A Game of Thrones

Since I've blogged about True Blood and Six Feet Under I think it would be odd to not blog about A Game of Thrones (GoT). GoT is the reason David subscribed to HBO. This is another TV series based on a series of books. There is a lot going on, and I'm going to do my best to not give away the juicy bits, just some back ground and direction. Here goes nothing!

GoT is the first book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. It is easier for me to refer to the series and books under the title GoT because I’m lazy and my brain just won't comprehend all the different titles and the fact that the series has a name of its own as well.

Events take place mostly in Westeros which is broken down into what is referred to as the "Seven Kingdoms," but there are other locations over the sea. Westeros is ruled by one King, and there are rulers spread out that help keep the King's peace in the land. We are introduced to four families, or houses as they are called, to start but there are others that surface and become important, but usually in some sort of tie in with one of the four main which are: Baratheon, Stark, Lannister and Targaryen. (I'll talk more about them as I set up the story)

Both the book and the TV series starts outside the Wall, in the wild North.  It is cold and snowy, and run by wildlings (essentially people who live north of the wall and do not live by the rule of the King).  Pretty much right from the start you get a sense that something is not right, something not good is going to happen.  Men have been sent out from the Wall, as the often to do check the area for wildlings and possible invasions.  What the find is something not everyone is willing to believe exists.  That is all I'm saying about that, this will develop further as the story progresses.  The Wall is a huge 700 foot high, 300 mile long wall of ice and magic that protects everything south of the Wall from what lurks north of the Wall.  The Wall is maintained by the Night's Watch.  These men, also called "Crows," are all sorts of men ranging from highborn seconds sons, bastard, rapers, murders and any other sort of man that is willing to take an unbreakable oath that parts them from families, having families or leaving the Night's Watch.

South of the Wall is Winterfell (thanks to World of Warcraft I call it Winterfall pretty much all the time) and the domain of House Stark. Winterfell is a cold place, proximity to the Wall probably doesn't help. Lord Eddard Stark (also referred to as Ned and played brilliantly by Sean Bean) is one in a long line of Starks that have lived and kept the peace from Winterfell. Stark lives with his wife, Catelyn, and their children Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon. Stark also has a bastard (that term is just offensive, but it is used often) named Jon Snow. We know Snow is his son, and right from the start we know Catelyn dislikes him and that Snow was concieved and born while Stark and Catelyn were apart due to war in their first year in marriage. She was also pregnant with their first son Robb at this point, and she does not hide her resentment of Snow. Also of note living with the Starks is Theon Greyjoy as Ned's ward. Apparently there was some silly little rebellion where House Greyjoy wanted more power and tried to pick a fight with the King and the result was Stark took Theon as insurance that the Greyjoy's would chill out on their weird rock home and not cause any more trouble. I'm just paraphrasing. Winterfell is the only place Ned wants to be, and you get the sense that he is happy there watching his children learn and grow and keeping the peace.

Life in Winterfell is disrupted when news that the King and his family are headed there for a visit. King Robert Baratheon is a long time friend of Stark. Baratheon was to marry Stark's sister (which didn't happen because she died) and Stark was one of the men who helped Baratheon claim the throne (I'll mention this more later, I think). The parental units are apprehensive about what the visit means while the little Starks are excited to meet the royal family. Baratheon arrives with his family in tow, his wife Cersei (from House Lannister) and their children Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. Cersei seems to never venture far without some Lannisters in tow, usually her twin brother Jaime and their younger brother Tyrion (known as the Imp due to being born a deformed dwarf). The Lannisters are known for being golden haired and beautiful (except Tyrion). I'm not going to hide the fact that I detest Lannisters, so I'm not going to say much about them except Charles Dance does an amazing job as Tywin Lannister, the head of the House. Tywin is cold and ruthless, and he gets away with it because the Lannisters are a very rich family. Yup. Hate them. You will join me in wishing them all back to their home at Casterly Rock where maybe by some chance it will get swallowed up by a hungry volcano or a hungry Kracken (a rare, um, land Kracken...).

It doesn't take long to learn that Baratheon is in Winterfell because his previous Hand (pretty much the guy who rules in the King's place, or when the King just doesn't feel like working) has died. This is sad news for the Starks as the previous Hand, Jon Arryn, was married to Catelyn's sister Lysa Tully. Baratheon wants Stark to be his new Hand. Ultimately Stark feels obligated to go due to his relationship with Baratheon and his need to do the right thing. As arrangements are being made to make the journey back with the King, Bran (second youngest) witnesses a terrifying event while climbing and suffers a horrible accident. Part of the family remains at Winterfell to care for Bran and in part because there must always be a Stark in Winterfell. Ned makes the journey with Sansa and Arya as men to serve him in his new role as Hand to the King.

I guess this is a good time to talk about House Targaryen. The Targaryens ruled when there were dragons still in Westeros. When GoT takes place there are no more dragons, and it is several years after the last Targaryen King has been killed. Jaime Lannister, then working for the Targaryen King, is the one that killed the King giving him the nickname Kingslayer. Baratheon is the one who ended up on the throne and is called the Usurper King by some. All but two Targaryens are killed. In GoT we meet Viserys and his younger sister Daenerys. I'm not going to say much except madness runs in the family and Viserys is kind of a creepy douche. (I know, that's not being nice but it is what it is)

It feels like the story really gets going after Bran in injured. More characters, locations and houses come into play. As the title of the book suggests it is a game of thrones, and ultimately who belongs/gets to sit on the throne. There are some loose ends that were not taken care of when Baratheon took the throne, there are some issues about who is heir to the throne, and you see levels of manipulation and deviousness that just seem to keep going. Just as one twist unfolds another develops. A character you started out hating, you may feel differently about. It really is a roller coaster.

So far (we are only two episodes into season 2) they are staying pretty true to the book(s). I like that. I think HBO has done an excellent job bringing all the places to life. The first time seeing the Wall was breathtaking, and Winterfell was just as I imagined it if not better. I think they are staying true to the core of the story and the key events. Some characters and scenes have been added but I think they are doing that to help move parts of the story along a little quicker. The books, while I really did enjoy them so far, tend to get a little boring while people are being moved from place to place and as other events are taking place. Martin spends a lot of time (and words) in trying to get his timelines and events to match up. I think the TV series is going to be able to do away with a lot of that which will make it much more enjoyable. Having said that, I think it is still worthwhile to slog through all the boring parts of the book, as there is usually some bit of important information given.

I believe there are two books yet to be written to complete the GoT series. My fear now, other than Martin passing away before his is done, is the series catching up with the books and there being a long delay in both something to read and something to watch. For now, I'm enjoying the HBO show and looking forward to the next book. I'm sure I'll have more thoughts as the season progresses (like more Joffrey slapping please) and trust me, I'll share. Thanks for reading my wall of text!

Links that I find helpful in keeping track of all the things going on:
Major Houses
Game of Thrones Wiki
Song of Ice and Fire