Category: Discussion

Game of Thrones Season 7 Review

by Peter Hopkins, posted in Discussion

There’s nothing quite like reviewing a show that’s been out for a few weeks…you know… after nobody cares what you think about it. But I thought why not? I am a huge fan of Game of Thrones; the political intrigue and constant shifting games of deception between characters are terrific fun to watch, with fire spewing dragons as icing on the cake.

To start off, I should say my favorite season was most likely season 2, I think we got the best character plots for my favorite characters; Arya, Tyrion, and Stannis alongside Davos. Arya in Harrenhall was classic Game of Thrones; a mixture of grotesque violence, intrigue and a world of mystery with the introduction of the faceless men, and great character interactions between her and Tywin. We are introduced to Stannis and Davos, one of my favorite pairs of characters to see interact with one another. Tyrion is given some great moments in this season as well; tricking Grandmaester Pycelle into revealing he was feeding information to Cersei, banishing Janoy Slynt to the wall, and his defense of King’s Landing. Everything about this season, the downfalls and the victories, felt deserved, which I will get into is my major gripe with season 7.

Let me clarify, I still enjoyed season 7, though I feel it was somewhere close to the quality of season 5; a little lost in what its goal exactly was. I think this is largely in part due to the fact that the show is no longer based on the books by George R.R. Martin. Though D&D have proved themselves competent showrunners, I fear their talent may only lay in their ability to translate from book to screen. For example, that zombie polar bear. Why? Just why? It supposedly cost 2 million dollars to put on screen…was it worth it? Does anyone think to themselves after watching that episode, ‘gosh those firebreathing dragons and the death of Viseron were neat but geez that polar bear that lasts less than two minutes was something!” That time could have been used letting the characters interact with one another in interesting ways, rather than them just walking and talking, never to interact the rest of the episode again.

This point leads to my main issue with the season; everything feels rushed. Sure, seven episodes can really make it a tightly woven story, cutting out some of the unnecessary fat the show previously suffered from, but now we’re left with less story and character than we are used to. This is the most evident with the Winterfell plotline; it isn’t the least bit interesting when you decide to not show half the plot. We didn’t know about the cat and mouse game between Arya, Sansa, and Littlefinger, instead, we got a strange set of scenes between Sansa and Arya that make very little sense. Arya accuses Sansa of not doing anything while their father died, even though by rewatching you can see her kicking and screaming violently, begging Joffrey to stop. I can’t tell if Arya actually means this at some point or was always tricking Littlefinger, which makes the whole thing rather muddled.

I eagerly await the release of season 8, and hope that the focus returns to the meaningful interactions between characters. I have high hopes for the ending of the show, since G.R.R. has secretly told D&D the ending; perhaps this season they were a bit more in the dark on what to do, and that they’ll have a clearer picture with the final season. Again I must say, even though this season was a bit weaker, its one of the better seasons of any television show to date.

Blog Update: The Second Book

by Peter Hopkins, posted in Coat of Arms, Discussion

Hello everyone! I just wanted to give a quick post regarding progress on the second book, a project roughly as long in development as The Sword to Unite. The Cripple and King, is currently in the final stages of the manuscript before I move on to editing and querying to agents. I can’t wait to show more of the book to you all, but for now here’s a coat of arms done for the second book by Anna Vasyuk. It depicts the Lion of Nacia, an ancient symbol used by various dynasties who have ruled the Nacian Empire. It is also the heraldry of the main character, Lucan, king of the new Nacian Kingdom and member of the Lavinian Dynasty. I’ve just started a new semester at college, so the blog posts may be a bit more few and far between than usual but I’m hoping to keep everyone’s interest in the second book. Be sure that you’ve checked out The Sword to Unite on Amazon and be sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more content!

-Peter

The Dream of Being A Published Author

by Peter Hopkins, posted in Discussion

This is a bit of a different article today, much more personal. It’s not the typical post history of a certain house or kingdom in the world of Yennen, Morthwyl and Erastrius, no this post is about my dream to make that world known to as many readers as possible.

Over the past year, I’ve begun my quest to write novels, at least as a passion for as long as I can. I’m still fairly new to the game and there’s plenty left to learn. I was so ecstatic when I clicked to confirm my order through BookBaby, the publishing service I used for The Sword to Unite, but now it feels almost like a bitter sweet moment. For all the work I put into the book, I felt I had almost wasted my time on it. Advice to anyone considering writing; you will feel like that at some point, but you have to push through it.

Like writing, the process of publishing is long and arduous, filled with typos and minutes spent pacing around your room trying to ignore the complete lack of logic in your last paragraph. It’s still my dream that one day I might get an agent, that one day that agent might find a publishing house willing to take a chance with one of my stories, and one day someone will pick up a copy of a book with my name on it and read it. Just that thought is so exciting, it really makes the process worth all the effort, the thought that someone genuinely enjoys something I spent the time to craft, minus a few typos of course.

Thanks for reading,

Peter

Hadrian I “The Great”

by Peter Hopkins, posted in Book Stuff, Discussion

The noblest of any rulers of the world, Hadrian was a warrior like a raving berserker, a poet of silver tongue, a statesman with the golden touch, and above all, the founder of the Nacian Empire.

Born the youngest bastard of the Erastrian king Adémar III, Hadrian was never destined for greatness. His father was a terrible ruler, and the last of his line. Adémar sunk his treasury into grand building projects left half complete and wild parties which lasted weeks on end. After his assassination, the very same noblility who killed him were entrusted with his harem of lovers and children. All were slain, save Hadrian and his mother Dulia, a revered figure in Nacian history. Bribing her way through the kingdom with jewelry given by her dead king, she ensured her son’s survival and exceptional education.

By his sixteenth birthday, the young man had amassed a sizable host of mercenaries and courtiers, all while the Erastrian Kingdom collapsed to ash. Hadrian was a bearded man, though he never had the sizable frame of his father. Of average height and size, Hadrian was no less fierce or brave in battle. Hadrian arrived on the southwest of Yennen, where he conquered the small village of Nacia, and declared himself imperator. Hadrian granted new land rights to noble and commoner alike, securing key support for further conquest of the region. A just man, Hadrian also established a codified law which rivaled the bureaucratic level of his ancestors the Erastrians. He completed great works of architecture in his capital, such as a new aqueduct and a new library some thousands of books full. By his death in the year 66 2E, Hadrian was 75 and left a great number of sons to continue his dynasty, which to this day enjoys the title of king in the new Nacian Kingdom.

This is the first in the series describing each of the Nacian Imperators, let me know what you guys think below in the comments and be sure to subscribe!

The Green Man

by Peter Hopkins, posted in Discussion

Throughout ancient European, and for that matter, world mythology, there is an unspoken character who dictates the laws of nature, who binds the seasons to his will, who has the power to bring the hero strife or glory. That character is the Green Man.

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The Green Man is quite literally nature made characterized. Often in fantasy, and mythology that influenced it, the Green Man is a figure of rebirth, life, death, decay, and the changing of the seasons. The color green is vital to his character, representing not only the lush green of summer and spring but also the otherworldly nature of his being. The best example of this type of power can be seen in Tolkien’s superb work, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which Galdwin is accompanied by the ghostly visage of a green knight.

In the natural aspect, the Green Man often appears in literature at the beginning with summer or fall, representing the fading of happy days, and the coming of strife for the character. One of the best examples of this, is from Geogre R.R. Martin’s widely popular Game of Thrones series, with the classic Stark words being, “Winter is Coming”, as the long summer comes to a close.

In my own work, the Green Man arrives in the middle of summer, when the days are longest in hottest. In the winter, the stakes are dire, and all hope seems lost in the soul-crushing effects of ice and snow, for life has faded and been corrupted. The book ends in the spring, heralding the Green Man’s return, and the renewal of life.

Please leave comments for any books you can think have a Green Man character, and be sure to like and subscribe!