George R.R. Martin's Blog, page 194

You Asked For It

And so did I, for that matter.

Good news for all you audiofans out there.

Bantam has informed me that world record holder Roy Dotrice has been signed to read the audiobook of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. Schedules are being set even as I type.



Roy has always been my first choice as reader, and always will be. He did a great job with the first three books in the series, setting that world record along the way, and I know he will delight us all with DANCE as well.

And it's in no small part thanks to all of you. After FEAST came out, I received hundreds of emails wanting to know why Roy was not the reader and demanding his return. So now he's back.

We aim to please.

Win a Trip to Westeros!

... or at least to Northern Ireland, which is about the closest we can come in the real world.

Sky Television has just announced a contest to help promote the April 18 debut of GAME OF THRONES in the United Kingdom.

The grand prize winners gets a week in Northern Ireland, with accomodation at the Killyleagh Castle Towers as well as a trip to Castle Ward and Tollymore Forest Park, major locations while filming the show. "Rumour has it that it contains magical woodland and mysterious medieval ruins!" sayeth Sky. (And maybe you can wheedle a visit to Castle Black as well, though that doesn't seem to be on the itinerary).



Five runners up will win a tie in edition of Game of Thrones book and a set of all four titles in the Song of Fire and Ice series.

To sign up for the contest, go to:

https://rewards.sky.com/skyloyalty/home/competitions/game-of-thrones-competition/?DCMP=snt-Games_of_Thrones_Sky_Twitter_Mar11

I suspect the contest is only open to SKY subscribers resident in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, but I haven't looked closely at the rules, so maybe someone who has can confirm that.

I have never stayed at Killyleagh Castle Towers myself, but Parris and I both loved Belfast. Where they once built the TITANIC... and, as all the Belfast cabbies will tell you, a lot of ships that didn't sink.

Power

The latest HBO trailer for GAME OF THRONES is titled "Power."

It made its debut on Sunday, before the series finale of BIG LOVE. For those of you who missed it, here you go:




So much is coming out of HBO these days that I can hardly keep up. Not and wrestle Kong into submission at the same time. For those of you who'd like more timely updates, and coverage of all the developments I never get to, check in regularly at Westeros ( http://asoiaf.westeros.org/ ), Winter Is Coming ( http://winter-is-coming.net/ ) and HBO's own official GOT site ( http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/ )for more detailed discussions and reports on the series.

When you hear about some of the new stuff HBO is planning, it will just leave you hungry for more.

Back to Kong.

If I Had a Hammer...

... I'd hammer some more on Kong, actually.

Hey, but I CAN have a hammer. And so can you, thanks to the good folks at Valyrian Steel, who have just unveiled their design for King Robert's warhammer.



Alas, you can't order the hammer just yet. We're still in the design stage, but I have approved these drawings, so the next step is the prototype, which is now being made. Once I approve that, production can begin. And along about there somewhere, Valyrian Steel will begin taking orders.

For more details, check out their website at http://www.valyriansteel.com/

Yes, it is a big hammer. A very big hammer. Going to be heavy as well. I insisted on that. After all, it says right in the book that Robert's warhammer was so huge and heavy that only someone with his own freakish strength could wield it. So I kept telling them, "bigger, bigger."

Valyrian Steel has done some lovely versions of Longclaw, Needle, and Ice (all of which remain available from their store), but I think the hammer is my favorite to date.

Juego de Tronos

Here's a shout out to all my friends and readers in Spain.

I should really write this post in Spanish. Unfortunately, I don't speak Spanish. Alas, I have always been crap with languages other than English (yes, even Dothraki and High Valyrian, and those are simple compared to Ghiscari). I blush to admit that after living in New Mexico for more than thirty years, all the Spanish I have picked up consists of words like "burrito" and "sopapilla" and "chimichanga." Oh, and "farolito," but only around Christmas.

But never mind about my personal failings. I may suck at Spanish, but I love Spain. Parris and I have visited twice, and always had such a wonderful time. The Semana Negra, held every summer in Gijon, is one of our favorite conventions/ festivals/ fairs/ carnivals/ literary gatherings in the whole world, and we hope to go back again. And the Spanish fans are amazing.



So... here's various bits of news just for my Spanish readers.

The HBO series will be shown in Spain on Canal +. We do have an official premiere date from them, I'm pleased to say. They will be airing the first episode on May 9.

Canal + has set up a Spanish website for the series. You can find it at http://www.canalplus.es/juegodetronos.



They're also been translating many of the HBO teasers and trailers, and adding some original content of their own, including introducing and commentary by the noted Spanish filmmaker Alex de la Iglesia. You can check out some of the Canal + videos at http://www.canalplus.es/juego-tronos/videos .



Finally, I wanted to give a shout-out to our friends at the Generacion X bookshop in Madrid, who hosted a wonderful signing for us the last time I visited Spain. ((My fingers are still cramped from that one.)) If you're looking for an Ice & Fire t-shirt, Generacion X is the place to go. They are now carrying a full line of tees featuring the heraldry of some of the major houses of the Seven Kingdoms : Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, Greyjoy, and Baratheon.

These are NOT the HBO designs, I should add. Those are available through HBO's On-Line store athttp://store.hbo.com/ No, these are Generacion X's own versions of the original line of t-shirts offered by Mystic Spiral Traders ( http://www.georgerrmartin.com/t-shirts.html ). The Mystic Spiral designs have been unavailable for some time (Parris lost her silk screener, is what happened, but does plan to reopen if she can ever find a new one half as good as the one she lost), but now, thanks to Generacion X, those great designs from Moria Peters and Raya Golden will once again be available.



Of course, the Generacion X shirts will not be exactly like Mystic Spiral's versions. The text is all in Spanish, for a start, and our friends in Madrid have played with the colors some, and used their own inks, fabrics, etc. But they've sent us a big box of the shirts, and we think they're nifty... so if you'd like a tee with a Spanish flair, give them a ring.



You can email the shop at gestion@generacionx.es or phone them in Madrid at 91-447-07-46. They have a website too, I believe, but just now I can't seem to find it.

So... that's the latest from Spain. Parris and I both hope to return for another Semana Negra soon. Until then, we send all our best to our friends at Generacion X, Canal +, Gigamesh, and of course the wild and wonderful fans of Asshai. Let's have another chorus of "Un Oso..."

HBO Merchandising

If the talk I hear is true, you guys ain't seen nothing yet.

HBO is really pedaling the show.

Especially in the New York area. Lucky New Yorkers. They get the good pizza, and this...

Winter Is Coming... to Comcast

Comcast has announced that they're partnering with HBO to promote GAME OF THRONES:

http://blog.comcast.com/2011/03/get-ready-for-game-of-thrones.html

Be sure to check out the videos at Xfinitytv.com. New stuff there, and expanded versions of trailers seen before. I'd embed them here, but there are so many.

New York, New York

It's a helluva town. The Bronx is up and the Battery's down. The people all ride in a hole in the ground. Also, it's the headquarters for all your GAME OF THRONES merchandising needs.



Just check out the HBO store at 1100 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue, for you out of towners). The shop was transformed last night into the official GAME OF THRONESD headquarters -- the first and only one of its kind the world.



All of the merchandise from HBO's on-line shop will be offered at the store. The shop has also gas props straight from the set on display, and GAME OF THRONES content running on the multimedia components. So it's museum as well as a shop.



HBO plays to update continually over the next several months with rotating displays, official merchandiing and promotions.



So New Yorkers... get down into that hole in the ground. Visit early! Visit often! OOOOHHH and AAAHHHHH.





And while you're in town, have a pizza for me at one of the many great NYC pizza places.

This is the best thing to happen to NYC since the Giants won the SuperBowl.

Here There Be Dragons

And of course no primer for the Seven Kingdoms would be complete without House Targaryen.




There's lots, lots more to come.

April 17 creeps ever closer.

Hear Them Roar

And herewith everyone's favorite lions, the Lannisters of Casterly Rock.



Once more, thanks to HBO and TV.com.

A Lannister ALWAYS pays his debts...