HBO adaptation of Game of Thrones - will this be just for nerds? (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

still this guy can plot an epic fantasy like a m-f'er

at this pace he should be done in 10 years, right? its like 5 years between each book?

Well, he BETTER be done in, let's see (my guess at the HBO schedule):
1 year for GoT.
1 year for CoK
2 years for SoS
1 year for FFC
2 years for DoD

So he has 5 years (need a year lead-time for production) to get the 2nd to last book done, and then 1 or two years for the last book.

So 5-7 years, I guess.

theyre gonna need to hurry up some of those seasons if they want to make sure the kids dont age

you guys really think HBO will keep this thing going for 7 seasons??

I expect some condensation of the story; also I expect that after this season they will just shoot continually to avoid aging issues with the kids

The viewership has been climbing every week, so the outlook is pretty good:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/17/game-of-thrones-ratings-climb/

although onset of puberty could be a neat explanation for some things later on

hope those kids end up being good ass actors, at any rate

its funny reading this knowing that its a tv show too -- it kind of makes sense actually, esp. given that martin's background is in tv writing. the last few chapters of every book have a very "hbo season finale" feeling

so i think i just figured something out

but i won't post it because if i'm right it'll be spoil-y

also is it sad that i'm actually like "aw sweet i have years of entertaining television to look forward to"

Not sad! You could post your theory in one of the book threads, but then you would get a spoilered...

also he loves courtly intrigue but he doesnt really seem to care about actual politics? there are at least 3 major institutions (the citadel, the septons, and the nights watch) in the 7 kingdoms that would irl be big non-aristocratic power bases but instead they are totally apolitical??? chyeah right

― ban drake (the rapper) (max), Wednesday, May 18, 2011 5:19 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

also thinking about this -- during the targaeryns reign there was no other political force besides the targaeryns, because they had dragons, and no one else did. and so the context of the books is sort of "the fall of the house targaeryn," and the scramble for power vacuum to be filled, and martin is obviously on-point w/ the way aristocrats jockey for power. and hes _almost_ there toward books 3 and 4 in terms of showing the political power of the nights watch, not to mention the political power of religion w/r/t the (possible spoiler?) lord of light. but i still feel like hes not really grasping the way these institutions would actually wield power. like lol you think the maesters are really going to spend their lives "serving" for thousands of years? you mean, the only guys on westeros who know how to heal people and read? hmm sure

i think the maesters are a bunch of ineffectual academics/advisors who have advanced as far as capable under a fairly strict caste system.

also he loves courtly intrigue but he doesnt really seem to care about actual politics? there are at least 3 major institutions (the citadel, the septons, and the nights watch) in the 7 kingdoms that would irl be big non-aristocratic power bases but instead they are totally apolitical??? chyeah right

― ban drake (the rapper) (max), Wednesday, May 18, 2011 5:19 PM (36 minutes ago) Bookmark

w/o spoiling anything, the septons & citadel are totally political

we should take this to the feast for crows thread though, which is where all the booktalk seems to congregate:

Anticipating "A Feast For Crows" by George R. R. Martin (Nov. 9)

i havent finished book4 yet tho

I just borrowed GoT from a friend. Apparently I am committing my life to something.

You will be able to construct a full set of armor and livery from memory by the tine you're through. It's the McCall's dressmaking pattern book of the middle ages.

Time, goddammit

Construct the armor, tine by tine you meant.

sew, construct, et al

Also forge thineself a fine blade

1/4 of the way through the fourth book and i am beginning to see why ppl are so frustrated with martin. the iron islands?? who gives a shit about this??? are the dornishmen italian or like turkish or what?? how are they even on the same continent???????

yesssssssssssssssssss

also i have never had Deep Thoughts about the maesters mainly because whenever i see that spelling i want to punch myself in the eyes. how are they pronouncing it in the show?? IMPORTANT PERIOD DETAILS

Aren't the Dornish a different race to the Andals who make up the majority of the population of Westeros?

They're pronouncing maester how it looks

there is no way of doing that in modern english orthography. don't be unhelpful.

Ok it's mayster then

well that's wrong

and obviously this is the single detail upon which the whole fiction loses its credibility and falls apart

kind of like the obsessive attention to olives?

i don't see why the rest of you won't recognise the importance of these things

Language is clearly something Martin isn't too bothered about (which is kind of a relief after so many crappy post-Tolkien efforts)

i guess what bothers me about dorne is less the culture or language stuff and more that there is a DESERT there. the place is 1/3 the size of the entire north and it has three distinct land types, each with its own special kind of dornishmen??

they're densely packed, like sardines or pygmys.

tbh i am sort of "working out" my issues w/ martin w/r/t the fucked up shit that happens in book 3. still kind of mad at him.

i should prob read these huh

i tried once and it didn't take

or maybe that was wheel of time, heh

got to the bit in the fourth book where it is explained why i should give a shit about the iron islands. i take it back! i love you george!!

Wow, working from home must leave you a lot of time to read. I'm not even though Book 2 and I started it on Monday night.

ha, yeah, plus its been so rainy this week, no reason not to just plow through

when are we all gonna get together and play the boardgame?

there's a board game...?

game of boards

zomg why did I not know about this earlier, we could have shot the pieces with BB guns while drinking malort at jjj's bachelor party

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3374/3312777505_a59c2c6848.jpg

problem is, everyone's gonna wanna be the starks, right?

HOLY SHITBALLS

Lannisters have Tyrion tho

Can I be the Black Watch?