Ascending the Throne
There is a theory that, the better the book, the harder it is to adapt for film or TV. The HBO producers of Game of Thrones, which has just finished its first season, must therefore have approached their task with some trepidation; their source material,GRR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, is one of high watermarks of fantasy literature. With its sprawling narrative arcs, multiple viewpoints and uncompromising bleakness, Martin's epic is not natural television.
 |
| Sean Bean leads a highly accomplished cast |
Lovers of the books--among whom I count myself--need not have been worried. Game of Thrones was as close to flawless as any fantasy drama brought to the screen can be. The first season (which covered the first book in the series) was faithful to the source without being over-reverent; new scenes were added judiciously; and the series worked on its own merits while not alienating those familiar with the story. The casting was impeccable--not just the big ticket actors like Sean Bean and Charles Dance, but also the considerable array of child actors. Peter Dinklage, given the most promising material as the cynical dwarf Tyrion Lannister, delivered the most eye-catching of performances.
The series over, I have returned to reading the books with renewed pleasure (happy to be able cart such monstrously thick volumes around on my Kindle). I had forgotten until I watched the series how strong an influence on The Dog of the North the series had been, with its political intrigues and moral ambiguities. Now if anyone out there fancies making a big-budget ten-part adaption of The Dog, please do let me know...
Game of Thrones returns for a second season next year. I can't wait!
9 comments:
Actually, Sean Bean might play good Dog, for that matter..
I think in one of my conversations about your book I even said it felt more like a Richard Sharpe novel than a Terry Brooks novel.
Prescience?
I certainly wouldn't turn Sean Bean down for the role if he fancied it. Always the go-to guy for grizzled warrior types.
My first choice, though, would be Jason Isaacs who embodies the right mixture of hardness, damage and polish.
My editor always said The Dog read like a historical novel, and if that's true it's pitched firmly in Bernard Cornwell territory.
Jason Isaacs is an awesome choice.
While not stylistically like the Holy Grail books or Arthur, let alone the Sharpe series, I definitely think your book would sit comfortably on the shelf with Cornwell and some of Lawhead.
I think one of the reasons the book didn't sell very well was because a large part of its natural audience is made up of hist-fic readers who would never have found it.
Although--as the one good review I ever got noted--it's a book that would appeal to GRRM readers too. You'd think in the six years they had to wait for A Dance with Dragons, they might have been able to squeeze in The Dog of the North ; - )
haha Dedicate GRRM readers, however, can be pretty singularly focused.
I still hold out hope for a DotN revival printing with better luck in the marketing and positioning crap shoot.
"haha Dedicate GRRM readers, however, can be pretty singularly focused"
Certainly I don't get abusive emails from fans demanding that I finish my next book (nor, sadly, from editors).
Indeed I am very fortunate in the intelligence, discrimination and deportment of my readership...
I'm an ASoIaF fan and maybe that was why I enjoyed Dog of the North so much. I saw a number of influences at work in that book and they weren't all George R.R Martin.
There are fans, and then there are FANS.
Elfy, I think that writers aren't always aware of all their influences. I didn't realise until after the book was written how much Martin had influenced it. Jack Vance, on the other hand, was a different story...
Post a Comment