Perhaps the most popular adult fiction series of the 21st century is A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. Martin himself was a fairly prolific author of fantasy and science fiction in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, but it was this series that would really cement him as one of the greatest.
The book had surprisingly humble origins. Published in 1996, A Game of Thrones was not a best seller. Despite impressed reviews and good word of mouth, the series was slow to gain traction among readers. Martin was already the recipient of several Hugo Awards, and most recently was known for writing for the live action Beauty and the Beast television series for CBS, ironically at the same time Disney was working on its own animated Beauty and the Beast film. For the next several years, Martin wrote his new book.
A Game of Thrones tells the story of political machinations and war in the fictional Westeros, a continent where Seven Kingdoms vied for eminence, in roughly equivalent technology to the Late Feudal period of Europe. The Seven Kingdoms had been unified by House Targaryen, exiled lords from the ancient Valyrian Freehold, who had mastered the taming and riding of dragons. Over centuries, House Targaryen's dragons died and their power dwindled until they were overthrown by protagonists Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon. Eddard, also known as Ned, rules in Winterfell in The North, the most northern of the Seven Kingdoms, while Robert rules as King ('High King') in the south. Political machinations result in the mysterious death of Robert's former advisor, and Robert's request that Eddard take over.
The book essentially follows three central stories, spread across several characters. The first story of course is Eddard and House Stark, their journey south to King's Landing, and how they cope with the politics at hand. The second story concerns Eddard's illegitimate son, Jon Snow, who leaves the family to join the Night's Watch, a brotherhood of soldiers who guards the kingdom's northern border. The third story concerns the children of the former king, Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen, who struggle to live in exile one step ahead of King Robert's assassins, but determined to reclaim their family legacy.
Martin followed his book with several sequels. We will cover them in due time, but they are A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005), and A Dance With Dragons (2011). Starting in 1998, he also began writing a series of comics based on his books, The Tales of Dunk and Egg.
The books continued to increase in popularity, until 2005, when they reached David Benioff. The future writer/producer was so impressed with the books, after talking with Martin's agent, he made plans to produce a television series based on his work. Teaming up with D. B. Weiss, they began development in 2007 and HBO secured the rights. Martin viewed this as the best case scenario, since producing films based on his books was highly impractical. In his opinion, each of the novels was equivalent with the entirety of The Lord of the Rings in size, and that had taken Peter Jackson three films and nearly a decade to produce. Furthermore, the subject matter of A Game of Thrones unapologetically included adult themes, including war, and several other topics. In writing his series, Martin set out to effectively write a historical alternative fiction, hewing his books much more closer to real life histories and politics. In short, Martin refused any of the cuts that would have been necessary to turn his works into PG-13 fodder for mass media film. HBO, known for its adult audience and unabashed themes, was the perfect partner.
Needless to say, the series was an immediate hit. Even in 2011, Game of Thrones pushed numbers comparable to other HBO series, making it one of the premier products available to paying viewers. Those numbers would only increase as the years go by and the show reached more seasons. Eventually, Game of Thrones became not only the most watched show in HBO history, but also the most pirated, a testament to just how insanely popular it became.
Overall, Season 1 stands as the most faithful adaptation of any of the books. It is worth pointing out A Game of Thrones is the shortest book, so the series did a better job at covering ground, similar to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone back in 2001. The most interesting tidbit lies in the casting of Episode 1 itself. When HBO ordered the original pilot in 2008, several of the primary cast members were played by other actors! In fact, the original pilot that was filmed in 2009 was so poorly received, HBO demanded extensive reshoots and scrapped $10 million worth of footage, including the entirety of the Targaryen sub-plot and recast Daenerys; Emilia Clarke replaced Tamzin Merchant. Other recasts include Michelle Fairley replacing Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark. Footage of the original pilot is out there, for those fans interested in watching.
While both books and television series were hugely popular, and the franchise remains at the forefront of popular culture, Martin's work features decidedly adult content and material. Viewer and reader discretion is advised.
Stay tuned next time when we continue coverage with A Clash of Kings.
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