Leigh Bardugo will expand the Grishaverse with The Language of Thorns, a new book of mystical tales.
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic will be released on Sept. 26. The collection will include six folktales from the Grishaverse, three of them new, along with detailed illustrations.
Bardugo first imagined the short stories as elements of the world of her Grisha Trilogy, folding the mythology into the broader tale. The Language of Thorns will continue that in-universe approach.
They are, Leigh Bardugo tells the LA Times, “the kind of stories that the characters in the books might have heard growing up. They’re basically the fairy tales and folk tales of the Grisha world.”
Reminiscent of JK Rowling’s Tales of Beedle the Bard, The Language of Thorns will be “a little bit different than what readers are used to getting,” Bardugo says. “I’m hoping that they will go along for the ride.”
Bardugo describes the stories as “new reader friendly,” and a good entry point for those who have not reader the Grisha Trilogy, Six of Crows, or Crooked Kingdom.
“They are stories that work if you like fairy tales,” she says. “Stories to read late at night maybe to give yourself the chills, in some cases.”
“Hopefully,” Bardugo adds, “they’re good for people who love the Grishaverse. Or like it. Or are on a friendly basis with it. And want to come back to it and get a bigger sense of the world.”
But fans eager for more “traditional” adventures set in the Grishaverse may have good news on the way soon.
Related: Leigh Bardugo discusses Crows, Kaz, and the craft of the con in Crooked Kingdom
“There is a grand plan,” Bardugo says, “and we’re going to have some news later in the year about something else that readers might be excited about.”
“There’s more to come in the Grishaverse. I’m just not free to say exactly what yet.”
In the meantime, Leigh Bardugo’s ravenous readers can look forward to her young adult adaptation of DC Comic’s Wonder Woman, coming in August.
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo will be available on Sept. 27.
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