HBO greenlights A Game of Thrones pilot!

[keg in kc]

EDIT: Changed the original header to mark this as the thread where spoilers are allowed (but not necessarily recommended...). Created a new, spoiler-free thread for Ice and Fire virgins...


This is awesome...

Huge, Huge News

Nov. 11th, 2008 at 10:29 PM

HBO has given the production order.

They will be filming the pilot episode of A GAME OF THRONES.

It's just the pilot so far. They'll need to see that before they decide whether to proceed with a full season's episodes. So let's all hope the pilot will kick serious ass.

It should. David Benioff and Dan Weiss did a terrific job with the script. And yes, all of you can relax, it's very faithful. Dan and David will be the executive producers for the pilot and (we hope) the eventual series.

More details when I have 'em. The news is very fresh. HBO just issued their own press release, which should be up on their website soon, if it's not there already.

Winter is coming to HBO. Hot damn.

[TrickyNicky]

When he announces its done, it will take another 6 months for editing and printing. (1400+ manuscript pages unless they've been editing as he goes, but I sincerely doubt it)

So, it's still a ways off. I was hoping it would be done in time for the premiere, but that isn't happening.

[Red Brooklyn]

I am proud to announce that I will begin reading A Storm Of Swords tomorrow morning.

That is all.

[TrickyNicky]

I devoured the third one. Once it got rolling I found myself saying, "one more chapter..." again and again. Then I would say "Well lets just see how the next chapter starts" and end up reading all of it. I would finally look at the clock and it's 4:30am and I would be wired. First time a book ever did that to me.

Finished it within a week (which is great for how slow I read), but I was going to school at the time, so I had no other obligations.

[Bowser]

Since I'm now all caught up, would you guys recommend the Wheel of Time series in the interim until Dragons comes out, or would getting into both series at the same time be a mistake (are they too much alike)?

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Since I'm now all caught up, would you guys recommend the Wheel of Time series in the interim until Dragons comes out, or would getting into both series at the same time be a mistake (are they too much alike)?

I love Wheel of Time, but people will generally tell you to steer clear of it. It's very, very long (still two more to go) and much like Martin's books ends up introducing roughly 3 trillion points-of-view. But I've read them all at least 3 times excluding the one that came out about a year ago, the first of the ending trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (the author that began the series passed away, as you probably already know).

There are a couple other fantasy series I'd recommend as well. I'm a big fan of Glen Cook's Black Company (10 books) and I really, really loved Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy. Both of those are darker fantasy. Cook's is sort of a conglomeration of the epic and dark fantasy traditions, told primarily in first person, about a mercenary band and the enemies they face. Abercrombie's is essentially epic fantasy, again very dark, more traditionally epic in the telling, although very, very dark and mature.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

I love Wheel of Time, but people will generally tell you to steer clear of it. It's very, very long (still two more to go) and much like Martin's books ends up introducing roughly 3 trillion points-of-view. But I've read them all at least 3 times excluding the one that came out about a year ago, the first of the ending trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (the author that began the series passed away, as you probably already know).

Well, the only thing I have going for me is that I will probably exclusively take it in via CD, so I should be able to breeze through them by the time Dragons finally comes out. If you don't mind indulging my laziness, why would people advise to steer clear of it? In general, or just running tangent with ASoIaF?

[keg in kc]

It's very, very long. A dozen long books with two more to go. Most people seem to tire of it around the 6th or 7th book.

(I didn't).

[Third Eye]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Since I'm now all caught up, would you guys recommend the Wheel of Time series in the interim until Dragons comes out, or would getting into both series at the same time be a mistake (are they too much alike)?

They are not alike in the slightest IMO. WOT is way more magic-centric and way less political. Additionaly, Martin's series borders on, dare I say it, literature. I can actually suggest, and have to good response, Game of Thrones to my non-Sci-Fi/Fantasy reading friends. Can't say the same about the Wheel of Time saga. That doesn't mean that it doesn't have anything to offer, just don't expect the same level of craft. The first 5 books are great, I mean some really good stuff. After that the series slows wayyyyy down with entirely too much non plot driven fluff to the point of annoyance. Honestly, after struggling to get through the 8th and 9th book, I bought the 10th when it was released but could never bring myself to read it.

So essentially it's up to you. If you can handle what some may consider a little bit nerdier fantasy, and you can handle giving up on what starts out as a fantastic series, then go for it. Well, I guess you could be masochistic enough to actually get through it, but I couldn't. I'm hardly the first to make that criticism, it's fairly common. The series could finish with a bang, I don't know, but the last three, with the finale upcoming, have been written by Brandon Sanderson after the death of Jordan. That concerns me as well.

[David.]

Originally Posted by Third Eye

They are not alike in the slightest IMO. WOT is way more magic-centric and way less political. Additionaly, Martin's series borders on, dare I say it, literature. I can actually suggest, and have to good response, Game of Thrones to my non-Sci-Fi/Fantasy reading friends. Can't say the same about the Wheel of Time saga. That doesn't mean that it doesn't have anything to offer, just don't expect the same level of craft. The first 5 books are great, I mean some really good stuff. After that the series slows wayyyyy down with entirely too much non plot driven fluff to the point of annoyance. Honestly, after struggling to get through the 8th and 9th book, I bought the 10th when it was released but could never bring myself to read it.

So essentially it's up to you. If you can handle what some may consider a little bit nerdier fantasy, and you can handle giving up on what starts out as a fantastic series, then go for it. Well, I guess you could be masochistic enough to actually get through it, but I couldn't. I'm hardly the first to make that criticism, it's fairly common. The series could finish with a bang, I don't know, but the last three, with the finale upcoming, have been written by Brandon Sanderson after the death of Jordan. That concerns me as well.

I haven't read wot, but sanderson did an excellent job with the mistborn trilogy. I also liked his first novel Elantris. I don't know how he compares to jordan, but he's a very good fantasy writer.
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[Third Eye]

Originally Posted by David.

I haven't read wot, but sanderson did an excellent job with the mistborn trilogy. I also liked his first novel Elantris. I don't know how he compares to jordan, but he's a very good fantasy writer.
Posted via Mobile Device

My issue is not with Sanderson, just the discontinuity.

[TrickyNicky]

Anybody read Steven Erikson? I'm about to start Gardens of the Moon.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

It's very, very long. A dozen long books with two more to go. Most people seem to tire of it around the 6th or 7th book.

(I didn't).

I did.

[keg in kc]

Looks like there's finally a release date for Towers of Midnight, for those of us who didn't get bored with WoT after 5 books. November 2nd.

[Red Brooklyn]

Read the Prologue before I got to work this morning. I think I'm going to like this book...

[Red Brooklyn]

Serious question: Am I going to give a **** about Davos at some point in Storm Of Swords? His final POV in Clash and his first POV in Storm have really bored me, and slammed the breaks on the story.

To be honest, I though he was dead, and I was okay with that.