Anyone missing Game of Thrones lately? Well, Netflix has got you a fantasy series, Shadow and Bone, which recently has been inexorably compared to Game of Thrones.
Shadow and Bone, Netflix’s new fantasy series, has been compared a lot to Game of Thrones. Shadow and bone is based on two series of books in Grishaverse created by an American author Leigh Bardugo: her trilogy, the first of which is Shadow and Bone (2012); and the duology that begins with Six of Crows (2015). The first season, premiered on April 21, 2021, is fully based on Shadow and Bone with an original storyline featuring the Crows. The series was then renewed for a second season in June 2021. The fantasy series has a fearless heroine at the center of the narrative and presents a world where magic and darkness collide.
This fictional fantasy tells the story of Alina Starkov, an orphan from Karamzin in the Kingdom of Ravka. After a shocking event, Alina discovers she has powers that could save her kingdom as she has the potential to destroy the Shadow Fold, a swath of monster-filled darkness that cleaves Ravka in two. Since then, Ravka has been at war and is now on the brink of splitting in two as the west seeks independence.
Alina Starkov turns out to be such a Grisha, and word spreads that a Sun Summoner has been found. In the trade city of Ketterdam, Kaz Brekker is hired to kidnap her; Fjerdan witch hunters are sent to kill her, and the people of Ravka venerate her as a Saint. Alina must come to terms with who she is and decide who she can truly trust as she searches for the power that will allow her to destroy the Fold and save Ravka.
In addition to relative newcomer Mei, the series also stars The Punisher’s Ben Barnes, Amita Suman, Freddy Carter, Archie Renaux, Zoe Wanamaker, and Kit Young.
Similarities between Shadow and Bone and Game of Thrones
Shadow and Bone is just one of many attempts made by almost all networks and streamers over the past few years to find the next Game of Thrones. The Witcher was one of the attempts which proved to be a hit, and Shadow and Bone is coming out to be similarly successful. Well, no show has ever filled the void that Game of Thrones has left, Shadow and Bone is somehow getting close to being similar to it. A few shows have come somewhat close, HBO’s other dramas Succession or Lovecraft Country, also the Marvel series on Disney+, like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
With all these sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book genres, no fantasy series has yet achieved the level of success of Game of Thrones. Well, Shadow and Bone could change that. The Grishaverse (the name given to the world created by Bardugo) has a storied history and rich mythology, much like there was the chance to obsess over the past events of Westeros and the lore of the A Song of Ice and Fire books. There are complex characters, different regions at war with one another, and political machinations and schemes aplenty.
Similar to Game of Thrones, Shadow and Bone is a fantasy counterpart culture; that is, it’s a fictional world the cultures and kingdoms of which are based on and inspired by the real world. Shadow and Bone’s fictional languages were created by the same person who created Dothraki in Game of Thrones. David J. Peterson created Dothraki and Valyrian in Game of Thrones and the language in Thor: The Dark World. He is also responsible for the languages you hear in Shadow and Bone.
“He created two languages that you’ll essentially be able to learn at some point,” Lei said. And these languages were incorporated into even the tiniest details on the set, from bottle labels to playing cards.”
Although there are many key elements that are different between the two shows, as Game of Thrones was very much an adult series, well known for its epic battles, brutal violence, and graphic sex scenes, whereas Shadow and Bone cover young adult audience too.
Another key difference comes in how the shows approach their world’s magic. It’s understandable why the two are being compared, while both are high fantasy, at least in part, Shadow & Bone (based on season 1, anyway) is much more willing to tackle and explore that side of things than Game of Thrones was. And surely, we can’t wait to see more of Shadow and Bone and find out if Shadow and Bone and beat out Game of Thrones.
