Jess
asked
Leigh Bardugo:
We know that the Inferni wield fire, Squallers can control air, and Tidemakers can maneuver water, but why aren't there any Grisha that can manipulate earth?
Leigh Bardugo
The magic in the Grisha trilogy isn't strictly elemental and it doesn't abide by the same rules as something like Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The Small Science, the manipulation of matter at its most fundamental levels, is essentially a magical version of molecular chemistry. Unlike, say, a Firebender, a Grisha Inferni can't just summon flame. An Inferni summons combustible gases from the atmosphere, but still needs a flint for the spark to create fire.
The Grisha with the ability to manipulate earth, rock, metal, etc. are Fabrikators (Materialki). But manipulating solids is slow, detail oriented work that isn't suited to battle situations. Ravka is essentially a garrison state, and the skills of Fabrikators are frequently devalued because they don't make great soldiers. But as the army modernizes over the course of the trilogy, Fabrikator skill becomes a lot more important to the military effort.
And I guess it's worth saying that in Six of Crows, you're going to see some interesting developments in the uses of the Small Science.
Hope that helps!
The Small Science, the manipulation of matter at its most fundamental levels, is essentially a magical version of molecular chemistry. Unlike, say, a Firebender, a Grisha Inferni can't just summon flame. An Inferni summons combustible gases from the atmosphere, but still needs a flint for the spark to create fire.
The Grisha with the ability to manipulate earth, rock, metal, etc. are Fabrikators (Materialki). But manipulating solids is slow, detail oriented work that isn't suited to battle situations. Ravka is essentially a garrison state, and the skills of Fabrikators are frequently devalued because they don't make great soldiers. But as the army modernizes over the course of the trilogy, Fabrikator skill becomes a lot more important to the military effort.
And I guess it's worth saying that in Six of Crows, you're going to see some interesting developments in the uses of the Small Science.
Hope that helps!
More Answered Questions
Victoria
asked
Leigh Bardugo:
Hi Leigh, I got an email from Amazon today cancelling my kindle pre-order of 'Six of Crows'. I have been waiting on the edge of my seat for your next book to come out and don't want to buy a hardcopy as I have all my books on my kindle now. Do you plan on making the book available on kindle in the future?
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more