Forgive me blog its been two months since my last confession... I mean blog post. In my defense 2012 has been a crazy year so far. I landed myself a short term teaching post in a year 4class and to say its been an eye opening experience is an understatement. In just 6 weeks I 've learnt more than in the past 18 months and I have a fantastic class to boot who'll jump through hoops for me. This, however, will end in just over a week which leads me onto the next reason for a crazy start to 2012...
In Feb the truely unthinkable happened, my wife was made redundant from Orange, something people were telling her couldn't possibly happen. Well it did and as a result we are upping sticks and moving out of Bristol. Just today we found a house in the lovely town of Crewkerne in south Somerset. We move in 10 days!
To ease a little of the pressure, well not really, Ruth starts a new job on March 12th. She also using her spare time to promote her business www.littlesprinkles.co.uk where she provides cakes, biscuits and sweets for ALL occasions. She's already booked in at some wedding fairs (you can thank me later honey for my prmotional efforts)
So as you can imagine writing has truely been put on the back of he back burner and the resolutions I made with such good intentions are seemingly a long way off. I refuse to give up though. The move has reinvigorated me across all areas. I'll be joining the local library and a local film club - my other passion.
On the reading front I am literally half way through The Hunger Games Trilogy and it is EXCELLENT, just can't put them down. I've actually read quite alot more so far this yeara nd have no intention of slowing down. 5 books down 25 to go!
Oh and I almost forgot the new series of A Game of Thrones starts in just over a month. I'm salivating with excitement!! Cold winds are rising!
Showing posts with label Game of Thrones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Game of Thrones. Show all posts
Monday, 27 February 2012
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Stu vs. 25 Books in 2011: An Update
Well as we near the end of 2011 and think about what's in store for us in 2012 (I'll deliberate that later) I thought I would revisit my reading challenge. Looking back this challenge was flawed and doomed to fail from the start. The reason: I didn't actually own all the books on the list. Yes, I intended to but them all eventually but never got around to getting all of them.
Now I'll admit I'm a slow reader but I honestly thought 25 books in a year was doable. I managed to finish... 6! Yes just six. I blame A Dance with Dragons tbh. That book alone took me over three months to get through. Since then I finished a fair few others. My latest conquest being the first book in the Warcraft: Ancients trilogy.
So the list to the left will be altered to 30, yes 30, books in 2012. I'm going to remove those I've finished and add a few more. To quote Yoda, 'Do or do not, there is no try.'
This will probably be my final post pre-christmas, so I will take this opportunity to wish my readers a Happy Christmas. Eat. Drink. Be Merry.
Now I'll admit I'm a slow reader but I honestly thought 25 books in a year was doable. I managed to finish... 6! Yes just six. I blame A Dance with Dragons tbh. That book alone took me over three months to get through. Since then I finished a fair few others. My latest conquest being the first book in the Warcraft: Ancients trilogy.
So the list to the left will be altered to 30, yes 30, books in 2012. I'm going to remove those I've finished and add a few more. To quote Yoda, 'Do or do not, there is no try.'
This will probably be my final post pre-christmas, so I will take this opportunity to wish my readers a Happy Christmas. Eat. Drink. Be Merry.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Stu vs Fantasy Worlds (AMap of Maps)
Was once again trawling the information superhighway this morning for 'research purposes' when I came across this excellent fantasy world mash up. Now I love my fantasy as I love being transported to worlds that are different from whence I came, but there are even some that I didn't recognise.
Looking at this map, that include some fantastically rich and timeless fictional worlds is all the inspiration I need to get back to NaNoWriMo today. I wonder if in 20-30 years my world of Etheracea might claim a small section of this map. I can but hope.
Looking at this map, that include some fantastically rich and timeless fictional worlds is all the inspiration I need to get back to NaNoWriMo today. I wonder if in 20-30 years my world of Etheracea might claim a small section of this map. I can but hope.
Can you name the books these worlds inhabit. Answers on a postcard.
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Stu vs Finally Finishing A Dance with Dragons
To quote George R.R Martin: The last one was a bitch, this one was three bitches and a bastard!
Now I intend to talk a little about the book and there will be a few possible spoilers so please discontinue reading if you intend to read said book.
At 957 pages, plus a 50 page appendix (yes George likes to keep us informed on how each character is related) I thought I would whizz through A Dance With Dragons purely on my love of the world and characters. I was wrong and I put this down to not reading A Storm of Swords beforehand. There were a lot of secondary characters I'd forgotten about and the parts of the book set in Mereen were confusing to the point of being laborious.
The book started with a bang and proved Jon has balls to go along with his new title and carried on in muchthe same vain. However George I am disappointed in the direction you've taken Bran. I've been invested in this characterfrom book 1 and his story seemingly came to an end with a whimper in this book. It also seemed there was conflict included just to prolong stories and in parts this was unnecessary. That being said however in the end Dance was a great book and finished on numerous cliff hangers and with the death of one of my favourite characters...
Poor Jon. (what I said there'd be spoilers!) He only tried to do the right thing and along with Dany he paid theprice of trying to help everyone else.
Now come on George and begin work on the Winds of Winter, there is an empty space on my bookshelf waiting to be filled.
P.S. for a more indepth 'review' please stay tuned as a micro review should appear shortly on my website.
Now I intend to talk a little about the book and there will be a few possible spoilers so please discontinue reading if you intend to read said book.
At 957 pages, plus a 50 page appendix (yes George likes to keep us informed on how each character is related) I thought I would whizz through A Dance With Dragons purely on my love of the world and characters. I was wrong and I put this down to not reading A Storm of Swords beforehand. There were a lot of secondary characters I'd forgotten about and the parts of the book set in Mereen were confusing to the point of being laborious.
The book started with a bang and proved Jon has balls to go along with his new title and carried on in muchthe same vain. However George I am disappointed in the direction you've taken Bran. I've been invested in this characterfrom book 1 and his story seemingly came to an end with a whimper in this book. It also seemed there was conflict included just to prolong stories and in parts this was unnecessary. That being said however in the end Dance was a great book and finished on numerous cliff hangers and with the death of one of my favourite characters...
Poor Jon. (what I said there'd be spoilers!) He only tried to do the right thing and along with Dany he paid theprice of trying to help everyone else.
Now come on George and begin work on the Winds of Winter, there is an empty space on my bookshelf waiting to be filled.
P.S. for a more indepth 'review' please stay tuned as a micro review should appear shortly on my website.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Stu vs. The New American TV Season
Now I enjoy my job and I love to write but I also love it when September roles round with another myriad of American TV shows both old and new. It'll be an interesting few months with many new shows vying for a place in my download queue. Already got a new episode of How I Met Your Mother to watch and many more coming this week. I looking forward to the new series of Big Bang Theory the most though. It is by far the best thing for a geek like me on TV at the moment.
As for new stuff, Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to TV in The Ringer was enticing last week and I'm also looking forward to Alcatraz and Terra Nova.
This of course is really to keep me tied over until April and the new series of Game of Thrones (though recent news items regarding the new series has left me a little worried that the creators are straying to far from the awesome source material. I hope to be proved wrong.
Oh and I almost forgot, the new series of Spooks has also started. All these wonderful shows to influence my writing further.
As for new stuff, Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to TV in The Ringer was enticing last week and I'm also looking forward to Alcatraz and Terra Nova.
This of course is really to keep me tied over until April and the new series of Game of Thrones (though recent news items regarding the new series has left me a little worried that the creators are straying to far from the awesome source material. I hope to be proved wrong.
Oh and I almost forgot, the new series of Spooks has also started. All these wonderful shows to influence my writing further.
Friday, 5 August 2011
Stu vs. A Dance With Dragons Update
It was a slow starter, more owing to the fact that I really needed to reread the last two books in G.R.R.Martin's epic rather than just the last one. But now however it has reached the levels of awesomeness I was expecting and at halfway through I finding it difficult to put down.
Just 490 pages and probably 5 odd years to wait until The Winds of Winter.
Just 490 pages and probably 5 odd years to wait until The Winds of Winter.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Stu vs Game of Thrones (the story so far...)
To say that I was excited when I heard HBO would be adapting George R.R. Martin's fantasy epic would have been a major understatement. I first heard about this almost 18 months ago and have since then been glued to http://winter-is-coming.net/ for news of castings, location shooting and any other information I can goble up on the project.
The A Song of Fire and Ice series, to give it its proper title (the TV series is named after the title of the first book), has been one of my favourite reads over the past 5 years. I picked out the first book on a whim and never looked back. As you can see on the right I am currently re-reading the 5th book in the series to pave way for the next which will be released in July. Here's a pic!
Before I even start I just want to say Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister is the most perfect casting for any part ever! So back to the episode; I'm glad they started with the books prologue even though what happened in it didn't really advance the story's plot. The visuals of the world beyond the wall, and of the wall itself were breathtaking. The opening sequence was actually re-shot for artistic purposes. If David Benioff and D.B Weiss (creators) pay this much attention to detail then we are really in for a treat in the later episodes (you'll find no spoilers here). So to the meat and veg of the episode; the characters. Winter really sets up the character's nicely and highlights Eddard's reluctance to leave his home, even for an old friend. Duty seems to rule over family for him. This is apparent with his affection for his bastard son Jon. The Lannisters are evil and manipulative, plain and simple and played wonderfully by the actors. We started to see the sibling squabbles and the differences between Sansa and Arya very early on, along with Arya's tom-boy attitudes, which really come to a head later on. Even with the wealth of chracters the story was easy to follow. My wife can vouch for that, as she hasn't read the books but still knew what was going on.
Across the sea we had a fleeing King and his sister in the shape of Viserys and Danaerys, the former is looking for an army to retake Westeros. Harry Lloyd plays this selfish character brillantly with just the right amount of venom. I mean come on, he pimps out his own sister for support.
The scene was really set for whats to come and even though I know the story well I was left thinking how the worlds of the North and South and across te narrow sea would pan out, the cliff hanger ending was the perfect place to stop. Roll on episode 2.
Episode 2 - The King's Road
I realise I forgot to mention the direwolves above and I could be bothered to slot them in here. They were more noticeable in this episode as we saw one die (some what unfairly - curse those Lannisters), one get sent away and one rip the throat out of an assassin. Excellent, I really like the way that thewolf just returned to his master's side and lay there after such a bloody attack. In this episode the characters begin to spread throughout Westeros. Tyrion and Jon go north to the wall, accompanied by some excellent dialogue on the Kings Road. Catlyn and Rob remain at Winterfell to care for a crippled Bran, with the rest heading south for King's Landing where Lady meets her demise at the hand of Eddard, a butchers boy gets run down, 'the boy ran... just not fast enough.' We discover that Joffrey really is a letch. Is it me or do you just want to slap him around like Tyrion did at the beginning of this episode.
We also get a hint of some forthcoming information about Jon's mother, which I actually had to revist the book to find out and his reasons for heading to the wall and the on screen chemistry between Sean and Mark really becomes apparent when they stop on the Kings Road. Across the narrow sea there is a rift opening between Dani and Viserys which is sure to end in violence. Iain Glen as the quiet former knight Jorah Mormont really has surprised me the most so far and I think he will really come into his own later on. The ending scenes also show up the non-existent love between Cersei and Robert but he knows he must appease her every once and a while.
Episode 3 - Lord Snow:
Ah the wall, I really like Jon as a character in both the books and now the series. Kit Harrington was an unknown before HBO snapped him up and he won't be unknown for long. His story really is the most interesting journey for me and so far its been done brillinatly (You'll find that so far I really have nothing to complain about so there will be a lot of 'brilliant') The casting and portrayal of both Allister Thorne (the wall's newbee trainer) and Commander of the Watch have so far been inspiring although the latter has had little screen time to flex his character muscles.
To the south, Bran is awake but cannot walk and Catlyn has sailed south to speak to Ned regarding her thoughts on Bran's 'accident'. The only slight issue I have with this episode is the introduction of many new characters with not a lot of explaining (with the exception of Little Finger (Baelish)). Some more casting gems here and hopefully the full extent of these characters will begin to be realised.
This episode also saw the first bit that wasn't in the books at all, when Robert and Jamie had a little tete-a-tete while Robert was eating. Something I haven't touched much upon is the settings and landscapes of George's world, which to now have really been captured in the greatest of detail. I mean how many extras can be seen in the backgrounds of scenes. Good job HBO!
Roll on episode 4. The story is moving fast but everything is on track so far. We are in for some shocks over the coming weeks, mark my words! Til next time
The A Song of Fire and Ice series, to give it its proper title (the TV series is named after the title of the first book), has been one of my favourite reads over the past 5 years. I picked out the first book on a whim and never looked back. As you can see on the right I am currently re-reading the 5th book in the series to pave way for the next which will be released in July. Here's a pic!
Anyway, I'm digressing! I was originally going to rate each episode as it was shown but as you can see I've fallen a bit behind, sorry folks. So here are my thoughts on the first three episodes of the epic Game of Thrones.
Cast:
Eddard Stark - Sean Bean
Catlyn Stark - Michelle Fairley
Robert Baratheon - Mark Addy
Cersei Baratheon - Lena Headley
Jamie Lanister - Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Tyrion Lannister - Peter Dinklage
Danaerys Targaryen - Emelia Clarke
Viserys Targaryen - Harry Lloyd
The Hound (Sandor Cleagane) - Rory McCann
Petyr Baelish - Aiden Gillen
Jorah Mormont - Iain Glen
Jon Snow - Kit Harrington
Rob Stark - Richard Madden
Bran Stark - Isaac Hmpstead-Wright
Arya Stark - Maisie Williams
Sansa Stark - Sophie Turner
Joffrey Baratheon - Jack Gleeson
Episode 1: Winter is Coming:
Before I even start I just want to say Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister is the most perfect casting for any part ever! So back to the episode; I'm glad they started with the books prologue even though what happened in it didn't really advance the story's plot. The visuals of the world beyond the wall, and of the wall itself were breathtaking. The opening sequence was actually re-shot for artistic purposes. If David Benioff and D.B Weiss (creators) pay this much attention to detail then we are really in for a treat in the later episodes (you'll find no spoilers here). So to the meat and veg of the episode; the characters. Winter really sets up the character's nicely and highlights Eddard's reluctance to leave his home, even for an old friend. Duty seems to rule over family for him. This is apparent with his affection for his bastard son Jon. The Lannisters are evil and manipulative, plain and simple and played wonderfully by the actors. We started to see the sibling squabbles and the differences between Sansa and Arya very early on, along with Arya's tom-boy attitudes, which really come to a head later on. Even with the wealth of chracters the story was easy to follow. My wife can vouch for that, as she hasn't read the books but still knew what was going on.
Across the sea we had a fleeing King and his sister in the shape of Viserys and Danaerys, the former is looking for an army to retake Westeros. Harry Lloyd plays this selfish character brillantly with just the right amount of venom. I mean come on, he pimps out his own sister for support.
The scene was really set for whats to come and even though I know the story well I was left thinking how the worlds of the North and South and across te narrow sea would pan out, the cliff hanger ending was the perfect place to stop. Roll on episode 2.
Episode 2 - The King's Road
I realise I forgot to mention the direwolves above and I could be bothered to slot them in here. They were more noticeable in this episode as we saw one die (some what unfairly - curse those Lannisters), one get sent away and one rip the throat out of an assassin. Excellent, I really like the way that thewolf just returned to his master's side and lay there after such a bloody attack. In this episode the characters begin to spread throughout Westeros. Tyrion and Jon go north to the wall, accompanied by some excellent dialogue on the Kings Road. Catlyn and Rob remain at Winterfell to care for a crippled Bran, with the rest heading south for King's Landing where Lady meets her demise at the hand of Eddard, a butchers boy gets run down, 'the boy ran... just not fast enough.' We discover that Joffrey really is a letch. Is it me or do you just want to slap him around like Tyrion did at the beginning of this episode.
We also get a hint of some forthcoming information about Jon's mother, which I actually had to revist the book to find out and his reasons for heading to the wall and the on screen chemistry between Sean and Mark really becomes apparent when they stop on the Kings Road. Across the narrow sea there is a rift opening between Dani and Viserys which is sure to end in violence. Iain Glen as the quiet former knight Jorah Mormont really has surprised me the most so far and I think he will really come into his own later on. The ending scenes also show up the non-existent love between Cersei and Robert but he knows he must appease her every once and a while.
Episode 3 - Lord Snow:
Ah the wall, I really like Jon as a character in both the books and now the series. Kit Harrington was an unknown before HBO snapped him up and he won't be unknown for long. His story really is the most interesting journey for me and so far its been done brillinatly (You'll find that so far I really have nothing to complain about so there will be a lot of 'brilliant') The casting and portrayal of both Allister Thorne (the wall's newbee trainer) and Commander of the Watch have so far been inspiring although the latter has had little screen time to flex his character muscles.
To the south, Bran is awake but cannot walk and Catlyn has sailed south to speak to Ned regarding her thoughts on Bran's 'accident'. The only slight issue I have with this episode is the introduction of many new characters with not a lot of explaining (with the exception of Little Finger (Baelish)). Some more casting gems here and hopefully the full extent of these characters will begin to be realised.
This episode also saw the first bit that wasn't in the books at all, when Robert and Jamie had a little tete-a-tete while Robert was eating. Something I haven't touched much upon is the settings and landscapes of George's world, which to now have really been captured in the greatest of detail. I mean how many extras can be seen in the backgrounds of scenes. Good job HBO!
Roll on episode 4. The story is moving fast but everything is on track so far. We are in for some shocks over the coming weeks, mark my words! Til next time
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