Game of Thrones has, in mere two seasons, captured twice as many viewers as HBO’s other fantasy series, True Blood, which has been running since 2008. Its following of over 10 million viewers dwarfs even the Sopranos, a wildly popular HBO series about the Mafia.[break]
Game of Thrones is based on George RR Martin’s epic bestselling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of doorstopper novels which have gathered a massive following since the first book’s publication in 1996. The book series, as of yet incomplete, is critically acclaimed as in-depth, arguably the great fantasy epic of the current generation.
The plot focuses on three overarching arcs, one centering on the threat from Beyond the Wall, a huge wall of ice that marks the end of the civilized world, guarded by a forgotten army of misfits who must face a supernatural threat that everyone else regards as superstition. The second arc entails the struggle for the Iron Throne and kingship of the Seven Kingdoms, fought with treachery, politics and swords, while another arc is based across the sea on the Continent of Essos, following an exiled heir to the throne.
Named for the first book in Martin’s series, Game of Thrones has continued the trend of popular fantasy adapted to the screen begun by Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and continued with the likes of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. But not many studios can pull it off well, most disappointing or even angering viewers when they seek to ‘improve’ plots that already exist by adding pointless scenes or killing off villains who don’t die in the book.
The HBO series does not fall into any of these potholes. In many cases the lines are similar, if not the same, winning it much approval from diehard fans of the books, and not lumping it together with the likes of Eragon, which strayed so far from the books as to kill off major antagonists in the first film, thus ruining any shot at making a second.
Indeed the only legitimate gripe is that the book portrays the Others, the supernatural ice beings and some of the primary antagonists as tall, icy and otherworldly while the show portrays them as frozen Neanderthals. However, this is just a minor case of aesthetics and is not detrimental to the plot, unlike the Ra’zac in Eragon, which the books portrayed as an insectoid, Ring Wraith-like creatures, but the movie seemed determined to show as Chinese rice-field workers complete with gigantic hats. Game of Thrones remains true to the books, which is highly commendable, much like the film adaptation of Lord of the Rings.
Game of Thrones is based heavily on the War of the Roses, the many-decades-long series of civil wars fought between the royal houses of York and Lancaster for the throne of England. Contrast this to Game of Throne’s war between the houses of Stark and Lannister for the Iron Throne. Many of the battles and plots seem familiar as well, from marriage pacts to close parallels with battles in the Middle Ages.
Nearly unique in fantasy settings, the world of the series does not contain elves or goblins or even much magic but simply is peopled with feudal kings, lords and barbarians. The only non-humans are the Others, beings of frost and cold and malice, and the supposedly long-dead Children of the Forest. A good analogy to this world would be the world of Lord of the Rings, post-story, when all that is left is ‘the kingdoms of men.’
The actors prove to be extremely well-cast for their parts, from Sean Bean (Boromir in Lord of the Rings), who plays the honor-above-reason Eddard Stark, to Peter Dinklage, portraying the clever and witty midget Tyrion Lannister, to the child actress Maisie Williams as the waifish and unruly Arya Starka.
The show has amassed such worldwide popularity that the title of “Game of Thrones” has ascended to become a literal phrase, meaning political machinations and struggles over power.
Viewers around the world are wondering how this next season will turn out. Even those who have read the books are curious as to how the exciting and convoluted story will be portrayed. The third season of Game of Thrones is coming to Nepal with HBO Asia in April, bringing the court intrigue of the south and frozen forests of the north to the Himalaya.
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