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Game of Thrones

Ash
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Post by Ash » Wed April 20th, 2011, 1:11 pm

Oh my goodness you must read Mays Pliocene Exiles!

Im really loving Gabriel Kay; now into Lord of Emperors.

Tho I still prefer my Historic Fiction to be historic, I do enjoy some of the fantasy elements as well. I think Cromwell does this well in Stonehenge.
Last edited by Ash on Wed April 20th, 2011, 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Ludmilla
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Post by Ludmilla » Wed April 20th, 2011, 1:20 pm

[quote=""Sintra""]There were of course other authors who wrote realistic historical fantasy before him, but it's just that i can't think of anyone who made such an impact on the genre overall for a long time.
Ursula Le Guin or Roger Zelazny maybe?
[/quote]


I think the difference with Martin is that the Ice & Fire series has over time gained the crossover appeal of a big blockbuster, and people tend to follow trends and read what they think everyone else is reading. People who wouldn't normally read Science Fiction or Fantasy, or who have a rather narrow view and experience of it, will read this series. Those who read Fantasy and SF on a more regular basis are well aware of great authors contributing to the genre.

I would add Robert Holdstock (who died last year) and Peter S. Beagle to the list of fantasy authors who've created some complex works and had a huge impact on the genre. I also quite like Carol Berg.

I don't have HBO, so I probably won't be able to see this until it's offered by Netflix or a similar site (unless HBO is offering it for free on the internet). I have enough other stuff to entertain me. I can wait.
Last edited by Ludmilla on Wed April 20th, 2011, 1:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Madeleine
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Post by Madeleine » Wed April 20th, 2011, 2:20 pm

[quote=""Sintra""]Well, i've never stated that there were no steps for fantasy before Martin. There were of course other authors who wrote realistic historical fantasy before him, but it's just that i can't think of anyone who made such an impact on the genre overall for a long time.
Ursula Le Guin or Roger Zelazny maybe?
A Song of Ice and Fire is great, but it's not just about quality but about popularity too.
I've read some of Kay's books and i loved Tigana, but at least where i live hardly anyone knows about him (and his books are translated) yet there are thousands of Martin fans.
And i've never heard of Donaldson and May. But now i think i may read those :)

And good news for everyone who enjoyed the pilot! Game of Thrones was officially renewed for the second season![/quote]

So presumably that will be the second book?

Must admit I'd never heard of the author until someone at work recommended him last Christmas Eve; I'd never heard of Game of Thrones either but once I looked it up I did think the umbrella title "Song of Ice and Fire" sounded vaguely familiar. I'd never heard of Ursula le Guin until I came across her on this site either. I suppose it's authors like them who have a profile who can provide an entry into the sf/fantasy genre; once people read them they might look for other authors, in the same way that a high profile HF author such as PG could provide a stepping-stone into HF. But sf/fantasy still has a very cultish, dare I say geeky image in the UK? :eek: :) No offence meant!
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross

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Sintra
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Post by Sintra » Wed April 20th, 2011, 4:00 pm

[quote=""Ash""]Oh my goodness you must read Mays Pliocene Exiles!

[/quote]

I will now! :)

[quote=""Ludmilla""]I think the difference with Martin is that the Ice & Fire series has over time gained the crossover appeal of a big blockbuster, and people tend to follow trends and read what they think everyone else is reading. People who wouldn't normally read Science Fiction or Fantasy, or who have a rather narrow view and experience of it, will read this series. Those who read Fantasy and SF on a more regular basis are well aware of great authors contributing to the genre.[/quote]

Yes, that's what i was talking about. People unfamiliar with high fantasy will probably choose Martin over many other authors, and it's good that in his case there's both popularity and quality.

[quote=""Madeleine""]So presumably that will be the second book?[/quote]
Yes, i think it's going to be one season per book. Wonder if Martin's going to keep up? :)

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princess garnet
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Post by princess garnet » Wed April 20th, 2011, 9:01 pm

[quote=""Sintra""] Yes, i think it's going to be one season per book. Wonder if Martin's going to keep up? :) [/quote]
His website shows there are more novels to come so they'll have material down the road!

laktor
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Post by laktor » Thu April 21st, 2011, 6:52 am

I have it down as one of my shows to catch up on this long weekend. I hope I like it. Never read the books, but I'm not one to read novels about fictional lands (fantasy). Prefer historical fiction dealing in real places and including some real people and events.

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Madeleine
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Post by Madeleine » Thu April 21st, 2011, 9:44 am

[quote=""princess garnet""]His website shows there are more novels to come so they'll have material down the road![/quote]

Think there are meant to be 7 altogether, number 5 out later this year, around autumn, in the UK.
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross

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Ludmilla
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Post by Ludmilla » Thu April 21st, 2011, 1:17 pm

Given how sprawling and expanded the scope becomes in each book, I can only imagine the challenges of adapting them. The 2nd and 3rd book in particular would require more episodes, and given how the PoV jumps around, it could be hard to follow the story on the screen. The payoff, of course, would be if it goes to a 3rd season. That book has quite the finale!

Ash
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Post by Ash » Thu April 21st, 2011, 1:52 pm

No kidding. I almost quit that book midway through after the 'Red Wedding' but was glad to have finished it.

BTW, a bit of background - Martin has written four of the seven books he meant for the series, and its been ten years since the fourth one. Many fans are rabid about this, infuriated that he has not made good on finishing the story. His fifth book comes out this summer called Dance of the Dragons. Its hoped that the series will be the impitious that gets him to write the next two, but it could be that the series takes him away from writing, period. It remains to be seen.

Also btw speaking of SF - HBO may be making a series of Neil Gaiman's American Gods. Now that will be amazing!

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SarahWoodbury
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Post by SarahWoodbury » Thu April 21st, 2011, 2:49 pm

I love Sean Bean and the show was really well done, but . . . I guess I was the only one who was bothered by the murder of the 9 year old boy right off in the Game of Thrones? I have 4 kids . . . I just couldn't handle it. I could see why he did it to really say--THIS ISN'T LOTR, THESE PEOPLE ARE TRULY EVIL AND OTHER PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE!--and then the incest . . . did you count the number of headless people in the first show?

Sorry, I suppose I'm a wimp.

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