Waiting for the game to resume

And so HBO's Game of Thrones has come to an end, well the first season at least and I must say it's been the most compelling TV I've seen in many years. I'd not read George R R Martin's books upon which the series is based and so I was taken completely by surprise many times. The climax of episode nine left me speechless and episode ten, the final episode, ended with a great hook for the next season. And thankfully HBO have announced that there will be a second season.

I'm currently reading the TV tie-in edition of Game of Thrones, but plan to read this volume and hold off on the second until the second season has been transmitted. That way I will come to season two with no idea what to expect. Did the first season cover the whole of the first book? I'm not sure yet - I'm just over half of the way through the book, and from what I've read thus far the TV series was quite faithful.

The one thing that did disappoint is that the production skimped on some large battle scenes - we had the tension filled build up to a battle and then we went straight to the aftermath, but then I suppose including such huge battles would have escalated the budget on what was already a big budget series. Mind you the fact that the show could do this and still remain unmissable speaks volumes of how good it was. And it was good, very good - like Lord of the Rings with boobs. In fact the show may be a strong contender for the best TV series there's ever been. The show often carried three of four story threads simultaneously but never once does the viewer lose themselves. A great series should challenge viewers to pay attention, to connect dots and anticipate connections. Game of Thrones, manages a superior complexity without ever making you think that you’ve lost the connection to the story. It’s paced with precision and the carefully crafted so that each and every scene pays off on the one that went before.


Can't wait for the DVD box set - then I'll get to watch it all over again.