A Game of Thrones (HBO)

Hey Everyone

Hope you all are doing well and enjoying the hobby we all share :) I love fantasy and sci-fi, which either makes me a geek or a Games Workshop/Star Wars cash cow lol. Winter is coming where I am at, and I am not a big fan of the cold...I really hope JQ is having an awesome time right now!

Anyway, have you heard of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series? If not, you should read it! It's a dark fantasy series that some have compared to Tolkien, with quite a lot of gore, sex and betrayals. The basic plot goes like this: there's 7 kingdoms ruled by the King (who originally ursurped the throne), his rule is unsteady and forces around him are moving to secure the King's throne...the geographical range is great, as it spans from medieval settings to oriental environments.

Fan-made map of the world in the Game of Thrones

The books are written from the perspective of the many characters in the book. All the characters are really complex and you may start hating one character...but once you read through his/her perspective...you'll get to appreciate who they are. I did read it since last summer (under influence from JQ) and I have to say it's one of the most compelling reads I have picked up. There are a total of 5 books, with 4 published so far...and I am reading the 4th one right now.

Ned Stark and his greatsword, Ice...he's played by Sean Bean who was also LoTR's Boromir. The tree is some sort of totem the northerners pray to, and have faces inscribed on them.

Jaime Lannister sitting on the contested Iron Throne, which is a mass of swords/blades molded together to form a throne. The intention was that the king had to be vigilant all the time, and if he slipped, he'll be cut by the throne..

Well, HBO is in the process of making a TV series of the books and it's slated for an April '11 screening. HBO is pretty much known to be kick-ass when it comes to making series (eg. Band of Brothers, Pacific). It really looks like a lot of good work has been put into this, such as the artistic effort to ensure the world looked authentic, and having the author on board for the production (which is unfortunately rare in book to film adaptations).

At the bottom of this post are some teaser trailers and a behind-the-scenes feature...which makes a very compelling trailer itself for the HBO series. If you have read the books, you'll be close to crying when you watch the feature as it brings to life the scenes from the book. Personally, I am excited about this new series coming up, and it'll be a treat for all fantasy fans alike...especially if you're looking for a gritty and artful treatment of fantasy.

In the meantime, I am about 2+ weeks away from coming back home, which means that the WFB battles we promised are indeed coming up on the horizon. I am still in the process of getting my tripod together as I am missing a tripod head...and would be able to take some pics soon (explaining why my past few posts aren't about my minis). Plus, we have JQ coming back soon from his adventures in Japan...so I guess there's quite a bit of stuff to look forward too in the near future!

Thanks for your loyal support, JQ and I really appreciate the time and color you all add to this tiny space on the internet. It is always a pleasure to read the stuff you guys write on this blog!

Till next time, do take care and stay geeky my friends.
Joshua

Teasers:





Behind-the-Scenes Feature