The following contribution to our Book vs. Film Series is written by Chris Fanning.
Here I am, talking about Game of Thrones again…because I’m still obsessed with Game of Thrones.
Three weeks ago, Writers & Books hosted one of our “Meeting of the Small Council” events. It’s a chance for book readers and show viewers to get together and listen to me talk about talk about comparisons between the book and the show. This meeting was different from others in the past because I, like everyone else in the group, am finally at a point where I honestly don’t know what’s going to transpire in this story, either on screen and in print.
I had a rough time adjusting to this thought. Once season five started airing on HBO this past Spring, I was uncertain of how I felt about characters I loved in the book not making it to the small screen or about existing characters absorbing those roles. Thank the old gods and the new, I have several friends who were in the same boat as me.
Here’s what I’ve concluded. Adaptations of books to other media rarely live up to the world I’ve created in my mind. My family hated walking out of the Harry Potter movies with me; I’d only want to talk about what was different or left out. However, I found that in this season of GoT, I was just as invested in what was going on in the television show as I was with where I’d left my comrades in the books. They are two different stories to me and I can’t expect them to be the same.
Until 2056(?) when George R.R. Martin comes out with the 6th book, I’ll be re-watching seasons one through seven of Game of Thrones. Either way, they’re feeding my fantasy fiction addiction.