Por Júlia Abrahão
No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for ‘good luck.
Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo
The grishaverse consists of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of crows duology and the King of Scars duology, written by Leigh Bardugo published by Henry Holt and Company since 2012. Bardugo’s universe has people called grisha, who are separated in categories according to their abilities: the Corporalki, the Etherealki and the Materialki.
The corporalki are known as the order of the living and the dead, their abilities range from healing wounds to being able to change someone’s appearance. The etherealki are known as the order of the summoners, their powers range from summoning fire to even darkness. The Materialki are known as the order of Fabrikators, being able to manipulate chemicals and matter with their bare hands.
Now, the super humans plot isn’t necessarily an impressive one, since it’s been used and abused so many times. What makes this universe what it is, is the way the world is crafted. World building can be very important in storytelling, especially for a longer series. Bardugo creates a very specific atmosphere that sustains the book’s originality. Most stories have a determined time and period, whether fictional or not.
Usually, past, present and future have their own characteristics that help define them. Technological and medical advancement being very common ones. The past is nostalgic and unimpressive, the present is familiar and reliable, and the future is fascinating and volatile. The Grishaverse manages to be so unique that those emotions get mixed. It combines aspects of the conveniences of modernity with the charming and nostalgic aesthetic of the classic. While there is technological progress being experienced in the stories, there is also this old European essence that sticks throughout the entirety of the series.
Bardugo gives us evolution without sacrificing the allure of the classic. The Grishaverse has a very unique and rare feeling of timelessness, not necessarily because it doesn’t occur in a specific period, or because it jumps between timelines, but because of its aesthetic and world building.
As always, I leave you with my favorite quote and my fanart.
Kaz leaned back. “What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?”
“Knife to the throat?” asked Inej.
“Gun to the back?” said Jesper.
“Poison in his cup?” suggested Nina.
“You’re all horrible,” said Matthias.
“The easiest way to steal a man’s wallet is to tell him you’re going to steal his watch. You take his attention and direct it where you want it to go.”
Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo
