On Amazon, as of 2:45 pm CT. And it doesn't even come out until July! Not bad.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
If all of this wasn't enough... (new trailer)
This past week, ASoIaF fans have gotten the following:
1) Perfumery boxes sent out to bloggers
2) A new interactive website (The Maester's Path)
3) An extended Iron Throne trailer
4) House t-shirts from HBO
5) A release date for A Dance With Dragons (!!!!!!!!!!!)
and now, the first full-length (two minutes, twenty seconds) trailer for Game of Thrones, which includes the first glimpses anyone has seen of the Wall (a seven-hundred-foot-high wall of ice, thousands of miles long, that protects the Seven Kingdoms from the world to the north) in the very first seconds, as well as extended glimpses of Littlefinger and Varys and a very brief flash of what an Other (vaguely supernatural undead skeletal creature thing) looks like.
It's Entertainment Weekly-exclusive and thus not yet on YouTube, but it's pretty much awesome, so click here and scroll down to see the first true trailer for GoT.
Pretty much an awesome day.
1) Perfumery boxes sent out to bloggers
2) A new interactive website (The Maester's Path)
3) An extended Iron Throne trailer
4) House t-shirts from HBO
5) A release date for A Dance With Dragons (!!!!!!!!!!!)
and now, the first full-length (two minutes, twenty seconds) trailer for Game of Thrones, which includes the first glimpses anyone has seen of the Wall (a seven-hundred-foot-high wall of ice, thousands of miles long, that protects the Seven Kingdoms from the world to the north) in the very first seconds, as well as extended glimpses of Littlefinger and Varys and a very brief flash of what an Other (vaguely supernatural undead skeletal creature thing) looks like.
It's Entertainment Weekly-exclusive and thus not yet on YouTube, but it's pretty much awesome, so click here and scroll down to see the first true trailer for GoT.
Pretty much an awesome day.
July 12th, 2011
It's almost like I have magic publication-date-bringing powers or something.
According to Entertainment Weekly, there is a firm publication date for A Dance With Dragons, as confirmed by fan site Westeros.org and interviews with GRRM (the author). In both the US and UK, the book will be published on July 12th. Of this year. This is unusual, as his books are often published in the UK before they are in the US, even though Martin is American, since it's easier to do publication turn-arounds more quickly in the UK since the market there is notably smaller than in the US and fewer copies are printed. However, Bantam (American publisher) and Voyager (British publisher) are not messing around.
This is interesting as, per GRRM's latest update on ADwD a few days ago, he still is not finished writing. However, if the publishers are giving ridiculously firm dates like this, they are not messing around. Apparently this is real.
Really, really happy this week. Awesome, awesome, awesome ASoIaF news all around.
Edited to add: Official confirmation from GRRM on his website can be found here. Only about four months to go :D
According to Entertainment Weekly, there is a firm publication date for A Dance With Dragons, as confirmed by fan site Westeros.org and interviews with GRRM (the author). In both the US and UK, the book will be published on July 12th. Of this year. This is unusual, as his books are often published in the UK before they are in the US, even though Martin is American, since it's easier to do publication turn-arounds more quickly in the UK since the market there is notably smaller than in the US and fewer copies are printed. However, Bantam (American publisher) and Voyager (British publisher) are not messing around.
This is interesting as, per GRRM's latest update on ADwD a few days ago, he still is not finished writing. However, if the publishers are giving ridiculously firm dates like this, they are not messing around. Apparently this is real.
Really, really happy this week. Awesome, awesome, awesome ASoIaF news all around.
Edited to add: Official confirmation from GRRM on his website can be found here. Only about four months to go :D
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
marzo
It's March. Wooooo? March used to be my least favorite month, as we had February and April breaks in high school (and before) and thus March was the long, ugly month without a break. Now, of course, March is the month of one whole week of spring break between winter and spring quarters, so it's not so bad. March weather is also much nicer in Chicago than it ever is in New England, chiefly because Chicago actually has a definitive spring and not just a long, hazy mud season for a few months between winter and summer. It's still pretty cold outside now, but it's sunny and there's no snow on the ground, which is the first sign that spring is making its way towards us.
It's also 9th week, which means that the quarter is sort of almost over; a lot of classes are getting ready to go into review mode starting next week. I'm done with astro labs, finally, and additional Italian practice sessions. Four more Italian and astro classes and two more sosc and art history classes and then it's reading period. There will be studying, sure, but I'm also going to go see a taping of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me on the 10th, which should be very fun; I had a lot of fun at the taping I went to go see last April.
Everyone is extremely moody, however, which sort of takes a lot of the fun out of March. We've been cooped up together for nine weeks, and the first-years in particular are extremely moody and clique-y, reverting back to semi-high-school ways of not wanting to sit at the dining hall house table 'cause that's uncool and the like. There's also a lot of housecest running wild, between some of the last people you'd ever imagine to have sexual relations, never mind with each other, which amps up the awkwardness quotient quite a bit. One of them is my neighbor, and he and his first-year girlfriend (or whatever they are--they aren't openly in any sort of official relationship yet) have been prone to making quite a bit of obnoxious noise past midnight, whether it's actual sex or just talking loudly. I'm fine with weird relationships of all sorts, but our beds share a wall, and so does my bed and his desk, so when they listen to giggling laughing baby videos on YouTube for 15 minutes at 12:30 in the morning, it sounds like a baby is giggling right on the foot of my bed, even through my ear plugs.
Everyone being moody includes me, I guess. Certain things just start to get on your nerves after nine weeks of cold weather and encountering these same things day after day after day. You just want things to straighten out and open back up again, instead of being cramped together with unpleasant expressions on everyone's face.
It's also 9th week, which means that the quarter is sort of almost over; a lot of classes are getting ready to go into review mode starting next week. I'm done with astro labs, finally, and additional Italian practice sessions. Four more Italian and astro classes and two more sosc and art history classes and then it's reading period. There will be studying, sure, but I'm also going to go see a taping of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me on the 10th, which should be very fun; I had a lot of fun at the taping I went to go see last April.
Everyone is extremely moody, however, which sort of takes a lot of the fun out of March. We've been cooped up together for nine weeks, and the first-years in particular are extremely moody and clique-y, reverting back to semi-high-school ways of not wanting to sit at the dining hall house table 'cause that's uncool and the like. There's also a lot of housecest running wild, between some of the last people you'd ever imagine to have sexual relations, never mind with each other, which amps up the awkwardness quotient quite a bit. One of them is my neighbor, and he and his first-year girlfriend (or whatever they are--they aren't openly in any sort of official relationship yet) have been prone to making quite a bit of obnoxious noise past midnight, whether it's actual sex or just talking loudly. I'm fine with weird relationships of all sorts, but our beds share a wall, and so does my bed and his desk, so when they listen to giggling laughing baby videos on YouTube for 15 minutes at 12:30 in the morning, it sounds like a baby is giggling right on the foot of my bed, even through my ear plugs.
Everyone being moody includes me, I guess. Certain things just start to get on your nerves after nine weeks of cold weather and encountering these same things day after day after day. You just want things to straighten out and open back up again, instead of being cramped together with unpleasant expressions on everyone's face.
Monday, February 28, 2011
New template up + HBO shirts
As is self-evident, a new template is up. As much as I enjoy winter, and as much as, per HBO and ASoIaF, "winter is coming," I wanted something a little less dark and dour. So I went for grays and browns and blacks instead of grays and whites and blacks. :)
I messed about a little with the dimensions, pixel-wise, so if anything isn't working in your browser or on your screen resolution, etc, let me know and I'll see what can be done. I can't promise miracles, since I'm no techie, but we'll see.
The final frontier currently on the update front is that I added "reactions" boxes for each post. I know I am a lazy blog-reader myself, rarely bothering to comment, but we bloggers do like occasional feedback from others (or else we wouldn't be talking like this into the internet all the time), so while comments are appreciated but not necessary, consider at least taking the opportunity to log in whatever first reaction you might have of the post, its contents, etc.
In ever-continuing HBO news, there are now house shirts up for sale at the official HBO merchandise shop for Game of Thrones. Yesterday and today apparently have been big days for the GoT campaign, what with new trailers, the opening of The Maester's Path, and now the show's first official merch release. I don't want or need $24.99 worth of a cotton t-shirt, but if you or a fan in your life are interested, there are general "Game of Thrones" shirts as well as house crest + words shirts for Houses Arryn, Baratheon, Greyjoy, Lannister, Stark, Targaryen, and Tully in both men and women's styles. Pick them up (or just gawk, as I did) here. The site also has the books available, including some sort of boxed set that looks like it will be coming out with the series's debut, but you can get those for just as cheap or cheaper at Amazon or, even better, any local bookstore with a decent selection; I got mine over the course of a few months for about 7 bucks apiece at 57th Street Books here in Hyde Park.
Now if we would only get a release date for A Dance With Dragons; the latest on Martin's blog is that he is finally wrapping stuff up with the last remaining characters to finish. He's said that many, many times over the last 5 years, but I think it may actually be real this time. If I had to guess, I would plan an ADwD announcement date for April 17th, the premiere date of the first season of Game of Thrones, or soon around there, to add to/build off the hype of the show, but Martin, as enthusiastic as he is about seeing his world come to life in the flesh and not just in his head, can be stubborn, so who knows.
Everything ASoIaF is, as the Tyrell motto says, "growing strong."
I messed about a little with the dimensions, pixel-wise, so if anything isn't working in your browser or on your screen resolution, etc, let me know and I'll see what can be done. I can't promise miracles, since I'm no techie, but we'll see.
The final frontier currently on the update front is that I added "reactions" boxes for each post. I know I am a lazy blog-reader myself, rarely bothering to comment, but we bloggers do like occasional feedback from others (or else we wouldn't be talking like this into the internet all the time), so while comments are appreciated but not necessary, consider at least taking the opportunity to log in whatever first reaction you might have of the post, its contents, etc.
In ever-continuing HBO news, there are now house shirts up for sale at the official HBO merchandise shop for Game of Thrones. Yesterday and today apparently have been big days for the GoT campaign, what with new trailers, the opening of The Maester's Path, and now the show's first official merch release. I don't want or need $24.99 worth of a cotton t-shirt, but if you or a fan in your life are interested, there are general "Game of Thrones" shirts as well as house crest + words shirts for Houses Arryn, Baratheon, Greyjoy, Lannister, Stark, Targaryen, and Tully in both men and women's styles. Pick them up (or just gawk, as I did) here. The site also has the books available, including some sort of boxed set that looks like it will be coming out with the series's debut, but you can get those for just as cheap or cheaper at Amazon or, even better, any local bookstore with a decent selection; I got mine over the course of a few months for about 7 bucks apiece at 57th Street Books here in Hyde Park.
Now if we would only get a release date for A Dance With Dragons; the latest on Martin's blog is that he is finally wrapping stuff up with the last remaining characters to finish. He's said that many, many times over the last 5 years, but I think it may actually be real this time. If I had to guess, I would plan an ADwD announcement date for April 17th, the premiere date of the first season of Game of Thrones, or soon around there, to add to/build off the hype of the show, but Martin, as enthusiastic as he is about seeing his world come to life in the flesh and not just in his head, can be stubborn, so who knows.
Everything ASoIaF is, as the Tyrell motto says, "growing strong."
The Maester's Path: Link 1
Sorry for being so ASoIaF lately, but HBO is going wild promoting the series, which airs starting April 17th. Last week, many internet luminaries, TV bloggers, fan sites, and the like were sent a gorgeous perfumery box filled with different scents of different locales in the series, from the wilds of the Dothraki grasslands to the Stark stronghold of Winterfell in the far north. This morning, an interactive fan site for the series went live, named after the scholars and healers from the series called maesters, who are sworn to different lords to assist their households. The fan site is called The Maester's Path (click for link).
Each week through the end of March a new puzzle will appear. Solving the puzzle for that week gives you a metaphorical "link" in your maester's chain and access to a reward, which this week at least is a short clip of a very fan-beloved scene (to read which one, highlight or copy-paste into a word-document the following: Jon Snow, Eddard Stark's bastard, gives Needle (a sword) to Arya Stark, his tomboyish half-sister end spoiler); it's quite possible that each week will reveal a new quick, 30-second clip from the series. You also are supposed to try and collect 5 apprentices to join you on your journey; it's unclear when or how they'll be needed, but they may simply allow access to greater rewards, a greater final reward, or something of the sort.
This week, the key to solving the puzzle (which involves perfumes/scents like the box sent out to various bloggers) is knowing what symbols go with what locale; fan site Westeros.org had compiled a list of all the symbols in the cases bloggers were sent in case something like this came up, and if you'd like a guide, they have one up at their Maester's Path guide (once there, click the picture at the top of the page to enlarge it). Orange symbols are the Dothraki Sea, red symbols are the Free City of Pentos, green symbols are the capital city called King's Landing, blue symbols are the Stark stronghold of Winterfell, and purple symbols are the Inn at the Crossroads.
It's all very intriguing, and pretty smart marketing on HBO's behalf. Right now it seems as if the clips are sort of geared towards fans of the book series already, but it's not so complicated or spoiler-y as to be incomprehensible for people who have never read the books.
If you'd like to join me as an acolyte, feel free to click the following link: http://itsh.bo/edmQfU
Enjoy!
Each week through the end of March a new puzzle will appear. Solving the puzzle for that week gives you a metaphorical "link" in your maester's chain and access to a reward, which this week at least is a short clip of a very fan-beloved scene (to read which one, highlight or copy-paste into a word-document the following: Jon Snow, Eddard Stark's bastard, gives Needle (a sword) to Arya Stark, his tomboyish half-sister end spoiler); it's quite possible that each week will reveal a new quick, 30-second clip from the series. You also are supposed to try and collect 5 apprentices to join you on your journey; it's unclear when or how they'll be needed, but they may simply allow access to greater rewards, a greater final reward, or something of the sort.
This week, the key to solving the puzzle (which involves perfumes/scents like the box sent out to various bloggers) is knowing what symbols go with what locale; fan site Westeros.org had compiled a list of all the symbols in the cases bloggers were sent in case something like this came up, and if you'd like a guide, they have one up at their Maester's Path guide (once there, click the picture at the top of the page to enlarge it). Orange symbols are the Dothraki Sea, red symbols are the Free City of Pentos, green symbols are the capital city called King's Landing, blue symbols are the Stark stronghold of Winterfell, and purple symbols are the Inn at the Crossroads.
It's all very intriguing, and pretty smart marketing on HBO's behalf. Right now it seems as if the clips are sort of geared towards fans of the book series already, but it's not so complicated or spoiler-y as to be incomprehensible for people who have never read the books.
If you'd like to join me as an acolyte, feel free to click the following link: http://itsh.bo/edmQfU
Enjoy!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
"You think it's honor that's keeping the peace?"
Additionally, tonight a new trailer for HBO's adaptation of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE (they're calling it Game of Thrones) came out. It encapsulates the general feel of the series, particularly the first book on which this first season is based, quite well. Eddard (Sean Bean) and his family are House Stark of the vast north; the Baratheons are the royal family, and the Lannisters (the blonde twins, boy and girl, and Peter Dinklage as their dwarf brother) are married into this royalty as the female twin, Cersei, is the queen. The exotic far-eastern-looking stuff is the home of the Dothraki, the nomadic tribe with which the last surviving members of the old royal family (the Targaryens, the extremely pale-haired siblings seen here, whose parents were overthrown about 15 years before the start of the series by a Baratheon-Stark alliance) have taken refuge and are scheming for their return, the reclaim of their throne.
Welcome to Westeros, to the Seven Kingdoms. Welcome to the threatening long winter, maybe the longest ever known. Welcome, most of all, to the start of an epic game of thrones.
"When winter does come, gods help us all if we're not ready."
Welcome to Westeros, to the Seven Kingdoms. Welcome to the threatening long winter, maybe the longest ever known. Welcome, most of all, to the start of an epic game of thrones.
"When winter does come, gods help us all if we're not ready."
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