy, sparing the stag, gives her the possibility to break free of the Darkling's enslavement. Her love of Mal grants her the strength she needs. Alina breaks free, leaps out of the ship, saves Mal, and destroys the ship.
The book ends with Mal and Alina taking passage across the True Sea, escaping from Ravka and the Darkling.
Development[edit]
Shadow and Bone is Bardugo's first novel. When Entertainment Weekly questioned Bardugo about her inspiration for the series, she explained, 'In most fantasy, darkness is metaphorical; it’s just a way of talking about evil (darkness falls across the land, a dark age is coming, etc.). I wanted to take something figurative and make it literal. So the question became, 'What if darkness was a place?' What if the monsters lurking there were real and more horrible than anything you’d ever imagined beneath your bed or behind the closet door? What if you had to fight them on their own territory, blind and helpless in the dark? These ideas eventually became the Shadow Fold.'[2]
Bardugo defines its genre as Tsarpunk - a fantasy with inspiration from early 19th century Russia.[3] When asked why she chose this particular setting, Bardugo explained, 'I think there’s tremendous power in the images we associate with Russian culture and history, these extremes of beauty and brutality that lend themselves to fantasy. And honestly, as much as I love broadswords and flagons of ale—and believe me, I do—I wanted to take readers someplace a little different. Tsarist Russia gave me a different point of departure.'[2]
Bardugo progressed through the steps of querying agents to accepting representation to being offered a three-book deal in 37 days.[4] The Grisha series went to auction on December 1, 2010 and was sold to Henry Holt and Co./Macmillan on December 3, 2010.[4]Shadow and Bone, the first book in the trilogy, was published in June 2012.[5]
Reception[edit]
Publishers Weekly commented that 'Alina's angst and passivity are a bit of a letdown, but Bardugo’s storytelling and world-building more than compensate.'[6] An unnamed reviewer for Kirkus Reviews praised Bardugo for 'allow[ing] the details of Grisha magic to unfold with limited exposition, using Alina's ignorance for readers' benefit', but described the world-building as being 'continually undercut by clunky colloquialisms'. The reviewer concluded: 'The plotting is powerful enough to carry most readers past flaws and into the next book in the series.'[7]
Sequels and related works[edit]
Its sequel and second book in the trilogy, Siege and Storm, was published in June 2013.[8] The final book in the trilogy, Ruin and Rising, was published in June 2014.[9]
Also set in the same world as the Grisha trilogy[10] are the Six of Crows (2015) and Crooked Kingdom (2016) duology; the standalone short story collection The Language of Thorns; and the King of Scars (2019) and Rule of Wolves (2021) duology, which features characters from both the original trilogy and Six of Crows.[11]
Adaptations[edit]
In September 2012, Holly Bario, president of DreamWorks’ production, announced that she had picked up the movie rights to Shadow and Bone.[12]David Heyman, who produced the Harry Potter films, was announced as producer. Jeffrey Clifford, president of Heyday Films, would also produce the film.[13]
In January 2019, Netflix ordered an eight-episode series based on the Grisha Trilogy and the Six of Crows duology with Eric Heisserer as showrunner.[14] Production began in October 2019 with Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov, Ben Barnes as General Kirigan (The Darkling), Archie Renaux as Malyen Oretsev, Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya Nazyalensky, Daisy Head as Genya Safin, and Simon Sears as Ivan.[15]
All eight episodes of the series were released on April 23, 2021.[16]
References[edit]
- ^Cecil, Amanda (June 17, 2014). 'Guest Post: Rich Deas on Designing the Grisha Trilogy Covers'. Barnes & Noble. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ abBrissey, Breia (2015-01-18). ''Shadow and Bone': Author Leigh Bardugo talks her debut novel'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - why should you read it?
- ^ abMcCormick, Casey (2011-01-10). 'Leigh Bardugo: From Query To Book Deal in 37 Days'. Literaryrambles.com. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
- ^Bardugo, Leigh (2012-06-05). Shadow and Bone (Grisha Trilogy) (9780805094596): Leigh Bardugo: Books. ISBN978-0805094596.
- ^'Shadow and Bone'. Publishers Weekly. June 5, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^'SHADOW AND BONE'. Kirkus Reviews. June 5, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^Leigh Bardugo. 'Siege and Storm | Leigh Bardugo | Macmillan'. Us.macmillan.com. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
- ^Leigh Bardugo. 'Ruin and Rising | Leigh Bardugo | Macmillan'. Us.macmillan.com. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
- ^''King Of Scars' Muses On The Monstrous'. NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^Bardugo, Leigh (2019-01-29). Amazon.com: King of Scars (King of Scars Duology) (9781250231185): Leigh Bardugo: Gateway. ISBN978-1250142283.
- ^'DreamWorks' Shadow and Bone Lands Writer'. The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
- ^Breznican, Anthony (2012-09-12). ''Harry Potter' producer to make 'Shadow and Bone''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (January 10, 2019). 'Netflix Orders Shadow And Bone Series Based On Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse Novels From Eric Heisserer & Shawn Levy'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^Harris, Latesha (2 October 2019). 'TV News Roundup: Netflix Reveals Cast of New Series 'Shadow and Bone''. Variety. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^'Netflix's Shadow and Bone is a muddled, joyless checklist of fantasy tropes'. Retrieved 2021-04-23.