by Thinus Ferreira
Welcome to the "Grishaverse": With the TV adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's fantasy novel series, pop culture will now be introduced to a new fantasy setting and a new set of characters they might not have known but might very well come to love.
Just like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, The Twilight Saga or any such expansive modern-day myths, the new series Shadow & Bone on Netflix from 23 April, comes with its own peculiar world that functions within a pre-established universe, complete with rules of what is and isn't possible, and characters who function and interact within that world.
So is Shadow & Bone on Netflix worth your attention and time? Most definitely (read my TV review here.) Will it be difficult to understand or get into?
A small little bit yes, but part of the fun and joy of excellent new legends are often suddenly just falling into them, as if into the middle chapter of a story, and learning about the world and the people as an immersive experience.
In the land of Ravka, which is stylistically inspired by Soviet-era Russia or some old East European countries, magic exists as well as people who can wield this magic in different ways. These witches and wizards are called "grisha".
Like the kids from Captain Planet and the Planeteers, each has special individual abilities and can harness things like fire, or wind, or heal people or "fix" things like broken bones. Kids in Ravka are tested at a young age to see if they have abilities and are sent to a special school like Harry Potter.
Some people like the grisha, while some communities are witch hunters and hate and kill them.
The very normal (meaning no powers) king controls the grisha who is a magical division of the Ravka army, like how the Jedi in Star Wars fought alongside the Stormtroopers.
Like Star Wars we meet the civilization in Ravka decades after a fall of sorts - someone erected the "Fold" - imagine a Berlin wall or the wall in Game of Thrones, but it's magical and bad, and looks like dark, black thunder clouds stretching into the sky and all the way to the ground.
There are flying creatures inside that kill people, so you can try to go through (and some have) but most perish.
Why do people try to go through? Because going around the Fold takes too long traveling between east and west, it's expensive and it's basically cut large parts of Ravka off from other parts.
There is a legend that says one day the Chosen One will arrive to destroy the Fold - a mythical "Sun Summoner" who is a grisha who can actually summon and create light (so a little bit better than the fire ball grisha).
We don't know when that might happen, but Ravka - although still one country, with other countries around it - is starting to fracture. Like Game of Thrones, various territories and leaders are looking out for their own interests and are scheming to break away from Ravka rule and the king and considering self-rule.
There are more characters you'll meet as the story unfolds, but these are the main characters you'll be introduced to in Shadow & Bone:
Alina Starkov (Jessie Lei Li)
Like a lot of great young heroes Alina also starts off oblivious to her powers, true nature or destiny. Viewers will meet her as an army cartographer working for the Ravka army as a young woman, who spent her childhood years as an orphan.
Malyen "Mal" Oretsev (Archie Renaux)
He is an orphan, was at the same orphanage as Alina, was her childhood best friend and is clearly now in love with her as a young man. He is also the best tracker in Ravka's army, and seems to have an uncanny ability to be able to find any person or animal he's looking for.
General Kirigan (Ben Barnes)
He has another name, which we can't tell you now since it will be a spoiler. He leads Ravka's army and yes, he's actually a grisha as well. Is he good, is he evil? What we can tell you is that he has an interesting past that is filled with more stories than most people.
Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter)
Also known as Dirtyhands, he is a type of crime boss if you will, the leader of a crime gang in the city of Ketterdam. He makes a plan to get out of any situation.
Jesper Fahey (Kit Young)
He is a Zemeni sharpshooter with a gambling problem and a very smart mouth. He is part of Kaz's gang. He doesn't always do as he's told but in the end he comes through and fixes everthing somehow.
Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman)
A young Suli woman and considered as the best spy in Ketterdam. She is part of Kaz's gang ... and is there love between the two? Her preferred weapons are knives and she always carries her 6 favourite knives with her. She was kidnapped by slavers and forced to work in a brother called the Menagerie and has been looking for her parents ever since. She is also the most religious member of the gang.
Matthias Helvar (Calahan Skogman)
A Fjerdan witch hunter. But you know what they say. Under every rough, muscled exterior is just a guy who wants to share the animal hide blanket with you and love you after you both were saved from drowning in icy-cold water.
Nina Zenik (Danielle Galligan)
She is a grisha from Ravkan and her powerful power is that of a Heartrender. She's a soldier in the Ravka army until Matthias captures her, because, of course, she's a witch and he's a witch hunter.
Genya Safin (Daisy Head)
She's basically Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games. She welcomes Alina in her new world - not at the Capitol but at the Little Palace - and helps her and is her first friend she makes there. But beware Greeks bearing gifts. She is a grisha as well and her special power is being a Tailor - she can for instance magically "fix" someone's physical appearance.
Baghra (Zoë Wanamaker)
In Harry Potter she was Madame Hooch, Hogwart's flying instructor. Now she is Baghra, the Yoda-like teacher-instructor of Alina. Like Yoda, she is very old, in fact, much older than what she looks. She is a grisha and again like Yoda, she isn't telling Alina the whole story of her past, her pivotal role in it, or what really happened to their world.
