Sword for smoting, bucket for catching heads? Check and check: Game of Thrones premieres April 17

Series name
Game of Thrones

Debuts
Sunday, April 17 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Canada.

Regularly airs
Sundays at 9 p.m.ET on HBO Canada for a run of 10 episodes

Premise
In the ancient land of Westeros, one family rules and another recently dethroned family wants their chair back. Cue the swords, blood geysers and … lock up your daughters for good measure.

Buzz buzz
Based on the fantasy novel series by George R.R. Martin, called A Song of Ice and Fire. Next book in the series, btw, is called A Dance with Dragons and it will be on sale July 12, 2011.

But what do I know anyway? After NOT having seen the pilot I predict…
I watched the preview on HBO Canada a few weeks back and actually recoiled at the violence. I’m getting soft in my old age. I shall endeavour to watch the series (Sean Bean, Aidan Gillen and Peter Dinklage, don’t let me down), but for now …

My Gazette colleague Bill Brownstein has watch the first two hours and boils it down here. Click on the excerpt to read his full review.

“It’s … almost impossible to distinguish between the forces of good and evil, or to figure out who to root for and who should be smote. And the principals mostly have names that are unpronounceable and that would even be a mouthful for Tolkien and his legion of fans. But if you can get beyond all that and the abundant beheadings, this tale of swords and sorcery is engrossing in every sense of the word. Based on the first two instalments, anyway.”

— Denise Duguay

Advertisements