Sing me a Song of Fire & Ice....

[Jyrdan Fairblade]

In case anyone has missed it, George R.R. Martin's series is going to be made into a TV show on HBO!
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111795 ... id=14&cs=1

I think that this is the right way to go, as opposed to trying to condense it into a movie, or set of movies.

[Tadhg]

Jyrdan Fairblade wrote:
In case anyone has missed it, George R.R. Martin's series is going to be made into a TV show on HBO!
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111795 ... id=14&cs=1

I think that this is the right way to go, as opposed to trying to condense it into a movie, or set of movies.

Very interesting. I'm familiar with his work, but haven't read any of the novels. Wow, they are long and detailed. Hmm, I'll be on vacation next week, I might pick up the first one. I don't have HBO, but if I like the book, I may get it.
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Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

[Omote]

Yeah, this is pretty cool and would make for a far better series then any movie. But could HBO invest enough money into the series to make it look worthwild? We'll have to see. HBO better not go half-assed on this one.

.....................................Omote

FPQ
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Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[angelius]

I couldn't get through the first chapter.
But maybe cause its just not my style of prose.
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[rabindranath72]

I got to the third book, but then things started to go to "soap-opera"-like, which is a shame, since the setting is nice.
Cheers,

Antonio

[Omote]

rabindranath72 wrote:
I got to the third book, but then things started to go to "soap-opera"-like, which is a shame, since the setting is nice.

Which is why I think this could make a damn fine series.

I will also agree that JRRM writing is quite dry when he's not describing battle-action. I also only finished the 1st book. Call me lazy, but I'd rather watch this one on TV.

........................................Omote

FPQ
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Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[gideon_thorne]

I read the first three. Honestly, I like Robert Jordan much better. At least he doesnt kill of 75% of his characters in the first book.

I said as much to George Martin last time I talked to him. "Ya, im just going to have the last book feature a field of gravestones." He said in reply in an amused tone.
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"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley

[anglefish]

gideon_thorne wrote:
I read the first three. Honestly, I like Robert Jordan much better. At least he doesnt kill of 75% of his characters in the first book.

I said as much to George Martin last time I talked to him. "Ya, im just going to have the last book feature a field of gravestones." He said in reply in an amused tone.

Some once described his series as "Romantic Fantasy gone horribly wrong -- or horribly right, depending on how much you dislike the genre."

Incetious villians: check

Psyhic animals: check

Strong female leads:check

And then real life takes over. Pretty little girls go out in the world and find out that life isn't a fairy tale, time to grow up and grow up fast before they end up being killed as collateral damage.

On the flipside, even common men with luck and determination can find a way to make something of themselves despite their "betters" snearing at them.

Personaly, I thought the deaths add an edge and realism to the novel. It's not to every one's taste, but he's gotten some new converts to fantasy who thought such fare was too "Disney" for them. (Their words, not mine.)

[gideon_thorne]

anglefish wrote:
Personaly, I thought the deaths add an edge and realism to the novel. It's not to every one's taste, but he's gotten some new converts to fantasy who thought such fare was too "Disney" for them. (Their words, not mine.)

Check out the Hawk and Fisher series by Simon R Green if you like gritty Fantasy. ^_^
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"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley

[The Fiendish Dr. Samsara]

Rhuvein wrote:
Very interesting. I'm familiar with his work, but haven't read any of the novels. Wow, they are long and detailed. Hmm, I'll be on vacation next week, I might pick up the first one. I don't have HBO, but if I like the book, I may get it.

I absolutely intended to HATE the first book. I hate modern fantasy series in general. I particularly hate these Robert Jordanesque series that go and on and fill up hudnreds of pages with junk. I hate stories without a main character, where each chapter switches to someone else. And I truly hate giving fantasy characters names that are riffs off of real-world names.

Just so many things to hate.

My wife gave me copy for Christmas and I let it sit there for a year before picking it up. And I liked it. Really, really liked it. I was stunned.

On topic: I'll agree with the crowd. A series is so much better than a movie would be. I'm actually more interested in this than in The Dresden Files series.

[Omote]

Well at least Dresden Files is on TV soon. Game of Thrones won;t be on for another year or so I'm sure.

.............................................Omote

FPQ
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> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[Orpheus]

The Fiendish Dr. Samsara wrote:
I hate modern fantasy series in general. I particularly hate these Robert Jordanesque series that go and on and fill up hudnreds of pages with junk. I hate stories without a main character, where each chapter switches to someone else. And I truly hate giving fantasy characters names that are riffs off of real-world names.

I'm with you on that one. I tried reading the first Wheel of Time book several years ago, but put it down about half way through. I just kind of thought, "Wait a second...wraith-like figures looking for these kids who have 'something' (their abilities or whatever) which might prevent an 'evil figure' from rising up and ruling the world. This guy rewrote Lord of the Rings." It just seems like they all try to be epic and retell LOTR in some fashion. Sure, there are subtle differences and whatnot, but it just doesn't seem like many of them are actually writing anything new. That's one reason I like Michael Moorcock so much. He wrote something different and disturbing. The first time that I read the first Elric book I couldn't believe that this "hero" was doing the things that he was doing. Granted every author has someone whose work they built off of, but most of the modern fantasy novels are just ridiculous in their lack of freshness. I've got a friend (a real Abercrombie and Fitch kind of guy; very Gap...it's kind of strange ) who reads the things by the truck load. So if you liked the George R. R. Maritn (hmmm...what's with the two "R"'s bub?) books good Dr., then I may have to give it a whirl.

[Tadhg]

Orpheus wrote:
So if you liked the George R. R. Maritn (hmmm...what's with the two "R"'s bub?)

Yeah, Tolkien already did that!
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Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

[The Fiendish Dr. Samsara]

I could so easily digress here about how much modern fantasy slavishly apes Tolkien's Epic Fantasy and why it, therefore, tends to suck. Jordan is just so much the obvious poster boy for that. What's funny, of course, is that he also writes terrible Conan pastiches, so he is an equal opportunity offender.

Anyway, Orpheus, I'd say try Martin. I'm a huge Moorcock fan myself so it sounds like our tastes are somewhat aligned. Two things that I really liked about AGoT: Martin has a nice touch of faerie tale feeling intruding into the "real" world (most High/Epic Fantasy wouldn't know a faerie tale of it bit them on their...uh...One Ring rip-off). And his world feels very much like the England of the Wars of the Roses (instead of Generic Fantasy Land; insert Elves-Dwarves-Orcs here).

[gideon_thorne]

*chuckles* All fantasy, modern or otherwise, in some way apes litterary, or mythological works from an earlier time. Such a comparison is moot.
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"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley

[The Fiendish Dr. Samsara]

gideon_thorne wrote:
*chuckles* All fantasy, modern or otherwise, in some way apes litterary, or mythological works from an earlier time. Such a comparison is moot.

I don't want to derail the thread, but there is a significant difference between being inspired or informed by something, and slavishly aping it. All human products, including artistic ones, build upon something that came before. That's a truism.

[Orpheus]

gideon_thorne wrote:
*chuckles* All fantasy, modern or otherwise, in some way apes litterary, or mythological works from an earlier time. Such a comparison is moot.

Well, a lot of them share the same archetype of a story: You are special; you have a quest to save the world/your home; here...have a magical item. Sure, they all tap into something familiar (LOTR borrowed a lot from the Ring of the Nibelungen), but tapping into JUST ONE familiar thing is kind of boring. Especially when it just jumps out at ya. Star Wars borrowed a lot from other stories (George Lucas: "It's got a little bit of King Arthur, a few elements from Metropolis...), but weaved them all into something that was its own. That's the best stuff, when it takes something slightly familiar but puts it in a setting you've never seen before. It just seems that a lot of fantasy authors just keep wanting to say the same thing.

[gideon_thorne]

Orpheus wrote:
It just seems that a lot of fantasy authors just keep wanting to say the same thing.

Author's want to make money, so they write what sells. Thats the practical side of the business. Generally, only after an author has made sufficient money are they able to do their own 'arty' book.

And yes, I get this straight from the source. I hang out with a lot of authors, highly successful and not so. ^_^
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"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley

[Orpheus]

Hey, everyone has to eat and if that stuff sells then so be it. I just can't believe that the fans of fantasy literature can keep re-reading the same stories over and over again. I have a friend that reads that stuff by the barrel full, but I can only take so much of it. Even after I reread LOTR right before the movies came out (I went on a marathon read) I had to go on a Graham Greene binge just to get the taste of fantasy out of my mouth.

[gideon_thorne]

*smiles* If folks want some authors who are a fair bit different in their fantasy try these. Simon R Green, David Gemmell, and Kim Harrison. ^_^
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"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley

[The Fiendish Dr. Samsara]

gideon_thorne wrote:
Author's want to make money, so they write what sells. Thats the practical side of the business. Generally, only after an author has made sufficient money are they able to do their own 'arty' book.

And yes, I get this straight from the source. I hang out with a lot of authors, highly successful and not so. ^_^

IMO, the best artists are the ones who walk the tightrope between vsion and sales. Take a guy like RE Howard: the man had to make a living and knew it. But he also wanted to do "his thing". The result was Swords & Sorcery literature.

Compare that with a guy like Robert Jordan.

Well, Jordan's made a lot more money anyway.

Or, consider George Martin (the putative subject of our thread). He isn't doing anything too wild, but his is doing something that feels personal. Sure, he's lifting stuff right and left, but the resulting product feels individual, if not unique.

[Orpheus]

gideon_thorne wrote:
*smiles* If folks want some authors who are a fair bit different in their fantasy try these. Simon R Green, David Gemmell, and Kim Harrison. ^_^

Thank you. I will.

[gideon_thorne]

The Fiendish Dr. Samsara wrote:
IMO, the best artists are the ones who walk the tightrope between vsion and sales. Take a guy like RE Howard: the man had to make a living and knew it. But he also wanted to do "his thing". The result was Swords & Sorcery literature.

Compare that with a guy like Robert Jordan.

Well, Jordan's made a lot more money anyway.

Or, consider George Martin (the putative subject of our thread). He isn't doing anything too wild, but his is doing something that feels personal. Sure, he's lifting stuff right and left, but the resulting product feels individual, if not unique.

And both authors are pretty cool to hang with as well. Classy guys who take the time and are avaible to sit and talk. ^_^
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"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley