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The fantasy genre continues to thrive on television, with some of the best series around being based on books — but, as the fans will always tell you, a lot can change in the adaptation process. Nowhere is that more true than in Netflix's Shadow and Bone, which adapts not just author Leigh Bardugo's original trilogy but also her Six of Crows spin-off.
In doing so, the series makes some major changes to the source material, starting with an expanded cast. Bringing six additional leads into a story that they have no real part in requires some rewriting, which can be especially dangerous with fan favorites. Yet Shadow and Bone pulls it off, giving the Crows a meaningful role and ultimately turning them into a series highlight, despite never reaching their best story from the books.
'Shadow and Bone' Perfectly Incorporates the Crows Earlier Than the Books Did
Between a complex magic system and a big roster of important characters, Shadow and Bone was always going to be an ambitious show, but the addition of the Crows only expands it further. Bardugo's original novel largely follows Alina (Jessie Mei Li) and her conflict with the Darkling (Ben Barnes), which takes place in Ravka. This places them far away from the island city of Ketterdam, where the Crows have made a name for themselves. The decision to combine the two stories in the adaptation, however, allows the series to emphasize just how large this fantasy world really is.
The bigger challenge is that, in the books, the Crows aren't introduced until after the war ends, which forced the Netflix series to add storylines to include them. In Season 1, Kaz (Freddy Carter), Inej (Amita Suman), and Jesper (Kit Young) are sent to kidnap Alina, giving them a new and seemingly impossible heist to pull off while exploring what the characters stand for and allowing the audience to fall in love with their dynamic. Meanwhile, Nina (Danielle Galligan) and Matthias (Calahan Skogman) meet in a seemingly unrelated romance that highlights their conflicting cultures and ideologies. In Season 2, the Crows reappear, spending more time in Ketterdam's underworld, but they also venture out to help Alina find a mythical blade and ultimately join forces with her to defeat the Darkling, adding even more layers to their story.
'Shadow and Bone' Adding the Crows Early Ultimately Makes Sense
While much of what the Crows do in Netflix's Shadow and Bone adaptation isn't pulled from the source material,the changes make sense for the characters, even when some storylines are explored out of order. This is especially true of Season 2, which features elements like Kaz's history with Pekka Rollins (Dean Lennox Kelly), first told in the second book of Bardugo's duology, Crooked Kingdom. Season 2 also introduces Wylan (Jack Wolfe) to the team as well as the importance of his relationship with Jesper, which originally develops in Six of Crows.
Although Season 2 did mark the show's biggest venture into adapting the Crows' book plot, Shadow and Bone's premature cancellation prevented their most epic heist from coming to the screen. Had Netflix been able to adapt Bardugo's spin-off duology, some things would have needed to change in response to these alterations, but in the end, the early introduction of the Crows allowed fans to see at least some of their beloved storylines. Ultimately, this change greatly enhances Shadow and Bone overall while proving that sometimes, a one-to-one adaptation isn't what a story needs.
