A GAME OF THRONES - Discussion Thread

Fifthelement

UPDATE:

**** Please NO SPOILERS from the TV show or the books ****

WINTER IS COMING . . . and it arrives tonight !

Update: 17 April 2011 - Finally! No longer an anticipation thread . . . This will now be the Game of Thrones discussion thread (discussion begins on page 5 for those not interested in reading all of the preamble).

Welcome to Westeros . . .

A handy guide for those new to this world can be found at http://www.towerofthehand.com/

(Thanks intodeep for the link )

____________________________________________________________________________________
UPDATE: 11April 2011

Well, it's nearly here. The HBO premiere is 17 April 2011 at 9:00 pm EST

http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html

UPDATE: 3 March 2011

Holy crap, after years of delay, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is finally coming!!!!!

12 July 2011 is the date it will be in stores :shock: Woo Hoo!!!!

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-update.html

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/03/03/dan ... gons-date/


UPDATE: 17 JANUARY 2011

Woo Hoo! Three months I don't know if I can wait that long :oops: If you haven't yet read the series then now is your chance. You've got three months to get caught up. Now GO!!!!


Latest GoT Teaser (16 January 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ5p18wI ... r_embedded

Raven Tease . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAZzCFPc ... re=related

Winter is Coming Tease . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVytEgSO ... re=related

GoT 3rd Teaser . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43LW7a_N ... re=related

Inside GoT (extended version) . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psbBi7dL ... re=related

ORIGINAL POST:

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.eon ... f-20090506

• Peter Dinklage is reuniting with The Station Agent director Tom McCarthy for the HBO fantasy pilot Game of Thrones, described as an epic battle for power set in a vast and violent kingdom. Dinklage will play the outcast brother of the queen.

Now if we could only get A Dance With Dragons published sometime this year life would be good :? :P

SEE 3 MARCH 2011 UPDATE

UPDATE: 2 MARCH 2010

According to numerous sources including George R. R. Martin http://grrm.livejournal.com/
and Mo Ryan (Chicago Tribune) http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com ... rtin-.html

HBO has greenlit Game of Thrones for 2011. So excited that this is happening :P :P :P

Fifthelement

Casting updates for the HBO pilot

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com ... -hbo-.html


September 01, 2009

Royal HBO role filled by 'Terminator: Sarah Connor' actress

All the major roles for HBO's "Game of Thones" pilot have been filled in recent weeks -- except one.

I can exclusively reveal that Lena Headey, most recently seen as Sarah Connor in Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," will play Cersei Lannister, a woman of royal blood who is every bit as smart, cunning and devious as the powerful men around her.

Other cast members include the perfectly cast Peter Dinklage as Cersei's brother Tyrion, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Cersei's twin, Jaime, Sean Bean as aristocrat Ned Stark, Jennifer Ehle as his wife Catelyn Stark and Mark Addy as King Robert. HBO confirmed the casting of Headey on Tuesday.

The "Game of Thrones" pilot, an adaptation of a fantasy novel by George R.R. Martin, starts shooting in late October in Northern Ireland.

Interest in the "Thrones" pilot is already at fever pitch: The blogs Winter Is Coming and Westeros have been following the casting avidly, and I can see why.

One "Thrones" fan asked me if this level of interest in a pilot that may not show up on TV for a year or more is normal. No, it's not. But Martin's book series tends to inspire a certain kind of deep and abiding loyalty, if not obsession. To read the books of Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series (four have come out so far) is to be completely immersed in a world that recalls the golden age of knights and chivalry while also showing, through memorable and believable characters, how deeply flawed human nature can be. It's a world in which honor and fealty don't mean what they used to and those in power have to contend with an array of threats, sometimes from those closest to them, sometimes from unexpected places.

Don't let the fantasy label put you off. This is a book series about human beings and how they respond to difficult challenges. But OK, there are knights, tournaments, battles, bawdy humor, spectacles and freaky creatures from the icy north. There are also deeply moving relationships and wonderfully detailed locales, all of which kept me turning hundreds of pages all summer.

As Time's James Poniewozik has written, "Thrones" is the kind of complicated, richly appointed, adult drama that HBO tends to do well. Martin "constantly forces you to question whether the 'honorable' resolution to a conflict is the best in the long run. The saga is littered with fallen heroes and shattered myths, as well as apparent villains and rogues who make surprising turns," Poniewozik writes.

In short, if this "Thrones" adaptation is at least as good as HBO's "Rome," I'll be glued to it. Here's where I inject the note of caution: At this point, "Thrones" is just a pilot and it has not yet been picked up to series. Fingers crossed that its every bit as good as Martin's many fans hope it will be and we spend 2010 obsessing about HBO's cool new show.

Stephen Flow

Cannot wait to see Dinklage play Tyrion.... I really hope they pull this off...

At this point, I'd be surprised if Martin ever finished the whole series let alone the next book (it's been nearly 5 years now since the last one came out) ... Hopefully this HBO series will prompt him to write just a bit more quickly.

Fifthelement

Update bump :ugeek:

Fifthelement

:ugeek:

fuck

awesome but where the FUCK is this 5th book

Digital Twilight

The next book has been in development for aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggges man....

Looking forward to the TV show.

intodeep

I'm not the only one here who likes this series hooraay

Yeah I can't wait 3 months is a long time. I'm actually kind of hoping they will give a publish date for the book soon or at least within 3 months.

Ipicked up a Fame of Thrones back in October and have gone on to read the first three books and have been blown away. I'm about to start A Feast with Crows.

My only problem is the casting of Catlyn Stark. The first girl they had cast had the look i thought she would have, but this new one just looks old and nothing like i thought of her to be, but in a cast of hundreds its not bad to be off a little in my mind for one!

Digital Twilight

intodeep wrote:

Ipicked up a Fame of Thrones back in October and have gone on to read the first three books and have been blown away.

'A Fame of Thrones'? Sounds like a book about celebrities and Hollywood

Fifthelement

Digital Twilight wrote:

The next book has been in development for aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggges man....

Looking forward to the TV show.

I know! It's ridiculous. However, having gone through a severe case of writer's block I have a very hard time castigating an author when they, too, seem to be going through the same thing. It must be even worse when you have to deal with the thousands of fans constantly badgering you to produce, produce, produce.

Fifthelement

intodeep wrote:

I'm not the only one here who likes this series hooraay

Yeah I can't wait 3 months is a long time. I'm actually kind of hoping they will give a publish date for the book soon or at least within 3 months.

Ipicked up a Fame of Thrones back in October and have gone on to read the first three books and have been blown away. I'm about to start A Feast with Crows.

My only problem is the casting of Catlyn Stark. The first girl they had cast had the look i thought she would have, but this new one just looks old and nothing like i thought of her to be, but in a cast of hundreds its not bad to be off a little in my mind for one!

I try not to judge before seeing the product. Hopefully the actress embodies the spirit and essence of Catelyn (a character that I honestly cannot stand. I swear every time I re-read the series I yell at the character, "you stupid bitch!" :? :roll: ). But I do know what you mean, for example, in the latest trailer they feature the Iron Throne - not what I imagined and envisioned at all, although it looks really cool.

intodeep

Fifthelement wrote:

intodeep wrote:

I'm not the only one here who likes this series hooraay

Yeah I can't wait 3 months is a long time. I'm actually kind of hoping they will give a publish date for the book soon or at least within 3 months.

Ipicked up a Fame of Thrones back in October and have gone on to read the first three books and have been blown away. I'm about to start A Feast with Crows.

My only problem is the casting of Catlyn Stark. The first girl they had cast had the look i thought she would have, but this new one just looks old and nothing like i thought of her to be, but in a cast of hundreds its not bad to be off a little in my mind for one!

I try not to judge before seeing the product. Hopefully the actress embodies the spirit and essence of Catelyn (a character that I honestly cannot stand. I swear every time I re-read the series I yell at the character, "you stupid bitch!" :? :roll: ). But I do know what you mean, for example, in the latest trailer they feature the Iron Throne - not what I imagined and envisioned at all, although it looks really cool.

When I read the "Fame of Thrones" (sorry of course i meant Game) i really did not like Catelyn, but by the time it got to Storm of Swords I did not like all her actions but I had empathy for her.

Fifthelement

^^^ Sorry, I just read that reply. I'm usually a pretty empathetic person, but her actions just annoyed me beyond compassion. I understand her motivations and everything, but she still pisses me off :x

intodeep

I have never been more excited about a tv show

Fifthelement

intodeep wrote:

I have never been more excited about a tv show

I know! I'm trying to temper my excitement and go into this show with realistic expectations. Still . . . I am so freakin' excited

intodeep

This is a bit off topic, but I promise to get back on once more news comes out. I’m almost halfway done with Feast of Crows and I think I want another epic fantasy series to jump into.

I’m a pretty slow reader and until I got these books I really did not read much at all. I’ve always really liked the fantasy movies etc though. I read Lord of the Rings a long time ago and loved it.

So any suggestions?
I’ve heard a lot of talk about Steve Erikson’s Malazon Empire series. What scares me though is people say the character development is not that great. I really like stories that connect you with the people in it.

I read the first book of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time a couple years ago but never moved forward. I liked it well enough, but honestly I’ve read so much bad stuff about books 6-11 that I’m turned off on it. I don’t want to be knee deep in a series and it turn into a chore to figure out the end.

Some other authors that caught my attention were Janny Wurts and her Wars of Lights and Shadows, I heard Guy Kay is a good author I think the Sarantium Mosaic was suggested, I also heard good things about Robin Hobb and her Farseer trilogy.

I know there are a ton of others. I’m looking to stay away from kid driven books. They don’t have to be like GRRM’s stuff but I would like more of an adult focus. I don’t need tons dragons and tons of magic, but I like that kind of stuff some. It is important to me that the author be good at their craft and by that I mean creating a world and characters I can get engrossed in and care about.

I mean to compare to GRRM the stuff that happened in Storm of Swords was pretty wild and I want to feel that kind of attachment to what I’m reading again.

Anyway any thoughts for me to consider?

Again sorry for going way off topic, but I thought who better to ask then folks who like one of my favorite series ever.

EquallyWorthless

Honestly the bad talk about books 6-11 in wheel of time is bullshit, there is some weak moments in 9 and 10, but seriously 6,7 and 8 are awesome, and all have really good moments, some of the most important parts come in book 8 and 9, there is just some long winded parts in there as well, with too much detail on none important stuff. It is worth it man. Plus it is totally back on track with 11(the last one that Jordan wrote) and 12 and 13, the ones Brandon Sanderson wrote. Speaking of Sanderson, try his Mistborn trilogy. AMAZING. Also, he has a new book called The Way of Kings that is super amazing that is Book 1 in a planned 10 book series. Seriously, read Wheel of Time though, you wont regret it.

Fifthelement

I agree with EW, the Wheel Of Time series is worth it. My biggest issue, earlier in the series, was that it just didn't seem to be going anywhere and it felt like a real slog trying to get through them at first. I was also a little pissed that Jordan just seemed to be milking the series in order to put out more books, equaling more $$$. However, much like any quest-type series, the time between action can seem to take forever; yet, as we get closer to the end of the series things are coming together nicely. The nice thing for you is that almost all of the books are out in paperback right now, so you can start reading them and perhaps by the time you are done, the last two books will be out

One of my all time favourite series, even though it's an old one, is the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. Of course, there are over a hundred books set in that world now by various authors, but I still re-read the original every few years.

I'll get back to you about some of my other favourites once I head up to the study and check my bookshelves.

intodeep

Thanks Guys I appreciate it.
I'll give the WoT a closer look like. I actually already own the first two books so that would be the easiest course of action.

Oh and i read a ton of dragonlance books many years ago. I could not recall which ones they were but i read my fair share and enjoyed them.

Fifthelement

Latest Song of Ice and Fire book new.

A Dance with Dragons is coming 12 July 2011 :shock: Woo Hoo!

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-update.html

Jason P

I just started reading the 1st book a few days ago. So far it's been great although I've spent half my time flipping back and forth to keep track of everyone.

Digital Twilight

Fifthelement wrote:

Latest Song of Ice and Fire book new.

A Dance with Dragons is coming 12 July 2011 :shock: Woo Hoo!

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-update.html

Cool. About time

intodeep

Fifthelement wrote:

Latest Song of Ice and Fire book new.

A Dance with Dragons is coming 12 July 2011 :shock: Woo Hoo!

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-update.html

I saw this via facebook a few hours ago on my phone and just got in front of a computer this is AWESOME news! I almost shit myself when i saw it on facebook.

intodeep

Jason P wrote:

I just started reading the 1st book a few days ago. So far it's been great although I've spent half my time flipping back and forth to keep track of everyone.

Very cool! I think it only gets better the deeper you get into it. It can be a little overwhelming at first with all the different view points but it comes together nicely.

rrivers

Thanks for the news!

I read the first book last year and really enjoyed it. Like Jason when I first read it I was flipping back and forth to keep track of the characters, but after awhile you don't have to do that anymore.

I started book 2 but put it aside. Not because it wasn't good though. Every year my wife and I have a contest to see who can read the most books in the year. I knew I had no chance if I tackled that one late in the year. (I lost anyway so I should have read it !)

I'm really looking forward to the HBO show.

I'm also in the same boat with other people who said they have stayed away from The Wheel of Time because of what they heard about later books. I read the first one and liked it, but haven't moved on. I'm glad to hear someone say the rest is worth it. I was looking at the most recent one in hardcover and figure I will get back to it. The Sanderson "Way of Kings" looks good too.

Also, if you haven't you should check out "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. The second book in the trilogy came out Tuesday.

intodeep

EW also has a new trailer that is awesome and a picture of the wall.......

Holy shit the Wall looks awesome. This looks so good

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/03/game-of-thrones-new-trailer/

Fifthelement

intodeep wrote:

EW also has a new trailer that is awesome and a picture of the wall.......

Holy shit the Wall looks awesome. This looks so good

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/03/game-of-thrones-new-trailer/

Trailer looks amazing. Not going to judge based on a few seconds on the clip, but it seems to me that some things have changed from the book :? Oh well, I'm sure that all will be well

Fifthelement

Oh, and Jason P and rrivers, you should both keep at it. The books are definitely worth it. Don't get to caught up on who's who. It'll all come together nicely

Digital Twilight

Fifthelement wrote:

intodeep wrote:

EW also has a new trailer that is awesome and a picture of the wall.......

Holy shit the Wall looks awesome. This looks so good

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/03/game-of-thrones-new-trailer/

Trailer looks amazing. Not going to judge based on a few seconds on the clip, but it seems to me that some things have changed from the book :? Oh well, I'm sure that all will be well

It's usually necessary to change a few things when you adapt something from medium to another.

Looks like it has been put together nicely and not a rush job.

Sprunkn7

There are sooo many names!! When I first started the series I almost put it down because I was having a hard time keeping all the names (and AKA's) straight. But it all does come together nicely. Some people are just not that important and you kind of weed them out.
I still need to read the last book (Crows). I wanted to wait until after the HBO airing was over to resume. Now by then I know I will have two books to read in the summer!

intodeep

I found using the website www.towerofthehand.com to be helpful when i was reading.

It has a sidebar fro each book that offers overviews of the chapters as you read them. I would read a chapter and read the overveiw and it would help me catch things maybe i missed. You must be very careful NOT to look at the footnotes though because it will spoil big time shit that goes down.

They also have character write ups that i used when i came across someone i did not recognize. The nice thing with this is on the top of the page you can choose how far you have read in the seris so if you are reading AGOT and look up Sansa Stark it does not tell you anything that happens to her after AGOT. This was helpful with some of the more minor players when i was reading.

I am super geeked about this show and new book