Howdy y'all.
Nira's last post inspired me. I think we should all follow suit and talk about nerdy things we recently got into.
My latest thing? Game of Thrones.
If you don't know, Game of Thrones is a series of books by George R. R. Martin. (What is up with high fantasy authors and having "R. R." as their middle initials?)
Anyway, the books take place in a fictional world with lots of kings and knights and castles and stuff. The story centers around a noble house called the Starks of Winterfell. Stark is their family name. Winterfell is the land they rule over. The plot sort of grows from three major places: power in the kingdom, this girl named Daenerys who is the banished princess of the kingdom, and dark, threatening creatures that live north of the Wall that separates the kingdom from the northern wilderness.
The action is both emotional, political, and physical. I like how it's very complex and nothing's black and white.
I've also been warned not to like any of the characters because they're all going to die. I guess that counts as a spoiler, but oh well. If my friends up here spoiled it for me, I guess I can spoil it for y'all.
But it's no use. I get very attached to characters. I also like it when characters die. I'm part way through the second book and I have a kill list of all the best characters.
Except one.
His name is Jon Snow. He's the bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. And I most definitely do not have a crush on him.
The thing about Game of Thrones is that even though it has an interesting plot, there's lots of gratuitous sex and violence in there for no apparent reason. It's also super sexist and pretty much always shows women in a bad light. If a woman is ugly, there is no way for her to be feminine. If she's feminine, she's either a whore or weak or both. So I feel sort of bad for enjoying these books.
Something I find interesting is the historical parallels it draws. I recently read a book about the 14th century in Europe, and it talked a lot about politics and war. One thing I learned is that the peasants always got the worst of it: taxed into oblivion, pillaged, murdered, and raped, etc. And there is plenty of rape and pillage in GoT, but very little taxing. Also, the peasants rose up against their overlords every other decade. That hasn't happened so far. The books really hold true to the myth that the only important actors in a kingdom are the great nobles.
But I highly recommend that you read these books. Just remember to think critically about them. And maybe not discuss them with children under the age of 13.
Girls, Nira has started something. What sort of stuff have you gotten into recently that you didn't expect to?
Best Wishes,
Rose.
Nira's last post inspired me. I think we should all follow suit and talk about nerdy things we recently got into.
My latest thing? Game of Thrones.
If you don't know, Game of Thrones is a series of books by George R. R. Martin. (What is up with high fantasy authors and having "R. R." as their middle initials?)
Anyway, the books take place in a fictional world with lots of kings and knights and castles and stuff. The story centers around a noble house called the Starks of Winterfell. Stark is their family name. Winterfell is the land they rule over. The plot sort of grows from three major places: power in the kingdom, this girl named Daenerys who is the banished princess of the kingdom, and dark, threatening creatures that live north of the Wall that separates the kingdom from the northern wilderness.
The action is both emotional, political, and physical. I like how it's very complex and nothing's black and white.
I've also been warned not to like any of the characters because they're all going to die. I guess that counts as a spoiler, but oh well. If my friends up here spoiled it for me, I guess I can spoil it for y'all.
But it's no use. I get very attached to characters. I also like it when characters die. I'm part way through the second book and I have a kill list of all the best characters.
Except one.
His name is Jon Snow. He's the bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. And I most definitely do not have a crush on him.
The thing about Game of Thrones is that even though it has an interesting plot, there's lots of gratuitous sex and violence in there for no apparent reason. It's also super sexist and pretty much always shows women in a bad light. If a woman is ugly, there is no way for her to be feminine. If she's feminine, she's either a whore or weak or both. So I feel sort of bad for enjoying these books.
Something I find interesting is the historical parallels it draws. I recently read a book about the 14th century in Europe, and it talked a lot about politics and war. One thing I learned is that the peasants always got the worst of it: taxed into oblivion, pillaged, murdered, and raped, etc. And there is plenty of rape and pillage in GoT, but very little taxing. Also, the peasants rose up against their overlords every other decade. That hasn't happened so far. The books really hold true to the myth that the only important actors in a kingdom are the great nobles.
But I highly recommend that you read these books. Just remember to think critically about them. And maybe not discuss them with children under the age of 13.
Girls, Nira has started something. What sort of stuff have you gotten into recently that you didn't expect to?
Best Wishes,
Rose.
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