Grishaverse discussion – pt 1: Shadow and Bone
As all Leigh Bardugo‘s fans know, the Grishaverse will soon become a tv show – Shadow & Bone. We still don’t have a release date sadly, but we decided to get together and discuss about it. There will be a total of 3 discussions: one about Shadow & Bone, one for Six of Crows and one regarding the tv show, where we will share our thoughts and opinions.
Introductions:
Marti: I’m Marti and I’m a contributor here at FANdemonium Network. I’m also an interpreting and translation student with a passion for tv shows!
Dan: I’m Dan, and I write the occasional piece for FANdemonium Network. My main job is as an appearance agent for actors for DMJ Consultancy.
Jess: I’m Jess. When I’m not working in marketing, I’m reading, writing or playing video games for fun.
Luisa: Hi, I’m Luisa. I’m an administrative team assistant with a specialization in marketing and a passion for fantasy shows and books.
Oli: I’m Oli, a friend of Dan’s and a big fan of the Grishaverse series.
The Grisha world and society are very extensive and detailed, what intrigued you the most about them?
D: I’ll be honest and say that I hadn’t heard of this series until the casting announcement. I went on holiday shortly after and took the trilogy with me. I read them all in three days. What intrigued me the most about them, once I read a bit of blurb, was the setting. I love reading books that involve themselves with folklore, and a mythos of different societies – and I’d never read anything from Russian folklore or going into their society and historical elements. The idea that everyone has some unique talent, that they can use how they want it, was also appealing – as it demonstrated quickly and easily how individual everyone is both in the trilogy and in reality. They drew me in quickly, and I’m glad that they did.
M: I’ve always loved reading fantasy novels, especially the ones where the worlds are made up from scratch, and this one is absolutely perfect. I study Russian and I’ve also liked the links and remarks to the Russian culture and folklore. Another thing that I’ve loved about this world is how every single person has their own “power” and their help and work is vital to the development of the society.
J: One aspect of the Grishaverse that intrigued me was the discussion of saints in this world. Religion in the real world is much like it’s portrayed in the Grishaverse, only, in the books, the saints were Grisha in a time Grisha “didn’t exist”. Grisha are these ordinary people born with an affinity to use matter in a different way, to bend it to their will. Inferni can manipulate fire, but they still need a spark. It reads to me like, while they’re incredibly talented and have access to “the making at the heart of the world”, in our world we can be Materialki, Etherealki, and Corporalki as well – healers, chemists, engineers, creators, and I love that.
L: I have to admit that I have a tough time getting into books that are considered to be on high-fantasy-spectrum, so right from the start I was hesitant to get into the series. A world like this has to draw me in right from the start, or else I won’t even bother trying to get back into it later on. In this case, the whole setting of the series, as well as the unique dynamics throughout it, made me finish it in less than a week despite it being so complex.
What I like the most about it is the way you can’t help but root for almost every single character, whether they have “special powers” or not, because you can understand their actions and words to certain extents. You value almost all of them for who they are and what they bring to the table. I rarely am this interested in so many characters from the same series, but Shadow & Bone managed to do that.
O: I was introduced to the series of books by Dan during lockdown as a great recommendation to pass the time. I started off with the shadow and bone trilogy and, needless to say, was instantly hooked. The diversity of characters was amazing and kept you drawn in as you continue to explore the world of Grisha with Alina. I particularly enjoyed the common traits between divisions of Grisha, i.e. how corporalki have a set of characteristics unique to themselves and different to etherealki for instance. This played a huge part in isolating both Alina and The Darkling and so solidifying that unique bond between them from the start.
We meet a lot of characters in the books, all with different personalities that make them unique. Which character is the one that made you continue reading the books?
D: A common answer, I think, but it was The Darkling. He was such an intriguing character right from his first scene. He was incredibly hyped up by everyone, and with such good reason. As we learn more about him throughout the series, he only becomes more interesting, and you really start to feel for him as time goes on. It’s a testament to how well written the books are that he’s supposed to be the villain, but ultimately you relate to him so much. Other than The Darkling, I think Genya Safin has a wonderful journey – and ultimately ended up as a firm favourite of mine.
M: The character who immediately caught my attention at first was the Darkling. I’ve always liked the villains in books, and he definitely is the best one among them all. His being mysterious but clear at the same time is what I liked the most about him, along with his dedication to accomplish his goals. After the Darkling, I really loved Nikolai Lantsov. They’re very different from each other, but they both have those characteristics I love. Nikolai is the person that everyone needs in their life – caring, always ready to help but also to make you laugh at the same time.
J: Strictly speaking from Shadow & Bone, the character I wanted to know more about and continued to read for was Zoya Nazyalensky. We first see her as this mean girl, someone who doesn’t particularly care about others around her, only her own success. Her character arc is one of my favorites in the trilogy and it only gets better with the next duologies. She’s a multi-faceted, extremely skilled Etheralkai with anger issues. We see her humanity through her relationship with her aunt and adoptive cousin, and how, despite her and Alina not getting along, she still chooses to fight against the Darkling by her side. Ask me again when we get to Six of Crows.
L: The character that really motivated me to finish the series is Nikolai Lantsov. He, as well as his Sturmhond disguise, quickly became my favorite character of the entire Grishaverse. At this point he is also one of my favorite fictional characters ever. What I love and hate the most about him is the tragedy of him always trying to be exactly what you need him to be. It sounds like a positive thing, but quickly becomes heartbreaking when you understand that he will never put himself first. That is also recognized by Alina at one point.
Even though Nikolai enjoys teasing people with playful or sarcastic wordplay, in the end he will always do whatever he needs to do to ensure happiness and safety for those he cares about and his country and his heart breaks whenever he fails to do so. He’s extremely empathetic, hilarious, selfless and – in my opinion – exactly the kind of character the S&B series needed in the second book. Without his introduction, the second book possibly could have been quite dull.
O: All of the characters were great in their own way, but personally the way Nikolai Lantsov was written was amazing. He was written to have such a captivating personality, I found that I was looking forward to each part of the story he was involved in. The way his discourse was written was brilliant, engaging and entertaining.
There are a lot of theories about The Darkling’s motives behind his actions. What do you think he was driven by? Also, do you feel as though The Darkling was/is able to feel true love for anyone?
D: I think he was driven by a want for power, but not necessarily for his own gain. He’d seen over centuries how people were making the same mistakes over and over again, and genuinely believed he could make the world better by taking control himself. I also think he desperately wanted to find love, without really realising that is what he was seeking. So I do believe that he could feel true love for someone. There are many types of true love, as well, they don’t have to be romantic.
M: I truly think he is able to feel true love, he just needs the right person and Alina revealed not to be the one. She was certainly closed, but she messed all up (as always, I must say). Until that moment, the only true love he feels is for the power. It’s pretty clear that he was driven by power for all his actions, but at the same time I think that power sometimes was only an excuse for different emotions he tried to hide. Being seen vulnerable is not acceptable to a villain like him and that’s why we only see the worst part of him, with a few exceptions.
J: In my opinion the Darkling was driven by a few different things.
Power: Aleksander is basically a politician when it comes to Ravka and he wants to see his country the absolute best and brightest it can be… but only if he rules it. No one else can touch his country or run it better than him. He feels he’s completely entitled. I think after 500 years of witnessing the same thing happen over and over again, I might get frustrated too. In his mind his power grants him invincibility. He convinces himself that his existence is there for a reason and that reason is for Ravkan prosperity. He convinces himself that his long life is for a reason and all of those beliefs ultimately clouded his judgement to the “right” thing to do.
The need for connection: I don’t think he ever loved Alina. I think he needed Alina to feel human again. She was the one person besides his mother who might be able to live as long as him and it was that need of connection, of humanity, that drove him to act how he did in certain situations with Alina.
L: It can be argued that after everything Aleksander has experienced in his long life, he is certain about what has to be done to make a real change for his country, a country he truly cares about, and his people. What we as the readers understand is that his radical methods are absolutely wrong and unjustifiable, while he sees them as collateral damage and necessary for change. His mother had raised him to be proud of who his powers and who he was, so he grew up being fully aware of how special he was. The fear and respect others had for him, only added to Aleksander becoming the Darkling and acting like he was a God among his people. Therefore I’m convinced he is mainly driven by power and his hunger for change.
At the same time, I think he also truly cared about Alina and that his feelings for her constantly grew during their secret meetings. I think Alina made him feel less alone, so the fact that she didn’t share his views only drove him more mad. So, yes, I do think the Darkling could feel love, but after being so detached from the real world and raw emotions for so long, it would be fatal to allow himself to let those feelings in.
O: I think The Darkling was driven by a need to see his own kind succeed and that over his years he grew bitter towards other races of people. He was definitely able to feel love and I think that the similarities I’m both him and Alina helped to spur that on, especially in their isolation of Grisha power and being the only of their kind. Ultimately, however, the love for his own goal was too strong and he was driven by an urge to rectify a wrong that he saw as a young child, thus wanting to make sure Grisha were not hunted but respected and, in fact, honoured and feared at the same time.
Thank you for reading it all (yes, we talk A LOT!) and feel free to share your opinion with us on our social media accounts! Next discussion will be about the Six of Crows books and will be posted very soon, stay tuned!
