And There Was Much Rejoicing

Ah, hell yes! HBO has given the green light on a season order for a series based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy epic “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Think of a combination of “Rome” and “The Wire” in a medieval setting and you’re on the right track toward the show’s potential.

For further explanation of why the books have earned Martin the title “the American Tolkien,” check out a previous blog posting of mine.

First still officially released by HBO. "Winter is Coming," indeed.

As a fan of sprawling epic fantasy series whose writers take years between novels and a victim of a video game PR machine that starts hyping games years before release, I am accustomed to getting excited about something and then settling for a long wait.

Today, then, typified what such a life could be like. I have been diligently checking up on this blog daily since Fall, patiently waiting for word to come down from the HBO execs. There’s always just a trickle of news tidbits to keep you coming back.

So, I check it as per usual this morning and there it is, the first season is a go. It’s exciting and gratifying to see something you’ve waited for come true, but really all I have done is hit the reset button on the process. Afterall, I am going to have to wait until Spring 2011 for the first episode to air.

As for the series itself, all indications are that it’s in good hands. Martin used to be a TV writer and the way chapters frequently end on a cliffhanger makes for an easy transition to the small screen.

While none of the individual credits are particularly stunning (one of the producers is the guy behind “Troy”), there seems to be an enthusiasm for the show among the actors and crew involved. More importantly, there is a respect for the books and an understanding of what they do that sets them apart from all the elves-swords-dragons-magic Tolkein rip-offs out there.

Part of the success the recent “Lord of the Rings” adaptation is that the films didn’t treat the books like a simple cash-in but acknowledged that they had a large following for a reason. Peter Jackson paid attention to the details, and for that he got it right.

Here’s hoping HBO does the same.