I haven't been this excited about a cinematic fantasy adaptation since Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. George Martin's Game of Thrones will premiere in a month (April 17) on HBO, and the trailers so far indicate nothing but the best should be expected. I especially like the new Fear and Blood trailer, though the earlier one and power theme are nice too. What terrific casting.
To those who haven't been following the projected seven-volume Song of Ice and Fire series, start reading before you are a month older. They're only the best fantasy books since Tolkien, and as if the HBO adaptation of the first book weren't treat enough, the long awaited fifth book is coming out this July. Yes, it's a real date this time, announced by the author himself. Get ready to dance. The dragons are finally coming.
What, better than Thomas Covenant?
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued. How can they have a movie of a fantasy series that isn't complete yet?
ReplyDeleteDoug, yes they are far superior to the Thomas Covenant series. I could only manage to get through the first volume of the Thomas Covenant series, but I have read the first three volumes of Martin's series and they are fantastic. Martin is a far superior writer. Nearly every chapter has a cliff hanger or "punch line" and the plot is filled with unexpected twists.
My only problem with the series is that Martin has taken too long to write the fifth installment (I think it is going on five years now).
I am intrigued. How can they have a movie of a fantasy series that isn't complete yet?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why you're confused. The same was done with Harry Potter (another seven-volume series in which early films were made before the completion of the actual book series). And Game of Thrones is an HBO series, not a movie, which is even better, since it will allow much more time and space to flesh out everything in the novel. There are plans to continue with books 2 and 3, depending on how well this first season goes, but nothing is definite. Let's hope the ratings are high and plenty of viewers tune in.
I wouldn't say that Martin is a superior writer to Donaldson, in fact just the opposite: Donaldson's writing skills are as good as they come. But in terms of whose series is ultimately most satisfying, I have to go with Martin.
Martin has indeed been taking a long time for the fifth book, but he refuses to be bullied by publishers (and fans) to meet deadlines, for which I'm glad; he wants this series to be as good as possible, not just "timely". But yes, it's a been a frustratingly long wait. And the wait will be over in July.
Since the series has started, I'm looking forward to your review. You will be reviewing it, I hope?
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about it, Brad, but with the Doctor Who season kicking in this week, that will add up to a lot of reviewing. I'll say that the first episode on Sunday was fantastic. I'll take your suggestion to heart, I promise.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've slept on it, Brad, I've decided to review the entire season as a whole at the end of June. Unlike a program like Doctor Who, A Game of Thrones is really one continuous story split over ten episodes, so I'm going to review it just as I would the entire book.
ReplyDeleteAnd on that note, I've been rereading the books in preparation for the fifth which is coming out in July, and I'll be posting a very long review of each of the five books as well toward the end of July. So stay tuned!
Good deal, Loren. I'm looking forward to the review. I loved the books but haven't had a chance to watch the first episode of the HBO series yet. But I've heard good things from many who have.
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