Month: January 2016

The characters of Game of Thrones are what make it..

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What makes Game of Thrones such a fascinating and exciting series, in both the books and the TV series, is the vast array of brilliantly conceived characters, with unique backgrounds and complex personalities.  A great lesson, to anyone wishing to write a novel, is to look at the great breadth of characters, and how the story comes alive due to their differing nature and personal values. I couldn’t possibly describe them all, but here are a few. nerdist.com Daenerys. One of the most intriguing characters in Game of Thrones is the exiled queen across the sea, who we follow as she builds support in foreign lands in the hope of one day reclaiming her rightful crown of the Seven Kingdoms.  The reason she is so intriguing is seeing the progression of her character.  She moves from naïve young girl, being advised by Sir Jorah, through a young marriage to a Dothraki Khal, and into a regal and valiant queen capable of both great empathy with her subjects and terrible wrath with those who cross her.  …

An interview with Thomas Brooke, author of Roman Mask

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I’ve appeared in a interview on the website womanontheedgeofreality.com The Hysterectomy Association Thomas Brooke lives in London where he works in the exciting, and sometimes crazy, fashion world.  He is also a committed writer and he spends as much time as he can in his beloved Northumbrian hills. Roman Mask is Thomas Brooke’s second novel and is set it classical Rome. View original post 1,395 more words

The amazing Game of Thrones TV series: This changes everything.

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Whilst travelling in Australia back in 1999, I started reading the first novel in the series of a Song of Ice and Fire.  This novel was of course Game of Thrones, and I knew straight away that this book was something that went beyond any normal fantasy epic – this was excitement bound up with characters of rare depth and intrigue, and a story of such magnificence that it could rise to the top of the fantasy genre.  Little did I expect back then however, that Game of Thrones would change the rules in how we now define commercial success. gamesofthrones.wikia.com However, when I first heard that HBO were going to make a TV adaptation of one of my favourite fantasy series, my overwhelming thought was not one of enthusiasm or anticipation, instead it was trepidation – please don’t let them mess it up!  Why the lack of faith?  Apart from the obvious fear that they might try and dumb it down or water down the more shocking bits (Ha! If anything, they made it more …

Game of Thrones: What makes the novels so good?

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  picture from sidereel.com Gravitas – One of the problems that fantasy novels often face is that books from this genre are not taken as seriously as novels from other genres.  This is completely unfair and does a disservice to a great and vibrant genre that has so many fantastic and imaginative authors.  However, as unfair as this may be, this reputation still persists.  Game of Thrones doesn’t suffer from this prejudice as much as some novels however.  So how has George R R Martin managed to gain gravitas from a cynical world?  The answer in part is due to the complex family histories and rivalries that course through the books, so reminiscent of the power struggles of Medieval Europe, such as the War of the Roses in Medieval England.  The Wall is clearly identifiable as an extreme version of Hadrian’s Wall, and the tourneys and heraldry of the knights are believable because they are so recognisable from the history of our world.  The complexity and research put into these books are so rich and thorough …

Coming up on the site soon! Game of Thrones!

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Coming up on the site soon! Recently, I have been writing quite a few posts on historical fiction, so I think it is about time I turned my attention back to fantasy.  A while back I discussed the importance of The Lord of the Rings to the fantasy genre, and the impact that both the books and the films made.  This week I will be addressing the other hugely successful fantasy series that now is rivaling Middle Earth in popularity.  I am of course talking about George R R Martin’s magnificent Game of Thrones.  The first post coming out later this week, will concern the novels in the series.  I will discuss what made the Game of Thrones books so popular and how George R R Martin managed to create such an exciting and vibrant world.  The following week I plan to write a post on the impact of the Television series, how this may affect the legacy of the novels, and how the fantasy genre could now be viewed differently thanks to the overwhelming …

The Coming- Part 2 by Alan R Lancaster

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A couple of months ago, Alan R Lancaster kindly submitted a post for this site, that described the coming of the Vikings into the British isles. In this post he continues his history, and sets the scene for the later invasion of William the conqueror in 1066.  So over to Alan…. Thomas M D Brooke THE COMING – 2: EADWARD & GODWIN On Eadward’s accession he called Earl Godwin to task about the killing of his younger brother Aelfred a few years earlier when Harold Knutsson held the throne as regent for Harthaknut in 1036. Godwin had intercepted Aelfred on his way via Guildford to see his mother Emma, then in Wintunceaster (Winchester). Aelfred was taken from Godwin by Harold’s men, blinded and then murdered. To atone for his part in Aelfred’s fate Godwin had a ship built, decorated and manned at his expense to give to Eadward.            The king accepted the gift, grudgingly. Next Godwin had his daughter Eadgytha married off to Eadward, who assented to this dynastic connection, although also grudgingly. So Eadward found …