‘Shadow and Bone’ a testament to rise of the fantasy genre
THERE was a time when offerings in the fantasy genre were few and far between. Nonetheless, we remained hooked to shows like True Blood, The Originals, American Gods, The Magicians, The Outsider, Outlander and more as they arrived on the small screen.
David Benioff and DB Weiss’s Game of Thrones, based on the series of fantasy novels by George RR Martin, certainly propelled the genre by becoming a cult classic.
The award-winning medieval series left fans giddy with anticipation as to who will finally rule the seven kingdoms. What a jaw-dropping journey it was with epic battle scenes, steaming sex trysts and a mix of weird, wonderful and cunning characters.
Since the arrival of streaming platforms like Netflix, Showmax, Amazon Prime Video and more, there has been a noticeable surge in fantasy offerings.
This brings us to the show that everyone is talking about – Shadow and Bone.
Aside from garnering favourable reviews around the globe, the eight-part series is one of SA’s Top 10 shows.
Based on the Grisha novel trilogy, the series follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), an orphaned Grisha who wields the enviable power to possess light. After surviving a battle with the Volcra, who reside in the darkness that separates East and West Ravka, she finds herself “rescued” by General Kirigan (Ben Barnes) of the Second Army of the Shadow. Unbeknown to her, he is also known as Aleksander/ The Darkling – a Shadow summoner. As she immerses herself in this new opulent world she finds all is not as it seems and she is being manipulated by the very people she’s come to trust.
Meanwhile, in Ketterdam, a motley gang of criminals known as the Crows, led by Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman), and Jesper Fahey (Kit Young), accepts a job that pays one million kruge – a deal that sees them cross paths with Alina.
Each of them has a special skill set that comes in handy on their mission, which sees them forming an alliance with Alina and Malyen “Mal” Oretsev (Archie Renaux).
This series is wonderfully anchored by a relatively fresh-faced cast. The characters, including one representing the LGBQTIi+ community, are so wonderfully layered as are the different worlds. Let’s take a peek at the other
