Tower of the Hand

An Interview with Ted Nasmith

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:58:00 EDT

Ted Nasmith is a man who needs no introduction to fans of fantasy literature - but he's going to get one anyway. A painter, musician, and scholar (not to mention a yoga enthusiast), Nasmith has had a love affair with J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings that is currently entering its fourth decade and which has produced a voluminous amount of artwork that is as staggering as it is beautiful. (Read more...)

Posted Today 9:58:24 AM ET by msunyata, Comments

Lord Snow Rewind

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:52:00 EDT

We're getting closer to the season two premiere of Game of Thrones. In the meantime, HBO wants us to re-watch the first season. "Lord Snow" airs tonight at 10 PM ET (seriously, this time). In this third episode, "Ned arrives at King's Landing to discover the monarchy has been involved in immoral behavior; Jon Snow uses the more inexperienced recruits to impress Tyrion; Catelyn covertly follows Ned in hopes of allaying her suspicions about Bran's fall." (Read more...)

Posted Yesterday 6:52:00 PM ET by Johnny, Comments

Sweet details about the horse heart

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EDT

Via the Hollywood Reporter, the producers and director of "A Golden Crown" reveal what Emilia Clarke actually ate instead of a horse's heart. There's also an exclusive video clip from the upcoming Blu-rays (due March 6). (Follow link...)

Posted 2/8/2012 by Johnny, Comments

Like comments, preview profiles

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:24:00 EDT

We've just added a couple small features to Tower of the Hand's commenting system: 1) Members can now "like" other members' comments. Popular comments will be highlighted. 2) Hover over a member's name to quickly preview his or her profile. This should also make it easier to see a member's new avatar. Speaking of which, if you log in via Facebook or Twitter, we've found a workaround to let you use the Gravatar service that other members use to upload custom avatars. Please contact us if this interests you. If you're not seeing the changes or the comments aren't loading correctly, try refreshing the page to force your browser to use the updated code. If you still have problems or you notice any other issues, contact us and we'll look into it immediately.

Posted 2/7/2012 by Johnny, Comments

Boiled Leather Audio Hour #5

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:29:00 EDT

In the new issue of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour, Sean T. Collins and I are exploring the issues of the essay about "Southron Ambitions". As a special guest, Amin from "The Podcast of Ice and Fire" joins us for this and the next podcast. (Follow link...)

Posted 2/6/2012 by Stefan, Comments

Open Thread, Giants vs. Patriots

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:13:00 EDT

Some football fans are lucky enough to see their teams in this year's Super Bowl. Others take consolation that, if their team can't win it all, at least their hated rivals won't either. Others still will celebrate the sacking of their team's incompetent GM. (It was long overdue.) In any case, the football season is almost at an end. Feel free to discuss the game, the ads, The Voice, Smash, or whatever else NBC is begging you to watch.

Posted 2/5/2012 by Johnny, Comments

The Kingsroad Rewind

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:47:00 EDT

We're getting closer to the season two premiere of Game of Thrones. In the meantime, HBO wants us to re-watch the first season. Tonight at 10 PM ET is the next episode, "The Kingsroad." If you can't remember the episode, here's my TV guide's remarkably unhelpful description of it: "The Lannisters plot to ensure Bran's silence; Ned faces a family crisis." (Read more...)

Posted 2/2/2012 by Johnny, Comments

Few rainbows in this forecast

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:08:00 EDT

"The time for talk is done. Now we see who is stronger." Renly pulled a lobstered green-and-gold gauntlet over his left hand, while Brienne knelt to buckle on his belt, heavy with the weight of longsword and dagger. "I beg you in the name of the Mother," Catelyn began when a sudden gust of wind flung open the door of the tent. She thought she glimpsed movement, but when she turned her head, it was only the king's shadow shifting against the silken walls. She heard Renly begin a jest, his shadow moving, lifting its sword, black on green, candles guttering, shivering, something was queer, wrong, and then she saw Renly's sword still in its scabbard, sheathed still, but the shadowsword... "Cold," said Renly in a small puzzled voice...ACOK 34 Forget the groundhog. If a Cat sees a shadow today, then six more weeks of winter is coming.

Posted 2/2/2012 by Johnny, Comments

Coach Tyrion gets the call

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:01:00 EDT

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, Comediva has assembled the "Ultimate Fantasy Football Team," using characters from popular fantasies. Watch out, NY Giants, as this team is coached by my giant of Lannister, Tyrion Lannister: He's clever, blunt, and constantly underestimated: all of which play to his advantage. What's his next play? Hard to tell -- but one thing's for certain, in the end, after all the scheming and illegal practice-taping and unsportsmanlike taunting, he'll come back swinging and probably take charge of the entire country. Er. Field. What's more, he has a knack for giving people exactly what they need: an inspirational speech or a fire placed ever-so-necessarily under one's ass. [h/t Kristen] (Follow link...)

Posted 2/2/2012 by Johnny, Comments

GoT ranks as HBO's 6th best drama

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:32:00 EDT

Nerve ranked all the HBO dramas from worst to best. After only one season, Game of Thrones made it to #6. The only active show that fared better was Boardwalk Empire (#3). The Wire took the top spot. Here's how Nerve describes Game of Thrones: In just one season, Game of Thrones has distinguished itself as one of TV's better shows through its massive, fascinating universe. And, where many shows would stumble trying to incorporate so many storylines, David Beinoff and D.B. Weiss find a way to juggle all of them effortlessly and shed just enough light on each. Medieval fantasy has seldom been better, and it's never been this violent or this sexy. Looking forward, if Game of Thrones stays on-course, it will have a spot in the top five in future iterations of this list. It is that good. (Follow link...)

Posted 1/30/2012 by Johnny, Comments

Season 2 trailer to air before Luck

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:30:00 EDT

HBO will air a new trailer for the second season of Game of Thrones at 8:59 PM ET, right before tonight's premiere of Luck. The trailer promises the first extended look of the upcoming season. We'll post the video here as soon as it's available. Update: The video, called "Shadow," is posted below. (Follow link...)

Posted 1/29/2012 by Johnny, Comments

Winter Is Coming Rewind

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:03:00 EDT

The second season of Game of Thrones is set for April 1, a mere ten weeks from now. In anticipation of the show's return, HBO will count down the weeks by replaying a first season episode every Thursday night until then. It all starts tonight at 10 PM ET with the very first episode, "Winter Is Coming." If you haven't seen the show in a while or you only watched it the one time, tune in tonight and join us in this official re-watch thread. (Read more...)

Posted 1/26/2012 by Johnny, Comments

GRRM responds to Reddit

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:56:00 EDT

Reddit readers got a chance to ask George R. R. Martin 10 questions about A Song of Ice and Fire, including a couple of interesting ones on A Dance with Dragons. [h/t Ron] (Follow link...)

Posted 1/26/2012 by Johnny, Comments

Qarth to be explored more in S2

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:32:00 EDT

After watching a video interview with Nonso Anozie (Xaro Xhoan Daxos), TIME's James Poniewozik ruminates on how the second season of Game of Thrones may be expanding the story and world of A Clash of Kings, particularly in Qarth. (Follow link...)

Posted 1/24/2012 by Johnny, Comments

The next dragon of the year

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:08:00 EDT

Today marks the start of the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac. It's unlikely, however, that George R. R. Martin's Targaryen dragons will celebrate this year, unless he manages to finish The Winds of Winter in record time. Nevertheless, we have twice as many living Targaryens to discuss for the near future: Daenerys Stormborn and Aegon the Young Griff. By rights, Aegon has the better claim to the Iron Throne; he is Rhaegar's trueborn son and heir, whereas Dany is Rhaegar's sister. Aegon has been groomed since birth, not just to be a king, but to be a good king of the people. On the other hand, we've watched Dany grow into a queen and assumed her journey would bring her back to her rightful crown. In A Dance with Dragons, Aegon's path led him to a surprising invasion, while Dany's left her adrift. Which of these two will sit the Iron Throne first? Which of the two (if either) do you think will hold the crown by the end of the series?

Posted 1/23/2012 by Johnny, Comments