When I realised that it was being made for HBO, most of that worry was dispelled. The books have incredibly gritty, realistic, and complex characters. They have heavy plotting that would be too much for a movie and yet too complicated for the usual format found on Network Television. It also has blood, sex, death, incest, and a plethora of taboo topics. HBO is basically the ONLY way these novels could ever work on some sort of screen and IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING!
Furthermore, the author of the novels is heavily involved in the project and it's apparently going to be an EXTREMELY faithful adaptation and yet still allow for the transition from page to screen. Many of the actors involved are well known and well respected (Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage to name just two) while allowing for a whole slew of new talent.
THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!
In the past six months or so, trailers, posters, and a decent number of special features and featurettes have been released in one of the most exciting Marketing Campaigns I have ever seen. The books, though formally accepted as epic fantasy, are set in a world comparable to Medieval England with the occasional Wraith or Dragon.
I'm writing this article to ask SpoilerTV readers one important question:
How should I go about reviewing the show?
This being SpoilerTV and plenty of readers being partial to spoilers, I have three options I would like to put forward.
1. Ignore the books. Review the show as it stands alone. SpoilerTV is expanding and isn't just about spoilers. It contains numerous spoiler free articles, recaps, and reviews.
2. Discuss the books along with the show. Get excited about what I know is coming. Make references to spoilers/events that take place in later chapters or even later books.
3. Compare the show to the books. Not in a negative "OMG THEY FORGOT THIS KEY SCENE FROM THE SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER I'M SO ANGRY" kind of way. I mean compare how a novel full of inner monologues and point of view characters can/does/fails to come across on screen. Discuss how people who haven't read the novels might misinterpret a scene. Discuss how people who have read the books might not be willing to let go of certain preconceived notions.
4. I may even wind up writing a couple of them a week (maybe do number 1 as a recap a few days later and number 3 every few weeks as some sort of meta-analysis).
Please comment away/vote in the poll to let me know.
You can follow me on Twitter or check out my blog.
Until Next Time! Hope you're all as psyched about GoT as I am XD!
- Cadence
Great article Cadence.
ReplyDeleteReally looking forward to this Show, I've not read the books but heard a lot about it.
Looking forward to your reviews.
Thanks :)! It might be an advantage to not have all of those preconceived notions. I'd love to know, upon your viewing of the pilot, if you find the number of characters confusing and/or daunting (which is probably HBO's major concern).
ReplyDeleteWell, it's important to understand the difference between the two art forms yet not forget the roots of the story.
ReplyDeleteThis story was born as a book and while certain liberties will have to be taken, you shouldn't forget the heart and soul of the story.For instance, the Lord Of The Rings books were thought to be impossible to film, as even Stanley Kubrick said himself. Yet Peter Jackson found a way to adapt the heart and soul of the story and thus retaining a large amount of the content.
George RR Martin, the writer of these fantastic books, has promised that whatever liberties have been taken, they are minimal and won't cause a big stir.
So what i'm getting at is basically that you must review the series as a standalone art form, but not forget the books. And please, do not mention any future events, because i'm still reading book 2 and personally, as a reader, i wouldn't want to spoil it for myself, not even slightly. Especially not this gem of a book series and neiter would any other relatively new reader
I've read the first two books and I'm starting on the 3rd. I was asked to make weekly essay contributions at another website, and I may be posting here as well, if possible. My decision, subject to change, is to write about the television series only. There are bound to be at least small differences between the books and the series, and some of them are not so small--like the 13-14 year old Daenerys Targaryen, who has become an 18-20 year old in the TV series, but with good reason, since she's going to be featured in some quite intense sex scenes. All of these small changes are going to mean at least some changes in the character dynamics and the plotline, so I've decided not to refer to the books.
ReplyDeletePM
Although I'm reading the books (Book 3 at the moment), I would like the reviews to focus just on the show. Perhaps, every couple of weeks you could write an article comparing the differences between the series and the books.
ReplyDeleteFair enough. Darq suggested essentially what you've said in an initial discussion we had before I wrote this article. I don't really want to reveal later events, but, again, this being SpoilerTV, I had to ask. I'm happy to acknowledge the inherent differences between book and television while appreciating the show for what it is. That's pretty much my goal in recapping/reviewing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while on the subject of LoTR, although an excellent adaptation, its the major "issues" stem from it being a series of movies. Game of Thrones has the ability to be even more faithful. Instead of having to cut out entire plot points, they can spend most of their worry on figuring out how an inner monologue translates to a facial expression. On the other hand, Tolkein has a HUGE amount of pure description in his novels, making a picture worth literally a thousand words. The George RR Martin books are, not only longer than LoTR, but there's simply more content to adapt. While Tolkein expands his world through extra long appendices, entirely constructed languages, and written histories, Martin puts pretty much everything into his books.
I'll be sure to let you know :)
ReplyDeleteThey have been releasing a lot of Character videos and promos which will help :)
Awesome. That's the feeling I'm getting from people/the results of the poll seem to be swinging in that direction. Thanks! Enjoy Book 3 ;). It's probably my favourite.
ReplyDeleteFair enough/good call. I look forward to your take on the show! Will you be doing stuff like your LOST character portraits post-season 1?
ReplyDeleteYou should discuss the show as it stands, alone.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't base your review of a television show on its literary counterpart. If you do that you're not reviewing the material as a television program, you're reviewing it as an extension of another medium and that's wrong.
All television programs succeed or fail based solely on the merits of its production alone and so to add literary comparisons would be, at most, a simple point of interest. But it's really just an empty exercise. Moreover, the only real apt comparison that can be made between these two very different mediums is the quality of dialogue.
I'll be reviewing it as a fan and I'll have two people who haven't read the books review it as well. One of them (guy) likes fantasy and the other one (girl) despises it. I think it might cover all of the viewpoints pretty good....
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books because I'm afraid this might ruining my viewing pleasure. Therefore I'd also prefer option one.
ReplyDeleteI think option 1 is the best option, but maybe a 3 or 4 episode review of difference between book and series? That way you can review episodes for people who do not want spoilers, but astill compare and contrast book v series for yourself and for those of us that want it.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why we are given a TV Series to enjoy it even more!
ReplyDeleteI agree completely!
And for what it's worth, i think you'll do an excellent job and i look forward to reading your reviews!
But i beg of you, being the humble reader that i am, please, do not spoil it too much!
I would never say something like "this show isn't as good as the book on which it's based due to x, y, and z". I want to try very hard not to base my opinions on how things come across in the novels.
ReplyDeleteMy whole idea about a comparison of styles is in regards to how the show will express character motivations or how a lack of inner monologues affects our interpretations of characters and events.
For example, the eldest Stark (Robb) isn't a Point Of View (POV) character in the novels, although he is key to the story. Jon (the bastard son), is both POV and key. The show will likely lend equal weight to their endeavours and, without the POV device, Robb might end up being as popular a character as Jon. Other characters, who exist in the novel only so that they can recount the events occurring in their part of the world, become less important. I find this kind of thing very interesting, although I get why you feel that it's an "empty exercise".
That being said, I'll discuss the show and the show alone in reviews, while doing extra analysis for fun every few weeks.
Thanks for the feedback!
actually, i believe that while she looks 18-20. she will still be about 14-15 (with the explanation that their growth is much more advanced than ours, what with Westeros being a fantasy world with a completely different non-polluted environment)
ReplyDeleteThis is the fan in me that just wants everything to stay the same, while the film lover and maker in me understands if it were indeed a change in age.
For instance, Robb and Jon look at least 16.
So the reason for them being cast at a much older age probably means that in books 3-4-5 some time will have passed and they will be much older than the 3 years that it will take to produce the following seasons. Please do not confirm this assumption, i do not wish to know a thing about books 3-4 (which i already own in hardcover......i can already hear their cries to be read, but alas, i cannot heed the call yet....)
Oooo, you should watch the show (hopefully) season-by-season and read each novel a few months after the show airs! It'll be fun!
ReplyDeleteThat aside, I had NO idea that you had never read the novels. You post all of the GoT info and seem really excited. I take this as a good sign in regards to non-readers being pumped :D!
i agree!! That's what i'm doing with the True Blood books....Though i do prefer the show over the books....perhaps because i am much more connected to the series than i am to the books and also because they came first.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the initial feedback in that discussion we had XD. It's what caused me to include option 4. Much appreciated! I look forward to hearing what you have to say about the show in the comments.
ReplyDeleteSomething you may like since are so in GoT-mode at the moment. I made the first draft version of the Season1 DVD for Game of Thrones. It will change a I find better pics and I will iron out the lil details not "finished off" in this version, but....
ReplyDeleteI went DaVinci "Last Supper" and have cryptic messages hidden (or obvious) within the cast collage. Enjoy looking for them.
Ahem *cough* the books came first... just not to you ;) Hahaha! No
ReplyDeleteI understand The show has a much wider scope and varied tenor. Where the books concentrate so much on Sookie and her harem of men (vampire, shifters and weres included) and the problems they cause her.
No worries. No mention of anything too far ahead in the books :). I guess the extra analysis really needs the few weeks in order to see if certain events that have yet to happen will occur in a later episode.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can't stand the books specifically due to the reasons you mentioned, but I do enjoy the show a fair amount.
ReplyDeleteI love when stuff shows up like that a la Last Supper with cryptic messages. Where might this draft be?
ReplyDeleteLooks like I did not add it the first time Oooops!
ReplyDeleteI tried the add image button but it seems i missed a step... so I added a pic link now in the previous post :)
ReplyDelete:P:P:P that's what i meant hahaha
ReplyDeleteOoo pretty! I'll let you know if I catch anything!
ReplyDelete"My whole idea about a comparison of styles is in regards to how the show will express character motivations or how a lack of inner monologues affects our interpretations of characters and events."
ReplyDeleteI think what you're looking at here, Cadence, are two different subjects. If I may suggest, what you might consider doing is doing a weekly critical review of solely what appears on-screen from week to week. Follow that up with a "book vs. show" post to explore the differences and similarities between the two, debating what works for you in the adaptation and what doesn't.
5-8 are very solid and another 3-5 are solid, and the last 3-5 are maybe reaches or obscure... but I noticed like 15 or more I think
ReplyDeleteAlright, good call :).
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of both referencing the books/differences between the tv series and books and discussing the television show as a standalone. That way both seasoned readers such as myself and watchers who are just familiar with the television show have some common points to discuss.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to the series as much as you are, it seems! I can't wait to read your take on each episode :)
I think you can do 1 and 3 but clearly mark where people can discuss the differences and similarities between the book and the show otherwise some people will get angry. You have to let them choose if they want to spoil themselves or not. You could also do a little spoiler article each week about what's gonna happen next in the books and let people speculate what will be changed in the show. I haven't read the books, I plan to do it but I don't know when I'll read them but I got no problem of knowing what will happen before I read a book. I love all kinds of spoilers, even book spoilers. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks :)! I'm glad to see so many people who have read/are reading the books on SpoilerTV. I'm also impressed by the decent sized group of people who haven't read them, but want to try the show. I look forward to your comments.
ReplyDeleteOnly 25 days!
Oh definitely, I always write something like *SPOILER ALERT* before discussing stuff. Even if I write anything spoilery a la No. 2, it will be 100% labeled as spoilery. Hmmm, a short spoiler article could be fun for spoiler fiends. Maybe I'll try one at the end of episode 1. We'll see!
ReplyDelete