Shadows thrive in the light

Both my father and my brother love "Game of Thrones". Personally, I completely missed the first season, but started watching the second. It took about five episodes of "compulsory watching", but then I was hooked! This series apparently slowly gets to you. And poisons you? I mean, it's all just a fictionalized account of the Early Middle Ages, with some Roman orgies thrown in for good measure. Or...? ;-)

It seems that the main weakness of the series (about a dozen story lines with characters whose number is legion) is also its biggest strength. It's difficult not to find *some* character that captivates you, if only for a couple of episodes. Even so, "Game of Thrones" probably wouldn't have worked without the previous success (until the last episode) of "Lost", which also had innumerable characters and a near-impenetrable plot.

Personally, I'm fascinated by Tyrion, the manipulative dwarf who is actually one of the good guys. His philosophy is to trick evil people into doing the right thing - somehow, that squares with my own view of politics. Arya is another interesting character, and then there's Daenerys Targaryen, Melisandre and her pseudo-Zoroastrian religion, and "The Others" beyond The Wall. (The Others are coming!) However, I readily admit that I can't make out all the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, mercenaries and prostitutes...yet.

Be that as it may, I will nevertheless award this quasi-high fantasy series five stars. But here's a prediction: George R. R. Martin will probably die before he finishes "A Song of Ice and Fire", making the last episode of "Game of Thrones" even less bearable than that of "Lost". All this will take place at some point in 2020.

You read it here first.... :-0