Wednesday, August 10, 2011

George, Gregor, and Georges

Firsts, lasts, and onlys this week.

A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book OneFirst, the first in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones. Been hearing about this one for years, of course, and even more since the HBO series started. But it's a heck of an undertaking, and I wasn't crazy about the narrator in the sample I listened to, so I put it off a bit. (Read it to myself? A multi-volume fantasy epic? That's what audio at work is made for! As long as I can Wikipedia the odd name or map, etc.) But all in all, I'm glad I got on with it, and look forward to my library bringing the second one off hold so I can see what happens to my favorite characters (Jon, Bran, Arya, Dany - it's all the young generation. The adults, give or take Catelyn and Tyrion, are all a wash for me.) And the narrator grew on me - he was a little too gruff while I was trying to both absorb all these new people/places and calculate the weekly payroll. But once we were over the learning curve, and things like casual violence and incest were assimilated into the pattern of the story, I was happily swept away by the action and intrigue and the constantly shifting political and moral ground that the characters had to tread.

Gregor and the Code of Claw (Underland Chronicles, Book 5)In a much simpler (and less morally repugnant) way, Suzanne Collins also played with shifting political battlegrounds in her Underland Chronicles. The last of these - Gregor and the Code of Claw - brings Overland and Underland humans together for yet another quest, but this time, Gregor is questioning not his place in the Underland (he found peace with that earlier in the series) but the place of all humans in Colllins's strange land under New York City. In many ways it did resonate with the Martin saga - various kingdoms vying for supremacy, outliers trying to break in, more bloodshed than is healthy, broken trusts. Although, Luxa is a way better 12-year-old monarch than Joffrey, by a long shot. At any rate, I read the first of this series years and years ago, before Hunger Games was a twinkle in Collins's eye (I presume) and liked it, but I don't think I'd have gone back and finished the rest of the series if I weren't so overcome with love for Katniss and her story. Gregor doesn't come close to packing the same wallop, but it's still a great, imaginative world full of some most excellent characters.

Nerd Do Well: A Small Boy’s Journey to Becoming a Big KidAnd just because he talks about his two favorite Georges constantly (Lucas and Romero), I'll also talk here about Simon Pegg's memoir, Nerd Do Well. Actually, before that, I'll do you a favor and tell you that if you haven't seen Hot Fuzz and, more essentially, Shaun of the Dead, you need to rent them. I know, I don't care about zombie movies, either, but trust me, okay? And how about that, I'm not even in the "male 17 to 40" demographic that's crazy about the film. (Come to think of it, no one in my house is, either. D is 2 years too young and R is 2 years too old. Sorry, marketers, best to go next door instead - they have 3 teen boys in high school / college, they're perfect for you!) Anyway, this is of course a bit of a silly book, full of in and out-there jokes, but it's light and interesting and actually made me view Star Wars in a different light. Thought I'd figured out all kinds of stuff about it already, given the boy-heaviness of my home and all. So: funny stories, sweet bits of nostalgia about childhood adventures in school and on stage, tons of palpable love for his mum, some insight into the weird world of professional actors/comedians, and a goofy subplot to pad the pages. Well worth checking out.

8 comments:

  1. Do yourself a favor in the GoT series and stop at Storm of Swords. Feast for Crows was dreck, and I've the same and worse for his last one. HBO will finish the series before George does. In an entirely different genre, Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner was very good. - Cynthia G.

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  2. Thanks, Cynthia - good to know. We don't get HBO but I'm sure it'll be on DVD soon enough.

    Then Came You has been on my hold list SO LONG. I don't know why - as soon as I finally get it, I'll devour it in about two days and have it ready for the next reader!

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  3. Mel, have you ever watched Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright's TV series, Spaced? It you like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, there is no quantifying how much you'll love Spaced.

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  4. Awesome, thanks, M. I've added it to my request list.

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  5. i just read about game of thrones on jen lancaster's blog and was intrigued but didn't realize it was quite so involved. as for simon pegg, his georges are my husband's favorites, too. maybe i'll grab this one for his b-day! sounds right up his alley...

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  6. I heartily endorse Simon Pegg's Nerd Do Well. He is also a riot on Twitter and definitely worth the follow.

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  7. Natalie, I just downloaded the 2nd Martin audiobook, and it's over 37 hours long! I'll listen to it anyway, I'm sure, but that's a lot of words, is all.

    Sandie, I've added Pegg to my Twitter feed, great idea!

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  8. Currently a bit past midway through A Storm of Swords, and have Feast for Crows waiting in the wings. I don't know about watching on HBO or listening to audio books, but reading them on the printed page is highly addictive!

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