Entertainment Weekly has posted new photos (credited to Helen Sloan/HBO) from the eagerly awaited HBO series Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series. The book series is entitled Song of Ice and Fire, with Game of Thrones being the first in the series.
I’ve read all of the books currently written, and if the show does the series justice, then we are in for a treat. Characters become more or less sympathetic as you learn more about them, treachery is everwhere, and no one is safe from an untimely end. (In other words, don’t get too attached to any particular characters).
The main conflict of the series centers on the Iron Throne, from where the King reigns. Several lay claim to it and all that it represents, and a young girl in a distant land is slowly making her way towards it, unbeknownst to anyone.
I’m afraid of saying too much, since the stories are rich with details and some shocking surprises, but read the books if you have a chance. They will tide you over until the series premieres in 2011, and I have a feeling that it will be unlike anything we’ve seen before.
The photos on Entertainment Weekly reveal Cersei, Jamie, and Tyrion Lannister, a trio of siblings with secrets and rivalries. There’s Eddard Stark (played by Sean Bean), Hand of the King and a family man. His sons Bran and Jon Snow are also pictured, as well as his wife Catelyn. And then there is Daenerys Targaryen, a young girl with a difficult journey ahead of her and a destiny that will not be avoided.
Everything I see here thrills me to no end. I know a lot of people were disappointed with The Legend of the Seeker television series, based on Terry Goodkind’s series, but I really do believe HBO’s Game of Thrones will give fans exactly what they want in a fantasy series.