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Hand-modeled Maps of Westeros and Middle-Earth

By May 16th, 20131 Response
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I happened across these maps a couple of weeks ago on the Fantasy sub-Reddit (enter at your own risk), and they haven’t left my mind. So, like any thought that won’t escape, I felt it’d be best to set it free so I can move on.These maps are hand-made, and gorgeously textured. The map-fetishist in me (and, frankly, the ol’ Warhammer fan) is madly in love. It’s been discussed to death, but there’s something magically tangible about a good map, one on paper, or leather and hung on a wall, and I’d love to see how these models appear in person. Continue reading

GRRM confirms talks about Game of Thrones prequel for HBO

By February 14th, 20131 Response

Last week, news spread that George R.R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, signed a new two-year contract with HBO, including his continued participation in their ASOIAF adaptation, Game of Thrones and the development of new projects. On February 10th, in response to a question from a fan on his personal blog, Martin confirmed details about those ‘projects,’ including a potential prequel series to Game of Thrones.

Tuf would be fun. Dunk and Egg are being discussed. Robert’s Rebellion is part of Ice & Fire, won’t be a separate series. Sandkings was done by the OUTER LIMITS; I retain feature film rights, but television rights are gone.

While he speculates about his other properties, he admits specifically that discussion has taken place regarding Dunk and Egg, the heroes of his A Song of Ice and Fire off-shoot novella series. They would be a fun concept for a show, but I wonder if there is proper mass appeal for two characters that most fans of the series likely don’t even know exist. As he says, Robert’s Rebellion would be perfect, but nearly as big a production as Game of Thrones itself, and it’s integrally tied to the events in the series and might be redundant by the time the series/show ends. Non-A Song of Ice and Fire properties is an interesting idea, but, again, I wonder about the mass appeal. Me? I’m curious where the rights to the Wild Cards series rest.

GRRM tried to talk HBO out of Game of Thrones

By October 3rd, 20128 Responses
My thoughts on GAME OF THRONES

Author George R. R. Martin tried desperately to talk HBO out of making a TV show out of his epic “Game of Thrones” books — for fear that a flop would kill his popular series, according to a new book.

In the preface to a new book, Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones, Martin recalls telling the shows future producers, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff that ‘[i]t’s too big. It’s too complicated. It’s too expensive,’ and that ‘Hollywood Boulevard is lined with the skulls and bleached bones.’ Continue reading

Update on The World of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

By September 17th, 201217 Responses

The Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin

The original, totally awesome badge, minus my facetious photoshopping, is by Storied Threads/Veronica Bailey

George R.R. Martin provided an update this weekend on progress for both The Winds of Winter and The World of Ice and Fire. He says:

We all know how long the last novel took. And now I am writing the “sidebar” (hoo hah) about the first Dance of the Dragons, the fratricidal civil war between King Aegon II and his half-sister Rhaenyra, for THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE, and it’s turned into a monster too.

As of today, I have a hundred and three bloody manuscript pages (some VERY bloody) and still no end at hand. I had hoped to finish this one today, but… no, not even close. Lots more to write.

I think there’s some good stuff here, and judging by the reception my reading got at Chicon, most of you seem to like the fake history too. But DAMN, there a lot of it.

The ‘sidebar’ he’s referring to will appear in The World of Ice and Fire, an encyclopaedic volume collecting much of the history, maps, characters and vast backstory that Martin has created for A Song of Ice and Fire, but which will likely never appear in the novels themselves. I’m sure there will be much sniffing at the fact that he’s not dedicating all of his time directly to The Winds of Winter, but, hey, any A Song of Ice and Fire content is welcome to this fan.

UPDATE: As pointed out below, that’s 103 pages of manuscript for The World of Ice and Fire, not The Winds of Winter, which is further along.

Actual progress on the novel seems slow at 103 pages. By comparison, when submitted, A Dance with Dragons was 1510 manuscript pages. So, not even 10% of the way through. In other words, it’s going to be a long wait, fans. My suggestion? Go read some Daniel Abraham, then follow it up with some N.K. Jemisin, Greg Keyes, David Anthony Durham, Kate Elliott and Tad Williams. After that, you’ll still have to wait a while, but, hell, at least you’ll have experienced some damn fine novels.

New A Song of Ice and Fire novella coming in May 2013

By September 12th, 20128 Responses

The Hedge Knight by George R.R. MartinFrom Westeros.org, via Locus, we have news about the release date for the next ‘Dunk & Egg’ novella from George R.R. Martin. The ‘Dunk & Egg’ novellas, which currently consist of ‘The Hedge Knight,’ ‘The Sworn Sword,’ and ‘The Mystery Knight,’ are a series of stories following the titular characters, Duncan the Tall and Egg, on their various adventures and mis-adventures through the land of Westeros. The stories are set about 90 years before the events in Martin’s popular A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and often feature cameos by characters and events hinted at in the mainline novels.

Of the novella, Westeros says:

[The] fourth Dunk and Egg novella, which will follow Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg to Winterfell where the “she-wolves” are said to rule as Lord Stark lays dying.

As Westeros mentions, it will be interesting to see if, indeed, this short story/novella does intersect with one of my favourite scenes from A Dance with Dragons. It won’t be the first time that the path of Duncan the Tall has intersected with everybody’s favourite little greenseer.

It’s ain’t The Winds of Winter, but you’ll never catch this guy complaining about new George R.R. Martin short fiction coming available, especially when it’s tied to A Song of Ice and Fire.