Sister Emma’s Confessions: My Icey-Hot Song o’ Thrones…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSBnkvY-md8&feature=plcp

Greetings my brethren. In this, the second installment in my (mostly) weekly contribution towards enriching the lives of our congregation, I present to you my most infamous fixation: A Song of Ice and Fire (it says so in my bio). Now you may be asking yourself “What on heaven’s earth is A Song of Ice and Fire?” Is it perhaps a modern gaggle of musical would-be’s paying tribute the classic 70’s funk/disco/rock/soul/jazz phenomenon Earth, Wind & Fire? Or is it the latest documentary chronicling the history of our planet, narrated by Sigourney Weaver?

Truth be told my friends, unless you’ve be living at the bottom of highly sequestered sea cave, or you just live somewhere in the world where insanely popular and successful television shows aren’t a thing, you, yes you, already know the answer to this question. For A Song of Ice and Fire is merely the all-encompassing series title for the epic fantasy saga by George R.R. Martin that begins with none other than A Game of Thrones. That’s right, A Game of Thrones is the name of the first book in the series. Technically season two should be called A Clash of Kings but it would be terribly confusing to change the title of a T.V. show every season; and, inevitably, if HBO had decided to go the optimistic Song of Ice and Fire route, Peter Dinklage would have been unavailable to play Tyrion Lannister. The end-game would then have resorted to placing a disgruntled former Lord of the Rings hobbit extra in a blonde wig — and spending the entire budget on making him look like a little person again.

Besides, Game of Thrones is a much catchier title anyway.

For anyone who is totally unfamiliar with the series, it is a medieval fantasy of epic proportions (emphasis on the medieval and epic) chronicling the goings on of the fictional country of Westeros and its outlying nations, which exist mostly to add some ethnic variety to the world (Westeros is populated by a whole bunch of white people). By the second book — and the second season of the show which ended just over a month ago — there are five people claiming to be king, which naturally results in a good old fashioned war.

Now, what this Holy Sister finds most captivating is Martin’s ability to craft seriously sympathetic characters. No one is just a straight-up bad guy (well okay, with the exception of Joffrey), and even the good guys are apt to make questionable choices. Though it is the story of a nation at war, the plot is largely character, rather than action, driven. And even though the books are all well over six hundred pages, not all that much happens in each chapter; but the fascinating political intrigues and ever deepening insights into the many players in the game keep me coming.. and.. coming back for more.

If you haven’t read the books, it’s highly recommended that you do so. Sure, it’s a huge commitment; even I, Sister Emma herself, got sucked in two years ago and have not been able to stop. I missed out on The Hunger Games, The Girl with Dragon Tattoo and all their sequels because, well, George R.R. Martin owns my soul. Currently, I’m a solid quarter into A Dance with Dragons and am terrified of the potential six year hiatus and accompanying withdrawal I may be forced into upon completing it. But, hey, if anyone else out there (is anybody out there, yoo-hoo!?) is reading these delectable masterworks of modern fantasy literature and wishes to discuss any and all theories with me — particularly those concerning Jon Snow’s parentage — please drop me a line at emmafyffe@gmail.com

And now I leave you with 10-minutes of Joffrey getting slapped to to the tune of Led Zeppelin’s “Achilles Last Stand.” Peace be with you.