My forays into genre fiction have been limited. In the Sci Fi and Fantasy category, the only books I have read with any real interest were The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (the whole trilogy). I have picked up a few of Tolkien's other books (The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales), but just have never been motivated to start reading them.I have watched a fair amount which falls into the SciFi/Fantasy category though, some of which has been pretty terrible but I watch it anyway: Star Wars (though never Star Trek), Sense8, Dollhouse, Serenity, Battlestar Galactica, and a whole host of other stuff.
When I began a discussion with a friend about the Game of Thrones series, which was after the HBO version started, but not long after, his advice was unequivocal: "if you don't read a lot of fantasy, watch but don't read." I understood why he said what he did. The books are huge and the world created within them is sprawling. Characters come and go and come back and go again. People and place names are strange and difficult to remember, if you're not used to that sort of thing. And, perhaps most significantly, the show is pretty good and darn entertaining.
I heeded his advice for years, but have now decided - for reasons unknown - that I am up to the task. I have started A Song of Ice and Fire. Wish me luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment