Fall of Fandoms

“You knew what I was buying, and you knew the price, and yet you let me pay it.”

It’s easy to romanticize the memory of a book you enjoy reading and it’s sometimes easier to dawn those rose-colored glasses when considering one you have yet to experience. Which is why the emotional hype and fall of potential entertainment is something people avoid so frequently. However, with the threat of death and torture being so complacent around the iron throne, fans are willing to climb the heights of mountains to catch a glimpse of the next head to decorate the towers spikes. Since its publication on August 1, 1996, George R. R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones Song of Fire and Ice”’s has spawned a hit HBO series, currently renewed for its eighth season, a line of role play, video, and board games, not to mention millions of dollars in merchandise. No one is questioning the popularity or lucrative nature of the series but some of us attempting to avoid the fall from yet another hype are asking, is it worth catching the band wagon this late into the series?

As someone who can find time to read rather than watch, I dove into the first book with fervor. I was excited to discover the connection of multiple story lines, made obvious by the prominent, if not repetitious foreshadowing, while maintaining a sense of independence that allows them each to be intriguing and exciting yet brutally haunting.

Martin elegantly details the environmental and supernatural settings of this fantasy planet in words that shade the mind’s eye in perfect hues of desperate life and disappointing death. Despite the patriarchal power system and barbaric era this story is spun in, there are an abundance of strong female characters as well as life lessons in honor, loyalty and courage mixed into the sex, blood and tears.

‘’Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?’ ‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.”

While the story of an evil queen and gluttonous king has been beaten to death over the ages, the intricate change in perspectives has breathed new life into the tale and provided a good deal of interest in the lives outside the royal family. You can truly say “A Game of Thrones” has something for everyone. From heart swelling brotherly love that can melt even a Stark, to twisted bloody betrayals that birth a Lannister. Featuring dynamic, insane, and just plain creepy characters you love to hate and hate to love.  Creating torturous, spellbinding and voodoo ceremony reminiscent scenes you really hope live up to the page on-screen.

The twists and turns along the novel were enjoyable and lead me to the television series. Ladies and gentlemen, I was incorrect. Even as a student well acquainted with the phrase “The book was better than the movie.” This series surprised me with the level of divergence it took liberty in. Be forewarned my fellow fangirls, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and Martin’s “Song of Fire and Ice” are far from in step. The televised series officially separates at the start of season five. However, the series is riddled with character inaccuracies, timeline errors and plot pits before this point. I am here to say yes, this band wagon is worth the climb up, but complete the book and the televised series separately if you wish to enjoy them both.