I have found Mr Martin's medieval world fairly tough going, with few characters strong enough to like. The Lannister Dwarf is the most interesting by far.
And if you think that Mr Filch, the ill-tempered squib caretaker at Hogwarts, was unlikeable, wait till you see him as Lord Walder Frey...
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One of Martin's religions, that of the Seven, is a nicely Modalist mix of the One and the Many: God's male faces --Father, Warrior and Smith-- and female faces --Mother, Maiden and Crone-- with the seventh face that of The Stranger, the face of Death.
3 comments:
Perhaps my interest in the series is merely because, like you say, there isn't much else on. My principle interest has been in the intrigue, how one character's acts affect somebody miles away, who knows what, who doesn't know what, who has the drop on who. In short, the political aspect, go figure.:)
Even though Mr. Martin was a conscientious objector in Vietnam, many of his friends served. He cites their stories about how anybody could die at any time as a inspiration.
-Sean
The Red Wedding really is one of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the whole series. And one of the most faithful adaptations of a scene in the third book so far. Arya's reaction was a terrible combination of horror and deja vu. They toned down Catelyn's death, believe it or not. In the books, she goes completely mad from the perceived destruction of her family and starts gouging her face as she cackles. Her last thought as her throat is slit is, "Don't cut my hair, Ned likes it long." Totally chilling and horrific.
HT to Mr. Martin for getting me to read a book longer than the Lord of the Rings in a week.
This is not the last wedding of the season. Funny you should mention Tyrion, he has a role to play in the next, and last, one. And a certain somebody everyone's been dying to see die since the beginning of the show is finally offed.
Suitably intrigued? I'll be taking your bets now. ;)
-Sean
Tyrion is the only character in the show I'd like to have a drink with. Good or bad, tyrant or victim, the rest of them just don't click for me. Arya has irritated me from day one and I wouldn't mind at all if someone dropped her off a cliff. A one-note character.
But as I say, Sunday nites are pretty empty for TV. Long gone are the days of XFiles, Sopranos, Deadwood and Carnevale...even the first season of True Blood. I look forward to Dexter, which continues to grab me even after 7 seasons.
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