Yeah, yeah ... That's what they all say!
HBO producing A Song of Ice and Fire
- Thread starter John Reynolds
- Start date
http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/hbo-greenlights-game-of-thrones-.html
F'n awesome news. Now if fatboy can finish the last two books before going the way of Elvis.
F'n awesome news. Now if fatboy can finish the last two books before going the way of Elvis.
GRRM has announced on his blog that Aidan Gillen (of The Wire fame, where he played Thomas Carcetti) has been cast as Littlefinger.
Brilliant casting.
Brilliant casting.
Rumors are swirling that Bantam/Spectra is extremely keen on taking advantage of the free marketing they'll receive once HBO gears up its advertising next spring for their show. So GRRM's publisher was supposedly at a recent NYT publishing event and stated that Martin is extremely close to finishing book 5 and has promised the firm he will hand them the completed manuscript by year's end for a Apr/May release next year. When questioned how close, the publisher stated GRRM was roughly 5 chapters from completion. Now of course GRRM is over in Ireland enjoying the filming, after having spent Sept in Australia, so we'll see. He's repeatedly stated he can't write worth a damn unless he's at home at his desk, surrounded by his books, but fingers crossed. I just hope this 5th book actually moves the core story, with lots of Jon and Danny chapters; basically I want to see the Wall come down, with the Others pouring into the North by book's end, with Danny arriving in Dorne with a small army and her dragons and ever-expanding entourage.
Yeah, most definitely, but the standard huge-fantasy-epic-still-in-progress-by-somewhat-obese-elderly-gentleman warning applies.
I've gone right off fantasy books as I've gotten older and (even more) jaded and I hate to admit that reading your précis of your hopes for the new book reminds me why this is!
Dunno, perhaps I've just lost the ability to appreciate the more fantastical side of these books, preferring grittier SF. Or, perhaps I should just blame Terry Goodkind.
Did Goodkind turn you off from fantasy in general, or did you like his stuff so much you couldn't read most other works from the genre? If the later, please gouge your eyes out with a spoon.
Hmmm. I think I was probably drifting away from fantasy before then but Goodkind's books were the last big fantasy serial I've read (though I've read China Mieville's Bas-Lag novels - Iron Council was dreadful, the other two were very good). I've never read WoT or the Ice and Fire books and, to tell the truth don't think I could be bothered to wade through them now! Most books containing that many pages tend to be very flabbily written.
Thankfully, I gave up on Goodkind after about 5 or 6 - can't believe he's still going. Still, it's not all bad - I caught an episode of the TV series 'based' on his books earlier this year and the actress playing Kahlan had a cracking good rack.
George Lucas ?
I almost gave up on life itself after reading Goodkind's first book. Wisely quit after making it to the finish line of that marathon.
GRRM is worth a try, the WoT not so much. You'll start the first book thinking this is typical, formulaic genre stuff, maybe get attached to a character or two, and then Martin flips the table. And IMO the only fat in the series so far would be the Brienne chapters in book 4.
Thankfully, I gave up on Goodkind after about 5 or 6 - can't believe he's still going. Still, it's not all bad - I caught an episode of the TV series 'based' on his books earlier this year and the actress playing Kahlan had a cracking good rack.
While not great that series was a lot better than most of the fantasy crap that gets on TV. So of course they canned it.
It was a horrible conversion from the book though, it would have been far more appropriate as a gritty HBO series rather than the Herculized abomination it was. I personally thought Goodkind's serise was one of the best I've ever read, highly enjoyed it but the TV series just ruined it.
After this thread appeared awhile ago, I've been meaning to look into these books.
My concern is that the novels are long and there is not a whole lot of fat to trim. GRRM is a bit like Zelazny in that there's not much in the way of florid descriptions of surroundings, it's mainly bullet-points, and he spends his time on dialogue and internal monologue. I like that quality in wriiters, but it's hard to adapt. I too am hyped, but I think the adaptation is going to have to be very creative.
Martin was a TV writer; I was very small when, "Beauty and the Beast" was running, so I have no idea how it was. I watched, "Sand Kings", the first episode of, "The Outer Limits" a while ago--great story (written by Martin), dear god it was awful onscreen.
Still, HBO makes me cautiously optimistic. My prediction: Two critically acclaimed seasons, HBO finally buckles because it's a commercial train wreck, Martin gets back to writing, and everything is in it's right place, the end.
Martin was a TV writer; I was very small when, "Beauty and the Beast" was running, so I have no idea how it was. I watched, "Sand Kings", the first episode of, "The Outer Limits" a while ago--great story (written by Martin), dear god it was awful onscreen.
Still, HBO makes me cautiously optimistic. My prediction: Two critically acclaimed seasons, HBO finally buckles because it's a commercial train wreck, Martin gets back to writing, and everything is in it's right place, the end.
The Wheel of Time series leaves a lot to be desired. It is essentially a frustrating series to read that has the pace of a mule, then a jack rabbit, then a snail. It is entirely PG at best and the writing itself is sugarcoated in a bland package (at times). Nothing against Robert Jordan, I started off reading Wheel of Time before ever picking up A Song of Ice & Fire. It wasn't until a thread was started for A Feast of Crows on this very board that I became interested.
A Song of Ice and Fire is one of my favorite series so far. Its use of magic isn't in your face while still playing an integral part of the storyline. Each main character's PoV is involving and develops nicely throughout the books. There's lots of tragedy, harsh stuff, people die, families ripped apart. GRRM's writing I love. Characters develop in ways that surprise me. One character Jaime Lannister I absolutely despised in the 1st book, by the 4th book he's one of my faves.
Very eager for the series on HBO and like the cast they've picked. Interested to see how the actor portraying Tyrion Lannister does.
A Song of Ice and Fire is one of my favorite series so far. Its use of magic isn't in your face while still playing an integral part of the storyline. Each main character's PoV is involving and develops nicely throughout the books. There's lots of tragedy, harsh stuff, people die, families ripped apart. GRRM's writing I love. Characters develop in ways that surprise me. One character Jaime Lannister I absolutely despised in the 1st book, by the 4th book he's one of my faves.
Very eager for the series on HBO and like the cast they've picked. Interested to see how the actor portraying Tyrion Lannister does.
One of my favorite pieces of writing in ASoIaF is in the second book between Catelyn and Jaime. "I've never slept with any woman but Cersei, so in my own way I've been more faithful than Ned ever was. Who has shit for honor now? I don't think I'll f*ck you after all, I never eat off another man's trencher"
But I refuse to let myself like that character. No one who chucks a little boy out a window to an intended death is worth liking.
HBO has put up "Inside Game of Thrones" video. It's looking pretty good, I just wish he would've finished the damn novels first, because I get actors fixed in my head as characters very easily. Not to say that the casting doesn't look mostly solid, I just prefer my own imaginary production values. And no, not watching it is not an option.