Fantastical Musings

All men must die, but, apparently, all men must also color. Last week, I wrote a review of George R.R. Martin's new novel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms; but, if you need another way to pass the time as you wait for The Winds of Winter , allow me to recommend The Official Game of Thrones Coloring Book . Coloring books may seem a little cheesy if you're over the age of ten (and I hope you are if you're interested in ASOIAF), but this isn't your elementary school coloring book. With adult coloring books (whatever that actually means) currently in vogue, this book is an artistic gem that is more like a mini ASOIAF  art exhibit than a coloring book. I purchased this coloring book for some relaxing, holiday fun, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. The coloring pages were designed by five professional artists and it really shows. The paper is thick enough to prevent color from bleeding through if you decide to color with markers, the drawings are beautiful and

While you wait for the long-anticipated release of the Winds of Winter , you can get your Westeros fix with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms , which was released earlier this year. George R.R. Martin's latest novel is a compilation of the Tales of Dunk and Egg, a set of three novellas that were written between 1998 and 2010. I've been looking forward to reading this book since it came out (although college got in the way until now). It takes place about one hundred years before the events in  A Game of Thrones and follows the story of Dunk, "Ser Duncan the Tall," and Egg, Aegon Targaryen. (For context, "Egg" is  Aegon V, the grandfather of Daenerys Targaryen's father -- making him her great-grandfather.) Although this book is not the sweeping, epic drama that the ASOIAF series provides, it is a well written jolt of light hearted entertainment and a glimpse at the history of the ASOIAF world. The stories bypass great battles and crises, instead cent

So, I don't know if you know this, but I'm a pretty serious internet fashion commentator (translation: I once wrote a blog about Disney outfits; you should read it ). Now, I haven't really done any commentary in a while, but I have an excuse: I was watching Game of Thrones -- enough said. Anyway, now that season five is over, I have nothing to do for ten months except wait for the next season of Game of Thrones and dream about who's going to get the ax this time -- and comment on their clothes. I recently realized that I've commented on pretty much every aspect of Game of Thrones , but I've never really talked about the fashion. This seems like a huge oversight to me because Game of Thrones is both a triumph of costuming and a complete fashion failure -- depending on which character you're talking about. Thus I've decided to present you a list of the best dressed in Westeros (from worst to best). The Sand Snakes - Ugh, Sand Snakes, ugh! Let

Now that it's been about two weeks since the finale of season five premiered, I think it's time to take a moment to reflect on the past season. I can honestly say that I enjoyed this season, although my feelings about it were somewhat mixed. If you're a book reader like me, you'll know that this season was almost a complete departure from the books, and the only way to be okay with that is to try to separate the show from the books in your mind. I try to look at the show and the books as completely different creative projects with differing story-telling agendas. That worked pretty well for me this season, although, I have to say, some moments just fell completely flat for me. Let's review: The Good: The Army of the Dead: I was generally pleased with the way Jon's plot was handled this season. As you all know, I'm not the biggest fan of Jon -- but even I have to say that his plot was really on point this season. The massacre at Hardhome was such an incr

So, with father's day this weekend, a lot of people are taking to the Internet to share lovely, heart warming stories about their fathers. I think that's great, but those stories can get a little boring after a while. To quote Tolstoy: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." So, in honor of father's day tomorrow, I thought I would offer a tribute to the most disastrous fathers in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe. This is a big category, so I've narrowed it down to ten: 10. Eddard Stark - Ned is arguably one of the best fathers in the ASIOF universe. He's generally fair and caring, however, he has managed to put his kids in extremely perilous positions. Let's not forget that it was Ned's obsession with honor that caused him to be executed, therefore starting the War of Five Kings, which led to Robb's death. Furthermore, he put Sansa and Arya in a ton of danger by bringing them to King's Landing --

Obviously, not natural As you know, I have strong opinions about eyebrows , so let's not dance around the issue here: Daenerys has weird eyebrows. Look, Dany looks great in almost every episode and she's gorgeous and beautiful. However, we all know that she has weird eyebrows. I know it, you know it, and I'm pretty sure that the showrunners know it too. Now, I say that Daenerys has weird eyebrows because Emilia Clarke has rather lovely eyebrows. The only problem is that Emilia Clarke's eyebrows do not match Daenerys Targaryen's hair. I'm not sure if the makeup and hair people on Game of Thrones are aware of this or not, but eyebrow color tends to match hair color because eyebrows are -- *wait for it* -- hair! Therefore, If Daenerys has white hair, she should have white eyebrows. The fact that she doesn't have white eyebrows makes her look really weird and not in character. The combination of dark eyebrows and white hair just screams wig . Now, obv

I can't believe it's OVER! Ugh, I can't wait ten more months for the next season. I JUST CAN'T! As many of you know, I've been sort of lukewarm about this season, but this episode made up for all of the awkward scenes this season. Random deaths, battles, and dragons: this is the Game of Thrones we know and love. I have a lot of thoughts about this episode, so lemme break it down: Favorite Moments: Dad of the Year: We've sort of had a theme of people attempting to be dads this season (cough, cough Stannis, cough, cough), but no one has succeeded as well as Jaime Lannister.  His scene this week with Myrcella was so cute. In fact, it was so cute that -- in true Game of Thrones fashion -- someone had to die. I kid you not, my heart broke into a million pieces when she was like "I'm glad you're my father" and then she DIED! Ugh, so many FEELS! Like, it was worth having Myrcella in Season 5 for that scene alone! Of course, we didn't actual

So, after last night's finale of  Game of Thrones , I noticed a ton of awesome Yaks about the episode (because, you know, Yik Yak really has its finger on the pulse of the nation). In honor of the end of season five, I decided to share my favorite Yaks with you (and yes, one or two of them are mine): Some people were concerned for their personal safety: Others faced an existential crisis: One helpful yak-er offered a succinct summary of the past season: Many expressed *some* frustration: Some questioned everything: Others offered helpful tips: Others needed help themselves: While others tried to put things into perspective: Of course, there were the obligatory 'Winter is Coming' jokes: Some consoled themselves with hopes of resurrection:  While others mourned for Jon Snow: Meanwhile, some