Netflix’s Shadow And Bone will enfold viewers in its lush fantasy

The search for the next Game Of Thronesis ongoing, as networks and streamers try to make their next big fantasy (sometimes sci-fi, occasionally horror) adaptation reach the same levels of cultural saturation. Netflix has a few contenders in The Witcherand, though it’s not the same kind of fantasy, Bridgerton—two series that not only dominated the conversation upon their respective debuts, but have garnered even more anticipation for their second seasons. And with the premiere of Shadow And Bone, a lush new fantasy drama based on Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books, Netflix races ahead of the competition.

Netflix Watch Guide | Shadow and Bone

Arrivaland Birdbox scribe Eric Heisserer draws from the first book in the Grishaverse series (which is also titled Shadow And Bone) as well as the Six Of Crows duology. If you aren’t one of Bardugo’s many readers, those titles won’t mean much to you. But Heisserer’s combination of these works pairs a more straightforward “Chosen One” narrative from YA novels with heist crew hijinks, creating a solid foundation for not just this eight-part season, but also a potential new franchise. It may take non-Grishaverse readers an episode or two to grasp the terminology and geography, though that’s often the case with adaptations based on multi-book series. Terms like “Inferni,” “Drüskelle,” and “volcra” (giant flying bat-like creatures) are bound to sail over heads initially. Illegible world-building has been the undoing of other Thrones wannabes like Carnival Row. But it’s Heisserer’s attention to detail, along with performances perfectly attuned to the conflicts in this fantasy world, that makes Shadow And Bone such an immersive experience.

First, a brief primer: The “Grisha” of the Grishaverse are elite (in every sense) warriors in the Second Army with powers that look like magic to regular humans, but are actually manipulations of matter. (The practice is called the Small Science, which is adorable.) The Second Army is led by General Kirigan (Ben Barnes, fulfilling many an online poster’s dream by taking on the role of the Darkling), who’s probably more powerful than the rest of the Grisha, and certainly has more black leather and fur than any of them. The existence of a Second Army means there must be a First Army, which is where we find our protagonist, Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li). Orphaned at a young age, Alina clings to her best friend Mal (Archie Renaux), with whom she grew up in a group home in a town called Keramzin. Military service is required of virtually everyone in Ravka (inspired by imperial Russia) since the Shadow Fold, a foreboding and nebulous partition, arose centuries ago, cleaving the country and others around it.

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