Yearly Archives: 2010

News

An Aside | Teaser Trailer and Behind-the-Scenes look at HBO’s ‘A Game of Thrones’

By Aidan Moher September 14th, 2010

From Winter is Coming:

Yesterday I posted some images from Game of Thrones, the HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. It proved rather popular. So to that end, above is the behind-the-scenes video from which all those images were pulled by the lovely folk at Winter is Coming.

It’s great to see Martin so excited about the series (regardless of the fact that it’s a promo piece, Martin’s seems honestly impressed by what he’s seen on set. I also get hot and sweaty whenever I see Sean Bean do anything. I ruined my pants when he was talking about the television series. Dinklage has all of Tyrion’s charisma and charm; Jon looks great; Maisie Williams’ smirk is Arya. Just lovely to see some of these characters in motion.

A brief, but tantalizing look at some post-production footage from the film. Unlike the behind-the-scenes trailer, this footage better represents what the series will probably look like once it comes to television in 2011. It’s dark, moody and suited to the overall tone of A Song of Ice and Fire, but I hope it can also retain Martin’s touch for humour and light-heartedness. Can’t wait to see a proper full-length trailer.

News

An Aside | Images from HBO’s ‘A Game of Thrones’ TV Show

By Aidan Moher September 13th, 2010
Ned Stark from HBO's A GAME OF THRONES TV show

Ned Stark

Jon Snow from HBO's A GAME OF THRONES TV show

Jon Snow

Catelyn Stark from HBO's A GAME OF THRONES TV show

Catelyn Stark

Tyrion Lannister from HBO's A GAME OF THRONES TV show

Tyrion Lannister

Loras Tyrell from HBO's A GAME OF THRONES TV show

Loras Tyrell

Ned, Jon and Tyrion look great. Catelyn still looks too weathered (though that perhaps suits her character better than the image I have in my head). But, holy damn, that detailing on Loras Tyrell’s helmet is just unbelievable. More than anything, I’m eager to see Westeros visualized and hope that level of quality extends across all of the costuming and set design.

More photos can be found on Winter is Coming, which also happens to be a terrific one-stop resource for everything concerning the HBO adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire

Art

Cover Art | ‘Brayan’s Gold’ by Peter V. Brett

By Aidan Moher September 9th, 2010
Brayan's Gold by Peter V. Brett

Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. Each night, the world is overrun by demons—bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting the surface for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace.

Arlen Bales is seventeen, an apprentice Messenger in brand new armor, about to go out for the first time alongside a trained Messenger on a simple overnight trip. Instead Arlen finds himself alone on a frozen mountainside, carrying a dangerous cargo to Count Brayan’s gold mine, one of the furthest points in the duchy. And One Arm, the giant rock demon, hunts him still.

But Brayan’s Gold may offer a way for Arlen to be free of One Arm forever, if he is willing to wager his life on the chance.

A nice companion piece to Brett’s other Subterranean Press endeavour, The Great Bazaar. I love the little village in the bottom right corner, just a hint of light that’s easily missed if you don’t look closely.

It’s great to see someone like Brett taking the opportunity to expand his series, and fill in some of the gaps, by embracing short fiction. It could be an interesting trend if it allows writers to explore their stories (the backstory and history of their characters in particular), while at the same time slimming down some of those multi-volume series.

Art

Cover Art | The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (eBook Edition)

By Aidan Moher September 7th, 2010

From Tor.com:

The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

It’s more generic than many of the other covers, and doesn’t scream Wheel of Time like some of the others, but still a nice piece of artwork. It’s strange seeing a creature on the cover, given Wheel of Time‘s proclivity towards conflict between humans (or at least humanoids). That said, I’m unfamiliar with the scene in the novel, so it could be an obvious choice to those who’ve read The Gathering Storm.

One thing that always impresses me about Lockwood, and isn’t immediately apparent when looking at his art, is that he’s a digital painter. Unlike many who work in the medium, Lockwood’s art looks like it’s hand painted and avoids that uncanny valley that artists like Jon Sullivan fall into. His use of colour, as always, is wonderful. There’s a great video showing Lockwood’s progression as he works through the painting for The Gathering Storm:

Another nice cover, if not the best in the series.