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 …