HBO's Game of Thrones

George R.R. Martin’s books are among my very favorite. And not just my favorite fantasy – they are, quite literally, some of the best books I’ve ever read. I remember years ago – probably six or seven years ago – thinking that really I hope they never turn these into films. The third book alone is as long as all of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy combined.

I remember thinking to myself: “I hope HBO turns them into a series instead.”

So it was with no shortage of enthusiasm when, in 2007, I first caught word that an HBO series was being planned by David Benioff and Dan Weiss, and that Martin himself would have a hand in the production. Martin, a long-time television writer, had written the perfect fantasy series for TV. From the beginning, the books read like they were written for television – and apparently, if you have a big enough budget, they were.

The first episode is everything a Game of Thrones fan could want: elaborate sets and costumes, stunning cinematography, and excellent acting, all wrapped up in as honest a representation of the books as possible. Sean Bean (Boromir from the Lord of the Rings films) plays Eddard Stark. Peter Dinklage plays Tyrion Lanister. The rest of the casting is just as pitch perfect.

Key to my enjoyment of the first episode is the fact that very little of my imagined version of the story was damaged. So often you see a film or a television adaptation of one of your favorite books and think “That’s not how I pictured it!” but I didn’t really feel that way watching HBO’s Game of Thrones. No, I had not pictured Eddard Stark looking just like Sean Bean, but then again Sean Bean isn’t so far off from my imagined Eddard either. Perhaps Dinklage is more handsome than I imagined the Imp to be, but Dinklage is also a marvelous actor, and plays a fantastic Tyrion Lanister.

The series is being filmed in Northern Ireland, Malta, Scotland, and elsewhere, and includes a cast of hundreds. The first season alone is estimated to cost upwards of $60 million. And while some initial reviews by the usual anti-fantasy set have been negative, I expect the show to not merely ride the wave of rising popularity for the fantasy genre, but to push that envelope even further.

Martin’s books are serious works, full of complex characters who are hard to categorize. The simple fable of good vs. evil is simply not present, and the heroes and villains of the stories are far more amorphous and complicated. I think audiences often hunger for a challenge, for a show that will not spoon-feed them, for a viewing experience that asks audiences to do some of the work for themselves. A Game of Thrones promises to be a challenge, full of mystery and just a hint of magic.

If you come in expecting a straightforward fight between good and evil, you’ll be sorely disappointed. If you come in expecting morally questionable characters, complicated plots, intrigue, and no shortage of sex and violence – well then judging by the screening of the series premiere, you have a lot to look forward to.