Hollyblog: What I Hope HBO Gets Right on ‘Game of Thrones’

The network has to go into George R. R. Martin’s still unfinished mammoth project without fully knowing where it will all end up

Winter is coming, finally.

About two years ago I bought "Feast for Crows," the fourth book in George R. R. Martin’s "Song of Fire and Ice" series — the series that began with "Game of Thrones," soon to be an HBO series. The book was easily a thousand pages and I devoured the thing in a week. By the end my head hurt, but what I remember was at the time I couldn’t read it fast enough. I took a copy anywhere I had an errand to run. I took with me to Pep Boys when they were replacing the engine belt on my car. Two to three hours wait? Perfect! I should be able to plow through at least four chapters in this thing.

As you can probably tell, I’m very excited about the idea of HBO’s "Game of Thrones" mini-series. So are legions of other fans who turned Martin’s epic tale of the Seven Kingdoms into a runaway bestseller. So what is it about these books that I love so much? What am I particularly looking forward to? And what am I nervous about?

Epic Scope: Martin’s tale takes place during a huge upheaval. It’s based on the "War of the Roses" and likewise is about the struggle for a crown. One of the main joys of reading Martin’s books is jumping in and getting lost in the detail. This imagined world is close to the High Middle Ages (roughly about 1400.) It’s unlike so many other fantasy settings. It’s a world on the cusp of its own Renaissance, but the birth of that new world is painful and violent.

No Magic … at Least No Wizards: For those expecting wizards in wide brimmed hats, sorry to disappoint you. There is no magic in this world. In a clever twist there used to be dragons but they all died out and now there are only skeletons in museums. The main plot of the novels is politics and warfare. But always from the edges there is magic creeping back into the world. And usually when it does, it means trouble. The magical elements in the books really play off very well against the more realistic and researched portions.

Ned Stark: The hero of the first book. And anyone who read "Game of Thrones" immediately thought, “Sean Bean.” Ned is a noble Lord yet he’s from the North where life is hard and people are rough. It’s like Martin was watching Bean’s Sharpe series on the BBC when he wrought the character. This was perfect casting.

The Imp: Just as Ned Stark was perfectly cast so too was Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. This was a no brainer as Martin himself campaigned for the actor. The Imp is an amazing character. If the books had just been about him I still would have read every one of them. Tyrion Lannister more than makes up for his small stature with intelligence, cunning, and a fighting spirit that belongs in someone three times his size. Sometimes he’s the villain, sometimes he’s the hero but he’s always fascinating. Dinklage is probably licking his chops at what he can do with this character.

The Kids: If there’s any worries or concerns it usually falls into this area. In addition to Ned and The Imp, the story is told mainly through the eyes of Ned Stark’s children. And to be fair they aren’t always the most likable characters. That’s because they make choices that are frustrating or dangerous, just like real children. Some people just couldn’t forgive these characters their mistakes. But I think watching them make those mistakes and grow as a result of them will make for very entertaining TV.

The End: There isn’t one. Not yet. Martin’s ambitious project is now past the halfway point but the final (proposed) three volumes still haven’t arrived. It’s caused more than a few fans to be, how shall we say, a little too enthusiastic for the next book. He’s had to deal with people who don’t understand this thing called patience. Martin himself has blogged about the difficulties in writing the next chapter. He’s called it a Gordian Knot. Having read this much, I can’t for the life of me figure out how he’s going to get all the threads resolved in three more books.

That can be a challenge for the series makers. Lately it’s become a bit of a trend, adapting book series for TV or the big screen before those series have concluded. So HBO has to go into this project without fully knowing where it will all end up. If "Game of Thrones" is a ratings hit, expect Martin to be under a whole lot more pressure to finish his series.

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