Review: Shadow and Bone (Eric Heisserer, 2021)
Fig. 1 - Shadow and Bone (Eric Heisserer, 2021).
The latest fantasy series released by Netflix is an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s “Grishaverse” novels. Bardugo’s books consist of the Grisha trilogy: Shadow and Bone (2012), Siege and Storm (2013), and Ruin and Rising (2014); there is also the Six of Crows duology: Six of Crows (2015) and Crooked Kingdom (2016); and there is the King of Scars duology: King of Scars (2019) and Rule of Wolves (2021). Netflix’s series uses the title and explores the content of the first volume of the Grisha trilogy with a surprising twist. The team of writers, led by Eric Heisserer (screenwriter for Arrival [Denis Villeneuve, 2016] and Bird Box [Suzanne Bier, 2018]), decided to incorporate characters from Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology into the series. Originally, the events from this duology take place two years after the events from the trilogy, and the two books explore a new set of characters. This unconventional incorporation creates new storylines for characters from the duology, a form of television prequel that can now accompany the books, and, with Bardugo on board as an executive producer and writer, this incorporation does the beloved characters justice and has every chance of being a success with the fans of the “Grishaverse”. Thus, in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone adaptation, we follow characters from two different sets of novels whose fates are now intertwined within the television series (Fig. 1).
The characters from the original trilogy include a cartographer, Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), and her fellow orphaned childhood friend, Malyen Oretsev (Archie Renaux), as they embark on their first adult assignments in Ravkan’s Army. Ravka, a country loosely inspired by Tsarist Russia, is at war with the Nordic-inspired country of Fjerda and the East Asian-inspired Shu Han. It is also a country plagued by the Fold, a giant shadow rift that splits the country into two parts and is occupied by bloodthirsty creatures called volcra. Crossing the Fold is not a pleasant experience, and often ends in untimely death. Luckily for Alina, it is during her first crossing that she discovers her ability to summon light, effectively dispelling the shadow and killing all nearby volcra. This ability immediately identifies her as a Grisha, a magic-user with summoning abilities. Alina is the sun summoner: the first of her kind, prophesied to destroy the Fold from within. As the series gains momentum, Alina discovers the burdens of a life with her newfound saviour status; she overcomes an identity crisis, learns how to harness her power of light, and faces the ramifications of a romantic relationship with the most powerful Grisha alive, the shadow summoner Kirigan (Ben Barnes). Indeed, it should be noted that there is an intense on-screen chemistry between Alina and Kirigan, and it effectively displays the magnetic pull their powers have on each other.
Alongside Alina’s traditional “chosen one” journey narrative, we encounter several characters whose storylines are absent from the original trilogy. A trio known as The Crows brings a lot of entertainment to the show: casino owner Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), who along with his band of merry rogues take a commission to kidnap the sun summoner; Jasper Fahey (Kit Young), who is the group’s gunslinger-extraordinaire; and Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman), who is a spy-acrobat with the uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere and melt into the shadows. The Crows help to bring humour and fast-paced action into the series. Their heist antics are evocative of Ocean’s Eleven (Steven Soderbergh, 2001), and offer a light respite from the more ominous predestination narrative with which Alina constantly grapples. A duo of characters that we do not see in every episode is a Grisha named Nina Zenik (Danielle Galligan) and the Fjerdan witch-hunter Matthias Helvar (Calahan Skogman). As Nina embarks on a mission for Kirigan, she is captured by elite hunters and taken onto a Fjerdan ship to await trial and certain death. The ship is wrecked in a storm, and Nina and Matthias are forced to cooperate to survive. By the time they reach Ravka, their hatred for each other has evolved into love. Their story, although well depicted by the actors, feels the most rushed of all the storylines. Its inclusion in the overarching narrative of the series is justified only because it functions as a set-up for the prospective second season of the series. By the end of episode eight, the roles are reversed. Nina finds herself on a ship again, but this time it is Matthias who is in chains, accused of being a slaver. Nina, desperate to save him, overhears the Crows as they plan their next heist and might require a Grisha with Nina’s powers.
Overall, the series is balanced and well executed. The casting is spot on. Elizabeth Rider as Ana Kuya, Zoe Wanamaker as Baghra, and Kevin Elton as The Apparat bring a sharp complexity out of three important mature characters who shape Alina’s growth. Ben Barnes as Kirigan is incredibly compelling; indeed, it is as if his roles in Dorian Gray (Oliver Parker, 2009) and Westworld (Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, 2016-) were preparation for the eternal and manipulative soul he depicts. The fans of the books will be content that the main characters, Alina and Mal, have been improved: Mal has been toned down into a less controlling and more pleasant individual. Alina, on the other hand, has more agency and spark, and is of mixed-race heritage. In fantasy literature, “chosen one” characters are often orphaned or adopted, and thus displaced from their biological communities. This is why some form of physical differentiation of the “chosen one” is quite common; a good example of this is Rand in The Eye of the World (Jordan 1990). Casting in Shadow and Bone is diverse, so the rewriting of Alina’s character as part-Shu was not essential. However, it seems that it has been done to broaden the cognitive dissonance between Alina and the rest of the world, adding another layer of depth to her displacement. She is a Ravkan citizen who looks like the enemy, and grows up constantly aware of the negative emotions her appearance incites (there are many examples of racial discrimination against Alina throughout the series, beginning with the scenes at the orphanage in episode one). Alina’s sense of belonging is always questioned, by both herself and the people around her. “What are you?” becomes one of the most memorable lines of the series, because it is asked of Alina repeatedly by various characters to establish her identity. This line represents the potential associated with Alina’s Grisha powers and the promise of what she might be able to achieve with them.
Fig. 2 - Shadow and Bone’s digital VFX showing Alina’s first use of her power.
Other aspects of the series’ production support the story well. The costumes, especially the army uniforms and the kefta (the magically-enhanced bulletproof long coat that the Grisha wear), are designed with an attention to detail that complements the setting. The Hungarian Festetics Palace in Keszthely makes for a beautiful and bright backdrop to what, essentially, is a tale of bright hope amidst perpetual darkness. The series’ use of music is particularly well done. Joseph Trapanese has done a good job expressing this binary dynamic through music. Alina’s violin theme is unsteady and haunting, yet it grows in strength and definition as the series progresses (Burlingame 2021). Kirigan’s double bass is played as the direct opposite, pronounced at the beginning, and growing more erratic as Alina gains confidence. For example, in episode four, Alina’s intentions are revealed through the use of Kirigan’s theme when she strolls through the palace in the night and ends up visiting his study. They share an intimate moment and their music themes are entwined, preparing the audience for an intense culmination of their relationship in episode five. Alina’s theme is particularly effective each time she uses her power, merging into symphonic arrangements that make these scenes truly magical.
Fig. 3 - Alina is the sword.
These scenes, however, not only sound magical, they also look fantastical. The VFX team can be proud of their achievement. Shadow and Bone is a fantasy series about magic and the consequences of its misuse. It is a challenge to portray something that does not exist and is often described in various fantasy novels as an invisible power. In eight episodes, even with Bardugo’s helpful use of shadow and sunlight as visual cues, the challenge of making the use of magic entertaining without being overbearing or simply boring remains. It is addressed through an amalgamation of special effects and VFX. For example, Alina’s first use of her power, rightfully exploited for the trailer, is shown as a display of spectacular light, shot from several angles and used repeatedly across the first episode to demonstrate its significance (Fig. 2). In episode two, there is a dramatic scene in which Kirigan tests Alina to confirm her Grisha powers, and pierces her skin with a metal claw to reveal a bursting sunbeam shooting upwards from her arm – a sunbeam that brings to mind a flaming sword rather than a burst of light. It is a gallant nod to a genre that elates in this particular choice of weapon, and it demonstrates early in the series that Alina does not need a sword: she is the sword (Fig. 3).
Guns, rifles, knives and even canes remedy the lack of sword fighting. Kit Young as Jasper brings a nostalgic but welcome hint of the Western genre into the series. His gun-slinging skills provide plenty of entertainment, but also serve as a reminder that no magic can rival bullets in one-to-one combat. This weakness of magic users is well demonstrated across the series. No matter how spectacular the feats of magic that the Grisha perform, they usually need both hands to do it, and, against large numbers and machine guns, they are powerless. Alina seems to be an exception to this rule, although it does take her eight episodes to realise it. Jasper’s comment in episode eight sums up the whole season aptly: “You cannot kidnap a human sunbeam”. After all, a sunbeam is capable of blinding you unless you are clever enough to cover your eyes.
In summary, Shadow and Bone is a satisfying adaptation of Bardugo’s novels as well as an expertly-produced series. It should satisfy both fans of the books and those new to this magical world and its characters. Season 1 is now available to stream on Netflix.
**Article published: May 7, 2021**
References
Bardugo, Leigh. 2012. Shadow and Bone. New York: Macmillan.
Bardugo, Leigh. 2013. Siege and Storm. New York: Macmillan.
Bardugo, Leigh. 2014. Ruin and Rising. New York: Macmillan.
Bardugo, Leigh. 2015. Six of Crows. New York: Macmillan.
Bardugo, Leigh. 2016. Crooked Kingdom. New York: Macmillan.
Bardugo, Leigh. 2019. King of Scars. New York: Macmillan.
Bardugo, Leigh. 2021. Rule of Wolves. New York: Macmillan.
Burlingame, Jon. 2021. “How ‘Shadow and Bone’ Composer Joseph Trapanese Created Fantastical Music for Netflix’s Take on the Grishaverse.” Variety, April 22, 2021. https://variety.com/2021/artisans/production/shadow-and-bone-music-netflix-1234957417.
Jordan, Robert. 1990. The Eye of the World. New York: Tor Books.
Biography
Dr Aga J. Drenda works as a writer, reviewer, and editor. She is Book Reviews Editor at Fantasy/Animation.org, and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). She has received a PhD in Fantasy Literature from Anglia Ruskin University (2017) and she specialises in fantastic narratology and the contemporary fantasy genre. Aga is currently working on an academic book The Anatomy of Magic, a chapter on unicorn fiction for The Mythological Equines in Children’s Literature, and a chapter on Polish fantasy for The International Fantasy Reader. Visit Aga’s academia website or follow her on Twitter.