One 2026 fantasy release will return readers to a well-loved fictional world, but it will make the fate of Netflix‘s criminally cancelled series sting all over again. Netflix is no stranger to cancelling TV shows, particularly bigger-budget ones in the fantasy and sci-fi categories. This can be especially disappointing when those projects are based on existing source material. Fans who’ve waited to see their favorite stories on-screen are left in the middle of them, and sometimes, that still stings years later.
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And fans of one axed Netflix series are about to feel the weight of what could’ve been all over again. Although the story’s on-screen iteration is over and done, its creator is bringing readers back to its world on the page. The upcoming release is already among 2026’s most exciting fantasy books, but it’s also a reminder of the adaptation we’ll never get.
2026’s New Six of Crows Book Is a Reminder of the Adaptation We’ll Never Get
Grishaverse author Leigh Bardugo is returning this June with a new Six of Crows story, and it will catch us up with Kaz and Inej in an intriguing way. Six of Crows: A Darker Shore, Letters From Ketterdam is coming out on June 30, and the short story will be set years after the events of Bardugo’s duology. It’ll reveal what the Bastard of the Barrel and the Wraith have been up to in that time. (Hint: They’ve been causing problems for the merchants and slavers in and around Ketterdam, and it sounds glorious.) The story will be told via letters shared between the two, which investigators find and analyze while looking into a mysterious massacre.
The prospect of reading correspondence between Kaz and Inej is exciting, but it’s a shame we’ll never see their dynamic evolve to this point on-screen. If Netflix hadn’t cancelled Shadow and Bone, we likely would’ve gotten a proper Six of Crows spinoff — and potentially flashes to the future at the end of it. Showrunner Eric Heisserer had plans to adapt the Crows’ story, which he discussed with Entertainment Weekly back in 2023. Sadly, they were cut short alongside the main show. Considering how perfect Shadow and Bone‘s cast was, and how impressively Netflix brought Bardugo’s world to life, this was one of the streamer’s most devastating choices. And as fun as this new release sounds, it’s driving that reality home yet again.
The New Fantasy Release Makes Shadow and Bone’s Cancellation Sting All Over Again
Returning to Ketterdam, even for a new adventure, is a tragic reminder of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone cancellation. There are clearly more stories to tell in this world, and there’s still demand for them. However, they won’t make their way to the screen, as the Grishaverse’s franchise potential ended before it really began. Perhaps if the author ever releases more books in this series — Six of Crows 3 would certainly be welcome — Hollywood will see its potential once more. But that would still require a remake of some sort, and Shadow and Bone already had the perfect foundation for a Six of Crows show. Needless to say, fans will always feel disappointed about the spinoff they almost had. And those feelings are bound to resurface whenever the magic of this world makes a comeback, this year included.
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