Game of Thrones Season 2 Review

I know, I know...I'm a little behind the times if I am just now commenting on Season 2 of HBO, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss'  Game of Thrones. The issue is a) I don't have HBO, b) I'm a slow watcher and c) HBO hasn't figured out that I would subscribe to them if they let me just subscribe through the HBOGO app. At any rate I have now seen Season 2 and have a few thoughts to share about the show my wife affectionately calls "Boobs and Dragons", which is probably due to her mainly only watching a few snippets of Season 1 that centered on those two things. At this point I am going to assume you know a bit about the books and not try to recap much of the earlier plot or remind everyone about the characters.

Season 2 follows the events of A Clash of Kings, book 2 of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Here we see the fallout effects of Season 1 come to a head as 5 or 6 monarchs (actual, proclaimed or wishfully thinking they are) go about their regal business of trying to kill each other. Also included are a few good scenes beyond the wall. Though my favorite scenes involved Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), she does a good job with the role and has some choice scenes in Season 2.

To sum up the story, we see battles, more dragons, deaths, intrigue and betrayal. Everything that you should expect from this series. Watching Season 2 made me realize again how bad things are for most every character we meet. It also made me think on how few epic fantasy (medieval-themed) good TV and movies there are these days and how unique it makes this show. Yes, it isn't the same as the books. Yes, there are some slow places and missed beats but they are few. Probably the best thing I can say is as I finished the 10th episode I really wanted to go back and read the books to get more into the story.

I highly recommend seeing Game of Thrones Season 2 (or even 1 if you haven't already). I watched the show on DVD from Netflix. If you choose to buy the show, Amazon and iTunes both have the Season in standard definition for around $29, which will save you about $5 over the 5-disc DVD pack. Either way, go watch it and if you have HBO you can see Season 3 starting March 31 in the US. Four Mick Happies for Game of Thrones Season 2. Valar Morghulis.

George R.R. Martin signing books at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, CA (July 2011)

In case you haven't checked it out. My first post on the blog was about Season 1 of Game of Thrones, here is a link.

A Memory of Light Review (spoiler free)

Well it's all over now. More than 20 years and thousands of pages later I now have the full story of the Wheel of Time. The epic fantasy series by Robert Jordan and finished by Brandon Sanderson is the longest continuous narrative I will probably ever read. I have read other series like Robert Adams' The Horseclans novels and the Dresden Files, etc. that already stretch over more books (or eventually will), but those series don't feel like a single story told in 14+ parts.

Often the journey is more satisfying than the destination (or in this case the end). A Memory of Light is a satisfying end to a long complex tale. It isn't the same end that Robert Jordan would have given us in that the pieces are put together in a different way, but the pieces would most-likely have been the same.

A Memory of Light (AMoL), as promised ends the story begun in The Eye of the World but does leave some minor questions for us to ponder regarding the future of this world. One that we will only see in our imaginations after this point. Brandon Sanderson and the team behind this book have done a great job of tying together this long narrative and seem to take special efforts to link in even some of the smallest hints and events in prior books and make them relevant and important to the end of the story.

AMoL is a long book with a staggering number of points of view with many chapters featuring two or more POV. The book has many of the epic moments that has defined The Wheel of Time and many are given quite a bit of space while others come in a single sentence or paragraph leaving you re-reading to make sure you caught what just happened.

Not everything is perfect with the book or the story. Some points are drawn out and tiring to read through while others are rushed and don't feel like they are given enough time or focus. That aside, we get closure - perhaps not in the way we thought it would be or as we hoped but fitting nonetheless.

I recommend AMoL to anyone interested in epic fantasy and contend that the journey is worth investing in the several million words that is the Wheel of Time. It will take a while for it to settle in that the story is now done, but I am happy to have read it. A Memory of Light gets 4 and a half Mick Happies. I hope you take a ride on the winds of time someday (if you haven't already).

My Wheel of Time Collection

P.S. I did get the answer to my RAFO question about Mat and the Deathwatch Guards. (see Towers of Midnight review below for more on that).