Book Review: The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One

 

Rise of the Dragon is an illustrated and condensed version of the novel Fire & Blood, detailing the history of the Targaryen rule of the 7 kingdoms in the Game of Thrones universe created by George R.R. Martin. It is the primary source material for the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. In fact, if you have watched the first season of House of the Dragon, that story appears about halfway through this book. This book will, in broad strokes, spoil what is likely to be the ending of that series (depending on at what point in the story the showrunners decide to end the series), as it outlines what will come next. Given that the book did not include all of the details that we saw in the first season of the show, it is not likely to spoil everything that will be seen in the show, but you will get an idea of where the story will go. This is probably the first of what will be at least two books, as this one ends before the events of Danyeres' father's rule and his downfall.

The hardcover version of the book is 342 pages, a lot of which are illustrations. As was the case with the book Fire & Blood, it can be hard to keep all of the characters straight, especially since many of the Targareyn characters have similar-sounding names, and names get reused over and over. Having illustrations that show some of the scenes that are being described in the text does help a little bit, but it definitely makes this a slower reading book than it would normally be. 

The book is very good, and the illustrations are great. Of course, many of us would prefer that Martin focus his time and energy on actually finishing the final two books of the Game of Thrones story, but the reality is that he is going to jump around from project to project and he seems content to finish GoT in his own good time. One good thing about this story being mostly finished is that the House of Dragon TV series will have a clear guidepost for where it is going whereas the later seasons of GoT did not, which will hopefully allow that series to end in a more satisfying manner.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Game of Thrones: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major season five spiolers+++

The fifth season of GoT was adapted from parts of three different novels in the Song of Ice and Fire series, namely, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons, and a Storm of Swords. Of course, the show started catching up with the books (as George R.R. Martin is a notoriously slow writer) and the producers and writers of the show were doing their best to get as much material from the books before they would have to essentially make the rest of the story up with just a rough outline from Martin. This season sees a shift in many of the story arcs of the various characters. After the deaths of Joffrey and Tywin (finally) Varys and Tyrion flee Westeros to Meereen to meet Daenerys, whom Varys believes may be worthy of the Iron Throne. Jon is torn between an offer from Stannis and his duty to the Night's Watch, with the ever-increasing threat of the White Walkers looming, and Sansa goes from one bad situation to another. Cersei is basically ruling as a transition from Joffrey to Tommen, who is now set to marry Margaery Tyrell, which does not exactly thrill Cersei. Jaime and Bronn travel to Dorne to bring Myrcella back to King's Landing and have to deal with a revenge-seeking Ellaria. Arya sails to Braavos to attempt to cash in on her mystical coin to learn from Jaqen H'ghar. The season ends on numerous cliffhangers that leave the fate of nearly every single main character in some kind of doubt and/or jeopardy.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the A/V quality is again top-notch. As far as extras go, as has been the case with the prior seasons, each episode has an in-episode guide that can be played, a recap at the beginning of the episodes, and a preview at the end. There are twelve different commentary tracks. Every episode except episode seven gets at least one commentary track with various members of the cast along with the director and/or writer of the episode. Episodes eight and nine each have multiple commentary tracks (three, and two respectively). Then there are a series of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that range in length from just under eight minutes to just under thirty minutes. There are also some animated shorts that feature voice work by the actors in character, then there is an animated Dance With Dragons animated feature that outlines the Targaryen civil war, and finally about eight minutes of deleted scenes. So, there are again a ton of extras if you like going through them, but like in the prior season releases, to go through everything you will have to watch each episode multiple times, so it may be helpful to pick and choose what you watch.

Overall, the season is very good. The storyline advances well, and like in prior seasons no character is safe from the possibility of being killed off, which makes for a lot of edge-of-your-seat suspense. It is very violent and has a lot of sex and nudity in it, so it is most definitely not a family-friendly show (or something that someone that is easily offended would go for). That said, it is very well acted and mostly well-written. Of course, because it is an adaptation of extremely long books, there are some storylines in the books (and many characters) that never appear in the series. This season, I would say the standouts among the cast are Iwan Rheon who plays Ramsay Bolton, Sophie Turner whose character arc is greatly expanded this season, and Maisie Williams. That said, the entire cast nails all of their characters and do an extremely good job. So, if you have been a fan of the first four seasons, you will very likely enjoy the fifth season. If you have not yet seen the series, you definitely have to start at episode one and watch all the way through, otherwise, almost nothing will make sense if you jump into the series over halfway through.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season

 

Season Four of GoT combines storylines from three different books in George R.R. Martin's series of novels, specifically the second half of A Storm of Swords, along with elements of A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. As has been the case in prior seasons, this season has a series of parallel story arcs that sometimes intertwine with each other. Daenerys Targaryen captures Meereen and decides to rule as queen of Slaver's Bay until she can permanently defeat the slavers while trying to consolidate enough power to return to King's Landing and retake the throne. At The Wall, the Night's Watch prepares for an invasion by the Wildlings, and in King's Landing a murder scandal plays out throughout the season. Arya is traveling across Westeros with the Hound trying to take out people on her "list".

There are a ton of extras for those who get the Blu-Ray set. There are 11 total commentary tracks (a couple of episodes get two commentary tracks and the third episode does not have any commentary). The commentaries generally rotate cast and crew/showrunner members and are all usually informative and/or entertaining. Then there are a couple of hours (give or take) of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, some deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and some interactive material. And, the A/V quality is again top-notch. So, there is a lot there for people who prefer physical discs.

Overall, the season is very good. This season included several new characters played by The season introduced a number of new cast members, including Pedro Pascal, Indira Varma, Michiel Huisman, and Dean-Charles Chapman. Some of them would be around for a short time and others would remain past this season. As has always been the case, no character is safe on this show and there are definitely major deaths this season. The series continues to be very compelling and is very well written and acted (with definite kudos going to Alfie Allen this season). Even though there are fewer characters in the show than in the books (and even some of the major storylines from the books removed from the show) it is sometimes hard to keep everything straight, but overall I do think the show does a good job balancing the large ensemble cast and the multiple story arcs. There is still a lot of violence and sex in the show, but if you have stuck with the show through the first three seasons that should not be an issue for you. This season is definitely worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Game of Thrones: Season 3

 

The third season of Game of Thrones is adapted from the first half of the third novel in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire set of books (which is still not complete as of 2022), A Storm of Swords. The bulk of the season sees the various "kings" such as Robb Stark and Stannis Baratheon (basically anyone with any kind of claim to the iron throne) trying to consolidate power for the eventual confrontation with the Lannisters. Another main storyline is the aftermath of the White Walker's attack and the remaining Knight's Watch members returning to warn the 7-kingdoms that something bad is coming. This season also contains "that" event, which has ramifications long down the road and influences many other storylines after it. I will not spoil it for the few who may be reading this that don't know what it is and the ripple effect it sets off, but it is one of the most impactful moments of the series.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is once again phenomenal and there are a ton of extras. Every episode has at least one commentary track, and a couple of episodes get two commentary tracks. Sophie Turner is again a highlight on her commentary track on Episode six (along with Maisie Williams and Issac Hempstead). Each episode can be played with an in-episode guide which fleshes out the story a lot, and then there are deleted scenes, and several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. So, if you like bonus content, you have hours worth to watch and listen to, although to go through all of it, it would require watching every episode multiple times.

Overall, the season is great and the series continues to be great. It is well-written and very well acted. The standouts this season include Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy who has a pretty brutal story arc this season and Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister whose role is expanded as the one really pulling the strings and is basically the king of the seven kingdoms. This season also sees the introduction of several new characters including Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei and Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrel. The series is still very violent and has a lot of nudity and sexual content. So, it is definitely not a family-friendly show. That said, if you are into sci-fi/fantasy action dramas, particularly those set in ancient medieval times, then this is something you want to check out. That said, you absolutely must watch the first two seasons first to really have any idea what is going on in the third season because all of the story arcs intertwine and have an effect on each other.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season 2

 

The second season of Game of Thrones is basically an adaptation of the second novel, A Clash of Kings, about the start of the civil war to rule Westeros. After the death of Ned Stark ordered by Joffery, Robb takes on the title of King of the North and vows to kill the boy king who was installed after the death of Robert in season one. Robert's brother Stannis also throws in his claim to the throne and there is ultimately a war between the five "kings" that are making a claim to the throne. Meanwhile, Jon is with the Night's watch outside the wall facing a threat from the wildlings and a more sinister threat that starts to rise up, and Daenerys is in Essos with three newborn dragons trying to find allies and resources to help her return to Westeros and restore the Targaryens to the throne. The season ends not really on a cliffhanger, but a threat that will essentially threaten to make the who wins the war totally irrelevant.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray set is awesome, and there is a ton of extras. There are commentary tracks on every episode. The commentaries rotate using cast members, writers, directors, crew members, and even George RR Martin. Some episodes have two different commentary tracks. Sophie Turner is pretty hilarious in the commentary track she participates in. There is also an in-episode guide that you can play when watching any of the episodes that goes a lot more in-depth into the story and the history of Westeros than can be shown in the episodes. There are also character profiles, behind-the-scenes features, and a roundtable discussion between the series creators and some of the cast members. So, if you like watching the extras, there is a lot there.

Overall, the season is strong. The ensemble cast is still large (although the number of characters is pared way down from the book), but all the characters are given substantial material to work with. It is a very adult show with a lot of swearing, sex, and nudity. It continues to be well-written and well-acted and is a must see for any fan of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season 1

 

This is, of course, the HBO TV series adaptation of the massively popular set of novels by George R.R. Martin. The best way that I can describe the story is if you take a bit of the Arthurian Legend and mix it with Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, you will end up with this. It is set on the massive continent of Westeros which is split into Seven Kingdoms, each ruled by a lord who answers to the King, who sits on the iron throne in Kings Landing. At the beginning of the story, the king is Robert Baratheon played by (Mark Addy). Ultimately, the story is about a threat to the kingdom by a group of undead called the White Walkers who are outside a huge wall that guards the seven kingdoms and is manned by the Night's Watch which is basically made up of criminals and non-nobles who are forced into indentured servitude, and a fight to rule the Seven Kingdoms by many different people who claim rightful title to the throne, including the family that was deposed from the throne and exiled from Westeros, the Targaryens.

The show has a very large ensemble cast (that is actually quite pared down from the number of characters in the books). Some of the actors were fairly well known before the series, such as Sean Bean, Ian Glen, and Lena Heady, and others such as Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Kit Harrington, Peter Dinklage, Maise Williams, and Jason Momoa would become stars, because of the series. Some of the actors such as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Aidan Gillen, and Liam Cunningham were recognizable but not exactly well-known before the series.

The first season basically follows the story of the first novel, with Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell in the Northern region of Westeros being asked by the King to be the "King's Hand" which he agrees to mainly so that he can investigate the death of his mentor. The first season teases a coming war and has a lot of twists and turns packed into the relatively small amount of episodes. It is hard to go into much detail without giving away too much for the few who are reading this who have not seen it yet, but Martin is not shy about killing off characters, so you can be assured that not everyone makes it out alive.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great in HD. There are a ton of extras including commentary tracks on seven of the ten episodes that feature various members of the cast and crew. There are also in-episode guides that pop up information about the show as you watch, a Complete Guide to Westeros that breaks down the family histories of the various ruling families, character profiles, a thirty-minute making-of documentary, a feature about adapting the book to the screen, a feature on the Night's Watch, a feature on the main title sequence, creating the Dothraki language, and an Anatomy of an Episode feature that you can play when watching the episode "A Golden Crown". So, there is a ton there if you like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the show is wonderful. It is well-written and very well acted. It is definitely an adult show as there is a lot of swearing and a ton of sexual content and nudity that leaves little to the imagination. So, if that would bug you, then you definitely will want to skip this. But, if you are into shows that have a medieval setting with a healthy mix of fantasy elements like magic and dragons, then this is definitely worth watching.