Leigh Bardugo | |
---|---|
Born | Jerusalem | April 6, 1975
Occupation | Novelist |
Citizenship | Israeli, American [1] |
Education | Yale University (B.A.) |
Period | 2012–present |
Genre | Young adult fiction, Fantasy, Superhero fiction, horror fiction |
Notable works | Shadow and Bone trilogy, Six of Crows duology, King of Scars duology |
Notable awards | Inkpot Award |
Website | |
leighbardugo |
Leigh Bardugo (born April 6, 1975) is an American fantasy author. She is best known for her young adult Grishaverse novels, which include the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows and King of Scars duologies. She also received acclaim for her paranormal fantasy adult debut, Ninth House . The Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows series have been adapted into Shadow and Bone by Netflix, and Ninth House will be adapted by Amazon Studios; Bardugo is an executive producer on both works.
Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, on April 6, 1975, and grew up in Los Angeles, California, [2] [3] [4] where she was raised by her grandparents. [5] She describes herself as Jewish-Spanish on one side, Russian and Lithuanian on the other. [6]
She attended Yale University, graduating with a degree in English in the spring of 1997. [2] [7] She was a member of the Wolf's Head secret society. [8] Before publishing her first novel, she worked in copywriting and journalism, as well as makeup and special effects. [9] [10]
Bardugo's debut novel, Shadow and Bone , the first book in the Grisha trilogy, was published in 2012 by Macmillan. [11] Shadow and Bone was nominated for the Romantic Times Book Award and the South Carolina Children's Book Award, named an Indie Next List Book, and reviewed in The New York Times . [12] [13] The novel hit #8 on The New York Times Best Seller list, [14] and was optioned for film by David Heyman and DreamWorks. [15] The other books in the trilogy, Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising, were published by Macmillan in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Bardugo defines Shadow and Bone genre as Tsarpunk—fantasy with inspiration from early-19th-century Russia. [16]
The Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom) was published by Macmillan in 2015 and 2016. It is set in the same universe as the Grisha trilogy (sometimes collectively called the "Grishaverse"). Six of Crows was named a New York Times Notable Book and an ALA-YALSA Top Ten Pick of 2016. [17] The Language of Thorns, a collection of Grisha fairy tales and folk tales, was published by Macmillan in 2017. [18]
Bardugo then wrote the first book in the DC Icons series, which are novelizations of DC Comics' biggest superheroes; [17] her novel, Wonder Woman: Warbringer, was published by Penguin Random House in 2017.
In 2019, Bardugo's first adult novel, Ninth House , was published by Flatiron Books. It won the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for best fantasy novel. [19] In January 2023, she published the sequel to Ninth House, Hell Bent. [20]
Bardugo also has essays and short stories in anthology collections such as Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life, Slasher Girls and Monster Boys, and Summer Days and Summer Nights. Her books have been translated into 22 languages and published in over 50 countries. [10]
Bardugo appeared on a Grishaverse panel alongside showrunner Heisserer at New York Comic Con in October 2020. [21] She was ranked the sixth most popular author between 2016 and 2021 on Goodreads. [22]
In 2023, she reached a multi-book deal with Macmillan Publishers. [23] [24] She signed with WME agency. [25] She picketed for the Writers Guild of America. [26] [27]
In April of 2024, Bardugo's novel, The Familiar, was published by Flatiron Books. The Familiar is a historical fantasy set in Spain during the Spanish Golden Age. [28]
In September 2012, DreamWorks acquired the movie rights to Shadow and Bone with David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford producing, [29] but the project was not realized. In January 2019, Netflix ordered an eight-episode series based on the Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows book series. [30] Bardugo made a cameo appearance in episode three of Shadow and Bone. [31]
In October 2019, Amazon Studios announced that it would adapt Ninth House. Bardugo is set to executive produce the project alongside Pouya Shahbazian. [32]
In the acknowledgments section of Six of Crows, Bardugo reveals she has osteonecrosis and sometimes needs to use a cane; this was a source of inspiration for one of the story's six protagonists, master thief and gang boss Kaz Brekker, who uses a cane. [33]
Bardugo was a singer in the band Captain Automatic from 2006 to 2007. [34] In 2022, she eloped with her partner of four years. [35]
Bardugo does not practice Judaism but identifies as a Jew. [36]
Alex Stern series
Standalones
Comics
Essays
Short stories
"The Witch of Duva", "The Too-Clever Fox", and "Little Knife" were later released as a set called Folktales from Ravka in 2015. 2017's The Language of Thorns collected all the short stories except "The Tailor" and "The Demon in the Wood".
The awards Bardugo has received are as follows:
Year | Award | Nominee/Work | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Audie Award | Ninth House | Best Fantasy | Nominated | [44] |
2016 | Dragon Awards | Six of Crows | Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel | Nominated | [45] |
2020 | Ninth House | Fantasy Novel | Nominated | [46] | |
2018 | German Fantasy Awards | Six of Crows | Best International Novel | Won | [47] |
2012 | Goodreads Choice Awards | Shadow and Bone | Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction | Nominated | [48] |
2013 | Siege and Storm | Nominated | [49] | ||
2014 | Ruin and Rising | Nominated | [50] | ||
2015 | Six of Crows | Nominated | [48] | ||
2016 | Crooked Kingdom | Nominated | [51] | ||
2017 | The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic | Nominated | [52] | ||
2019 | King of Scars | Nominated | [53] | ||
Ninth House | Best Fantasy | Won | [54] | ||
2021 | Rule of Wolves | Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction | Won | [55] | |
2019 | Inkpot Award | Leigh Bardugo | — | Won | [56] |
2017 | Locus Award | Crooked Kingdom | Best Young Adult Book | Nominated | [57] |
2020 | King of Scars | Nominated | [58] | ||
Ninth House | Best Fantasy Novel | Nominated | |||
Year | Publication | Work | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Amazon | Ninth House | Amazon's Best Books of 2019 List | 18 | [59] |
2019 | Book Riot | Ninth House | The best books of 2019 | — | [60] |
2021 | Rule of Wolves | Top Books of 2021 | — | [61] | |
2015 | Bustle | Six of Crows | The 25 Best YA Books Of 2015 | 16 | [62] |
2016 | Crooked Kingdom | The 30 Best YA Books Of 2016 | — | [63] | |
2013 | BuzzFeed | Siege and Storm | The 21 Best YA Books Of 2013 | 14 | [64] |
2014 | Ruin and Rising | The 17 Best YA Books Of 2014 | 7 | [65] | |
2015 | Six of Crows | 16 Of The Best YA Books Of 2015 | 7 | [66] | |
2015 | Six of Crows | The 32 Best Fantasy Books Of 2015 | 8 | [67] | |
2019 | King of Scars | 31 Young Adult Books That We Deemed The Best Of 2019 | 2 | [68] | |
2016 | Entertainment Weekly | Crooked Kingdom | YA Books of 2016 | 6 | [69] |
2014 | The Guardian | Ruin and Rising | What are the best children's books of 2014? | — | [70] |
2015 | The Independent | Six of Crows | 10 best fantasy novels | 3 | [71] |
2016 | The Irish Times | Six of Crows | Our favourite children's and YA books of 2016 | — | [72] |
2021 | Kobo | Rule of Wolves | Our top 20 Kids & Young Adult picks of 2021 | — | [73] |
2015 | New York Times | Six of Crows | Notable Children's Books of 2015 | — | [74] |
2019 | NPR | Ninth House | NPR's Favorite Books of 2019 | — | [75] |
2019 | Parade | Ninth House | The 25 Best Books of 2019 | — | [76] |
2015 | Paste | Six of Crows | The 30 Best Young Adult Books of 2015 | 25 | [77] |
2016 | Crooked Kingdom | The Best Books of 2016: Young Adult | 23 | [78] | |
2019 | Ninth House | The 19 Best Novels of 2019 | 9 | [79] | |
2019 | Ninth House | The Top 19 Best Audiobooks of 2019 | — | [80] | |
2015 | PopSugar | Six of Crows | The Best YA Books of 2015 | 3 | [81] |
2016 | Crooked Kingdom | The Best YA Books of 2016 | 21 | [82] | |
2017 | Seventeen | Wonder Woman | 28 of the Best YA Books of 2017 | 24 | [83] |
2019 | ShortList | Six of Crows | Best Young Adult books: great YA books to read today | 3 | [84] |
2019 | Time | Ninth House | The 100 Must Read Books of 2019 | — | [85] |
2019 | Tor | Ninth House | The Best Books of 2019 | — | [86] |
2021 | Rule of Wolves | The Best Books of 2021 | — | [87] | |
2019 | USA Today | Ninth House | Best books of 2019 | — | [88] |
2019 | Vox | Ninth House | Best of 2019: the 15 best books we read this year | — | [89] |
2015 | The Wall Street Journal | Six of Crows | Best of the Best-of Lists: Best Young Adult | — | [90] |
2021 | Wired | Six of Crows | 36 of the best fantasy books everyone should read | — | [91] |
Year | Publication | Work | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Comic Years | Shadow and Bone Series | The Top 10 Fantasy Series Published In The Past Decade | 8 | [92] |
2019 | Paste | Six of Crows | The 30 Best Fantasy Novels of the 2010s | 14 | [93] |
Six of Crows | The 30 Best Young Adult Novels of the 2010s | 18 | [94] | ||
Year | Publication | Work | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Paste | Crooked Kingdom | The 50 Best Fantasy Books of the 21st Century (So Far) | 38 | [95] |
Six of Crows | 15 | ||||
2020 | Polygon | Wonder Woman: Warbringer | The greatest Wonder Woman comics of all time | — | [96] |
2020 | Time | Six of Crows | 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time | — | [97] |
Eric Andrew Heisserer is an American filmmaker, comic book writer, television writer, and television producer. His screenplay for the film Arrival earned him a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the 89th Academy Awards in 2016.
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Shadow and Bone is a young adult fantasy adventure and the debut novel written by the Israeli–American author Leigh Bardugo. It was published by Macmillan Publishers on June 5, 2012. The novel follows Alina Starkov, a teenage orphan who grows up in the Russia-inspired land of Ravka when, one day, she unexpectedly harnesses a power she never knew she had, becoming a target of intrigue and violence. It is the first book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, followed by Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising. It is also the basis for the Netflix adaptation, Shadow and Bone, which premiered in April 2021.
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Sarah Janet Maas, known as Sarah J. Maas is an American fantasy author known for her fantasy series Throne of Glass,A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. As of 2024, she has sold nearly 40 million copies of her books and her work has been translated into 38 languages.
Six of Crows is a fantasy novel written by the Israeli–American author Leigh Bardugo and published by Henry Holt and Co. in 2015. The story follows a thieving crew and is primarily set in the city of Ketterdam, which is loosely inspired by Dutch Republic–era Amsterdam. The plot is told from third-person viewpoints of eight different characters.
Crooked Kingdom is a fantasy novel written by Israeli–American author Leigh Bardugo, published by Henry Holt and Co. in 2016. Set in a world loosely inspired by 19th-century Europe, it takes place days after the events of the duology's first book, Six of Crows. The plot is told from the third-person viewpoints of eight characters.
Shadow and Bone is a 2021 American fantasy television series developed by Eric Heisserer for Netflix, starring Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes and Archie Renaux, with Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, and Kit Young in supporting roles. Based on the works of Leigh Bardugo, the series is set in the Grishaverse and follows Alina Starkov (Li), an orphan and cartographer who discovers she is a Grisha, someone with magical abilities, and the key to saving her war-torn world.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is a fantasy romance series by American author Sarah J. Maas, which follows the journey of 19-year-old Feyre Archeron after she is brought into the faerie lands of Prythian. The first book of the series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, was released in May 2015. The series centers on Feyre's adventures across Prythian and the faerie courts, following the epic love story and fierce struggle that ensues after she enters the fae lands. The series has sold over 13 million copies. There are currently 5 novels in the series, and a sixth installment, confirmed by Maas, in the works.
Amita Suman is a British actress. She stars as Inej Ghafa in the Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone (2021–2023). She had a recurring role in the CW series The Outpost (2019–2021).
Christopher William Young is a British actor. He began his career in theatre, earning an Ian Charleson Award nomination. He starred as Jesper Fahey in the Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone (2021–2023). His films include The School for Good and Evil and Out of Darkness.
Ninth House is a dark fantasy horror novel written by author Leigh Bardugo, published by Flatiron Books in October 2019.
Jessica Mei Li is an English actress. She is best known for her starring role as the main character and protagonist Alina Starkov in the Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone (2021–2023).
Sujaya Dasgupta is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the Netflix series Shadow and Bone (2021–2023) and the Apple TV+ series Shantaram (2022).
Calahan Wade Skogman is an American actor and former collegiate basketball and football player. He played Matthias Helvar in the Netflix series Shadow and Bone (2021–2023).
King of Scars is a fantasy novel by the Israeli–American author Leigh Bardugo published by Imprint in 2019. It is the first in a duology, followed by Rule of Wolves, and a continuation of Bardugo's Grishaverse. The story is primarily told in third person by three point of views: Nikolai Lantsov and Zoya Nazyalensky from the original trilogy in Ravka, and Nina Zenik from Six of Crows in Ketterdam.
The Merciful Crow is a fantasy novel by Margaret Owen. It was released in 2019, and published by Henry Holt and Company. It was followed by The Faithless Hawk.
Rule of Wolves is a fantasy novel written by the Israeli–American author Leigh Bardugo, published by Imprint in 2021. It is the seventh overall novel in Bardugo's Grishaverse and the final novel in the King of Scars duology. The story takes place several weeks after the end of King of Scars and follows the third-person perspectives of Nikolai Lantsov, Zoya Nazyalensky, Nina Zenik, Mayu Kir-Kaat, and the Darkling.