People seem to hear that there's a different cultural touchstone being used than Medieval England, and.they instantly go to alternate history.
The first thing I should say is that it's not tsarist Russia-it's a world that's inspired by tsarist Russia. How'd you decide to set the series in tsarist Russia? It's a great setting, darker in some ways than the medieval Europe where a lot of fairy tales are set, but it seems to be ignored by a lot of writers.
We spoke with Bardugo about creating fantasy worlds that are based in real history, designing magical systems that make sense, and rehabilitating Rasputin. There, Alina finds herself drawn to the mysterious Darkling, the head of the order, as she's educated in the Small Science, the Grisha magic that has its roots in chemistry and biology. But when they're sent to the border of a magical wasteland, Alina's magical powers-which she's tried to keep hidden so she won't be separated from Mal-manifest themselves, and she's spirited off to join the Grisha, the order of the king's magicians. Their lives seem destined to be nasty, brutish, and short. Shadow and Bone follows the adventures of Alina and Mal, orphans raised and educated on a lord's estate who end up cannon fodder in the king's army.
This month saw the release of Shadow and Bone, the first novel in author Leigh Bardugo's trilogy about magicians in a world called Ravka with strong echoes of Tsarist Russia.
