MSN Canada joins in the Game of Thrones buzz when film and television critic Kim Linekin lists the possible HBO series as a show to watch out for in 2010. While this is technically incorrect—it’s all but impossible for the show to air this year if HBO orders a season in March, unless they approach airing it very differently from their standard procedures in the past—it’s still great to see yet another critic getting behind the potential of the series.
As 2009 drew to a close and 2010 started, critics have been writing about what they’re looking forward to in the coming year. James Poniewozik, an early booster of the HBO’s Game of Thrones project, kicked it off by expressing his hopes that HBO will greenlight the season come March.
Ken Tucker over at Entertainment Weekly said much the same, joining what’s a growing number of television critics and commentators who have reason to believe the adaptation of George R.R. Martins’ bestselling fantasy series could make for terrific television. This is hot on the heels of the print edition of Entertainment Weekly making a mention of the project as we reported yesterday.
In its latest issue, Entertainment Weekly makes a mention of HBO’s proposed Game of Thrones series in a column by Lynette Rice. The article’s not up on the web, but the relevant excerpt has been provided by sharp-eyed reader AboutYeaHigh:
Over at Mission Unknown, contributor Paul Vaughn mentions the enjoyment he’s had in reading through GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire for the first time this years. Others contributing to the site’s listing of favorite SF/F/H of 2009 are award-winning artist John Picacio (currently working on the 2011 A Song of Ice and Fire calendar), author Sanford Allen, and more.
It’s the season for list making, and Brainz.org pitches in with a top 10 fantasy series of all time list where they rank George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire as the greatest series of them all. This has naturally sparked a good deal of discussion on the web, such as at social bookmark site Digg (of course, some of the discussion is focued on the failure of Terry Goodkind’s “masterpiece” in not making the list ...)
Great a fan as I am, I admit I can’t put it ahead of The Lord of the Rings, but a high position in any such ranking is pretty much a given.
Fantasy Flight Games, maker of the Game of Thrones card game, is now making available one of its unique, three-dimensional resin house cards. The Martell house card is a unique item—almost an art object, with its “Viper’s Bite” theme referencing both the arms of House Martell (sun pierced by a spear) and its most famous son, the Red Viper.
Jay Tomio of BSCreview gives a sneak peek at an upcoming contest, planned to be officially launched on January 3rd, for a limited edition Giclée print of Jeffrey Jones’ cover for Meisha Merlin’s Game of Thrones limited edition. We’ve previously reported the availability of this print.
Over on Twitter, Tomio stated that members of the A Song of Ice and Fire forum who enter the contest (and remind him of their membership) will get an extra entry counted in their name, which is a very generous gesture on his part (thanks, Jay!)
GRRM’s official site has been updated with a number of new book covers, and his “Not A Blog” has a reminder on his end-of-year sale on a number of his books that he has for sale. The original post concerning the sale is here.
The Television Zombies podcast has Winter is Coming proprietor, Phil (aka Halfhand on the A Song of Ice and Fire Forum) on for an episode focused on HBO’s Game of Thrones production. A fun listen, and Phil’s kind enough to give Westeros.org a shoutout—thanks, Halfhand!
Patrick of Pat’s Fantasy Hot List has again selected the A Song of Ice and Fire forum as the best SF/F forum on the web. It’s always an honor and a pleasure for the community to receive such recognition. Our Literature sub-forum has attracted a host of insightful fans, well-read reviewers, and interesting authors over the years which has led to a good deal of interesting discussion.
Over at the U.K.‘s Guardian newspaper, actor Harry Lloyd is on their 2010 Hot List, where it’s written that Lloyd describes HBO’s Game of Thrones with, “relish as a ‘dark, political intrigue set in a fantasy world… with incest’.” Newsweek has another list, “Most Important People in 2010”, which includes HBO president Sue Naegel. In the couse of describing reasons for why she is important and various projects on tap, the entry also notes “a potential order for the hotly anticipated fantasy series Game of Thrones”.
(Thanks to Winter is Coming and readers ninepenny and the rabbit for bringing these tidbits to light.)
Over at Publisher’s Weekly, award-winning science fiction author Connie Willis is interviewed regarding her latest work. In the course of it, she reminisces on the changes in the science fiction field since she started. It includes an anedcote concerning George R.R. Martin:
You’ve been writing science fiction for over 30 years. How has the genre changed during that time?
‘At my very first writer’s conference, George R.R. Martin said to me, “It’s a pity you’re getting into science fiction right now, because it’s on its last legs.” Not only was that not true, but now you can’t turn on a TV without seeing our influence everywhere, and some of the best science fiction I’ve ever read is being written right now. Science fiction is an amazing literature: plot elements that you would think would be completely worn out by now keep changing into surprising new forms. I have great faith in the future of books—no matter what form they may take—and of science fiction.’
Green Ronin’s A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Game is #4 on Suvudu’s Top 10 Tabletop Roleplaying Games list, the first in a series of “Top 10” lists they’ll be offering through the end of the year.
A pair of new posts at George R.R. Martin’s “Not a Blog” provide updates on various “odds and ends”. First, he notes that Suicide Kings, the final volume in the new “Wild Cards” trilogy, is now on sale. Then in a longer post he reports that the original Wild Cards novel will be re-released with three brand-new stories, and the next “Wild Cards” novel Fort Freak is well under way with all first drafts in and revision notes out.
Finally, GRRM shares the fact that the cross-genre anthology he and Gardner Dozois have edited is nearly ready for delivery, though the title has been changed from Star-Crossed Lovers to Songs of Love and Death. GRRM includes a partial list of contributors: Diana Gabaldon, Jim Butcher, M.L.N. Hanover, Peter S. Beagle, Marjorie Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Carrie Vaughn, Robin Hobb, and Neil Gaiman.
The good folks at Valyrian Steel provide an update on the shipping status of their latest reproduction, Needle, as well as shipping information for Longclaw. Needle will start shipping the week after Christmas, but if you order by the 23rd there’s still a chance to get in Longclaw in the U.S. by the holiday if you use the air-mail option or even by ground mail if you live close to the distribution centers in Michigan and California.