Dinklage 2012
Change at least one of us can believe in.
Now, I don’t really go out much for fantasy, normally. I think it’s because I grew up on Dragonlance and Dungeons and Dragons stuff, and it all seemed kind of repetitive to me: you’ve got your fighter, your mage, and your paladin. They go do stuff. Orcs or something appear. The mage uses some dark magic, which gets them out of the situation, but causes the rest of his party to distrust him. (That might not be an actual story — it might just be a half-remembered bit of A Bard’s Tale.) So I was surprised just how much I enjoyed Game of Thrones.
I think the best part about it is the time taken to develop characters. And among the best — Peter Dinklage. He makes Tyrion Lannister such a real, complex person that you forget you’re watching a character. I’d not seen much with Dinklage in it before, but I’m now willing to support the man for President.
Oh, sure. Game of Thrones still has some of the things that put me off fantasy — I don’t know anyone’s character names beyond Jon Snow and Ned Stark (who’s already dead, so that helps me not at all). I had to look up Dinklage’s character name while writing this — I just keep calling his character “Peter Dinklage” in my mind. Usually, those names should stick with me 14 episodes in, but perhaps my mind has a blank spot where fantasy names are concerned (unless they’re easy, like the two I mentioned above). But it’s not so heavy on the mythical stuff, and when it does approach it, it feels like the series earned it. It’s probably the best fantasy story I’ve seen rendered on the big or small screen.
What about you, folks? What’s your favorite fantasy story? Also, will you cast your vote for Dinklage in 2012?
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47 Echo 
Song of Ice & Fire is great. The thing I enjoy about A Game of Thrones and the books that followed is GRRM’s ability to introduce characters who are hateful and/or horrifying, and yet make you sympathetic toward them in later installments. I wish I felt optimistic that the series will be wrapped up before I turn 40. GRRM is averaging about six years per book for the last couple installments.
Anyway, my favorite fantasy story is the late Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. The final installment of that series is set to arrive in January, and I’m really looking forward to it. It was a labor of love for the man for over 20 years, even up to his unfortunate death due to a rare illness.
Dinklage had my vote after the Joffrey slappage.