HBO's "Game of Thrones"

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Den-in-NH

Den-in-NH

Happy For Tom
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My apologies if there is already a Game of Thrones thread, I thought there was, but I searched and could not find it - I have been avoiding reading anything about GOT until I could watch the first episode, which I did last night - and I am now curious as to others' reactions. I just posted my initial thoughts on FB and I'll copy them here as well:

Firstly, let me say I am not familiar with the source material. That being said I was expecting a historical drama and was surprised that this was actually a fantasy set in a fictional universe. I thought this would be similar to Showtime's "Tudors" (perhaps a fictionalized history, but surely set in Europe as oppossed to a completely new world). I am fine with this being a fantasy, although I think that this may be too niche to be successful. The show looks quite expensive and the fantasy aspect may be a turnoff for many (like my wife who immediately tuned out upon the realization) - fantasy works for a movie (or three) but will it have enough appeal to get viewers each week? I don't know, but I think it is going to have to be really, really good to do so. So my first critique is this - I wanted to know more about the setting. Is this a "Middle-Earth" type world where mythological creatures and magic exist, or simply a reflection of medieval Europe? I saw there was a reference to "dragon's eggs", but was that literal? Do dragons exist in this world? Conversely, I felt the first episode introduced too many characters. There are a lot of characters with complicated backstories and complex relationships with each other. It seemed to me to be a case of "too much, too fast" as I found myself rewinding several times to catch the nuances of the characters relationships to each other. Perhaps a better tactic would have been to introduce each of the major "family houses" one episode at a time. However, there are a number of excellent characters - I loved the Queen's dwarf brother and the bastardized son of the main charcater. And the acting is very good. The sets and costumes as well are impecable. So overall, it has my interest and I hope to be able to become more invested into this world. My only fear is that indeed I will, and the show will make a quick departure from HBO a la "Rome" and "Deadwood".
 
I have not read the books but am a fan of fantasy/sci-fi and I enjoyed it thoroughly. From what little I have read (to avoid any major spoilers), there will be a lot more characters introduced. The official HBO website does have a cheat sheet for the characters so you may want to take a look at that. I can't wait for the next episode :)
 
patsload said:
I have not read the books but am a fan of fantasy/sci-fi and I enjoyed it thoroughly. From what little I have read (to avoid any major spoilers), there will be a lot more characters introduced. The official HBO website does have a cheat sheet for the characters so you may want to take a look at that. I can't wait for the next episode :)
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The last scene of the first episode was definately a great climax. I too am looking forward to the next ep.
 
OK, I have read the books (all but the last one) and so I have a slightly different perspective.

I would say that these books are the best "fantasy" books written in the past 20 odd years.

I read the first book over 10 years ago, so my memory is a bit hazy, but it seemed to me that the first episode followed the book very very closely.

So changing how they introduced the characters, would have required a changing of the flow of the story. Certainly not impossible, but fraught with its own set of issues.

BTW, if you thought you'd met a lot of people now, just wait, it gets better/worse.

Let me give you some background, about that world. I don't recall how they introduced it in the book, perhaps it was more a few paragraphs of explanatory prose that would be awkward in a movie/TV show.

The kingdom is an island just off the coast of the main continent. The present King gained the thrown by disposing the previous ruling family. They are the blond brother and sister who was married off to the Klingons, er horse lord.

The climate of this world has a long cycle (1,000+ years) with sever winters. Not quite an ice age, but close. This is the source of the phrase "winter is coming". The cold period is due in the not to distant future.

During this time the "White Walkers" move south and threaten regular humans.

To stop this, the ice wall across the north of the continent was built and manned by the night's watch.

Live dragons haven't been seen in this world for a very long time, hence the comment that the eggs turned to stone with age.

As far as this being a "fantasy" is concerned. If they follow the books, and each book is a season, then you saw all of the "fantasy" elements in the part before the credits on episode 1 that you will see for the first few seasons.

This story is almost 100% political intrigue, with the various power groups struggling to gain and hold prestige, power, and influence. There will be epic battles, but they will be historical in nature with virtually no magic or impossible feats performed by anyone.

Most importantly, the characters will be some of the most interesting people you have ever met in a story. Every single one will surprise you, at least once, by the actions they take, for good or ill.

No one is completely good or completely evil.
 
I've read all of the books multiple times.

The series is great, but George RR Martin personally pisses me off. He has procrastinated so completely on finishing this series that he is alienating a lot of his fans. I've read his LiveJournal, and it's ridiculous.

The other thing that pisses me off is that he's a Jets fan, and COMPLETELY buys into the conspiracy theories of the Patriots cheating in every way, shape, and form possible.


I thought that the first HBO installment was pretty accurate. They obviously have to gloss over a TON, but so far, so good.

One thing about this series, though: Do NOT expect your favorite characters to be around for long. Martin has an interesting, and very realistic, view towards what would happen to characters in trying times.
 
Pros: HBO, lots of T&A, midgets, beheadings

Cons: These people will ruin it for all of us:

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I never read the books, either.

If you have HBO OnDemand, they have a bunch of short segments that introduce you to the families and main characters. I found those were very helpful in understanding what's going on in the first episode.
 
I have read all the books, and am eagerly awaiting A Dance For Dragons (due out this July). Unlike many, I am not upset with George R R Martin for taking so long to come out with the latest book in the series.

There are lots of places to go on the web for a synopsis of the books, so I'll not enter my own version here. I do recommend the series for all those who like swords & sorcery fantasy.

We recently dropped cable TV, so I didn't see the HBO version. I'll likely wait until it becomes available on Hulu or Netflix or some other streaming web site. I did see some of the previews, and have some hope that it will be well done. Usually, but not always, screen adaptations fall short of their literary sources. But occasionally (LoTR springs to mind), the pictures on the screen can match, or surpass, those that the author of the written version conjured in my head when I was reading.
 
I read the books a few years ago and was tempted to add HBO to see this series. But I'm too cheap. I'll wait until they come out on Netflix.

I'm also dreading it a bit. There are some twists in the books that just make you want to throw the book across the room and walk away.

I read somewhere that the series was based loosely in the War of the Roses that took place in England a number of centuries ago. (That's as close as I can narrow it down without going to Wiki)
 
Ponder said:
I read the books a few years ago and was tempted to add HBO to see this series. But I'm too cheap. I'll wait until they come out on Netflix.

I'm also dreading it a bit. There are some twists in the books that just make you want to throw the book across the room and walk away.

I read somewhere that the series was based loosely in the War of the Roses that took place in England a number of centuries ago. (That's as close as I can narrow it down without going to Wiki)
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That actually makes sense, and I hadn't thought of it before.

When I was at school, Avalon Hill's Kingmaker was one of the more popular titles we played at the gaming club. I can definitely see how the story parallels how those games normally played out.

Also Lannister does sound a lot like Lancaster and Stark resembles York.
 
Thanks. I never made the connections between Lannister and Lancaster and Stark and York. Interesting.
 
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