REVIEWING THE ART AND STORIES OF LITERATURE, MOVIES, MUSIC AND GAMES

CO XT
GAME OF
THRONES:
THE LESSON
FOR FUTURE
ADAPTATIONS THE MAKEUP OF
Neil Gaiman’s CLOUD ATLAS
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream Retrospective THE DARKNESS:
Can Videogames
Effectively Tell
Tradgedies?

Featuring this month’s

winning short story:

August
 WHAT’S

3 Content Vs. Context:

Emotionally Genuine Music

5 The Darkness Ends:

Games and Tradgedy

9 Cloud Atlas:
Makeup Conveying
Reincarnation

15 Monthly Notable
Short Fiction

17 New Book Releases

20 The Sandman
Neil Gaiman’s Landmark
Series On Dreams

23 A Game of Thrones:
The Lesson For
Future Adaptations

27 Monthly Short:
“August” by Alan Wake

Cover Art By Marc Simonetti

 The Lesson For Future Adaptations
Two years ago I was in the reminds you that dragons once HBO does a superb, character-
mood for some fantasy, and one existed, magic is still practiced, and driven adaptation of A Game of
series that consistently received the Others are rising from a restless Thrones. The dark tone of the book
high praise was George R.R. slumber. It’s all handled brilliantly, is captured and the interweaving
Martin’s A Song of Ice And Fire. and each chapter leaves you stories of deception and intrigue
I started the first book, A Game wanting more, so when I learned remain intact. The world of
of Thrones, and couldn’t put it HBO was developing a show based Westeros comes to life; the sets are
down. It’s the whole package: great on the series, I was both thrilled terrific; the special effects are good.
story, great writing, and most and worried. Was my precious book Of course, as with any adaptation
importantly, interesting characters about to be violently mounted by there are changes: minor characters
for whom you hope and fear. a Dothraki horse lord? How was play larger roles; there is a lot more
HBO going to handle the special sex and a lot less direwolf; and the
While it’s fantasy, Martin’s effects, the large battles, and the only large scale battle is not even
approach is more subtle; the fantasy constant brutality? After all, Martin shown. Some changes are welcome,
elements lurk at the edges of the has no qualms about giving major others are puzzling or even
story and are gradually revealed. characters the ax (or sword as the laughable.
At times it feels historical in nature case may be). Would HBO remain
until Martin true to his vision of a more adult The book is told from the
fantasy tale? point of view from a plethora
Overall, the answer is yes. of characters: Bran, Catelyn,
Daenerys, Eddard, Arya, Sansa, Jon,
and Tyrion. However, in the show,
the story also unfolds from an even
larger cast of characters, including
Robert, Cersei, Jamie, Varys, Theon,
Littlefinger, Joren, and Viserys. As a
result, many scenes in the show are
not in the book or are told from a

“While it’s fantasy, Martin’s

approach is more subtle; the
fantasy elements lurk at the
edges of the story and are
gradually revealed.”
“I’m sure working with
real wolves isn’t easy, capturing the small-scale combat, wrote it in response to his time as a
television screenwriter where he was
which is probably one such as the Hand’s tourney or Jaime
fighting Ned, but once we get to the constantly told to edit his scripts
of the reasons they are Lannisters’ battle with Robb’s army, because they were too complex and
costly. It will be interesting to see
you can tell they probably didn’t
underutilized” have the budget or resources. In the how battles are handled next season
book, Tyrion shows his bravery and because everything only gets bigger
different character’s point of view, fighting prowess by leading a band and more epic.
and this isn’t a bad thing. Standouts of unruly tribesman into battle,
include the verbal sparring between and we get a sense of the grim I’m sure there are some fan
Varys and Littlefinger and a scene reality of war. In the show, however, fanatics that dissect the book
where Lord Tywin skins a deer Tyrion is unceremoniously knocked and show line-by-line, and while
while instructing his son Jaime on unconscious by one of his own this may be a fun (albeit tedious)
the finer points of being a Lannister. men just as the battle begins, and exercise, it really serves no purpose.
These additions convey all the we rejoin him after the smoke has Of course dialogue is changed,
vicious scheming and backstabbing cleared. This doesn’t work for two characters are tweaked, scenes are
from the book as characters vie for reasons. First, it makes Tyrion added or deleted. And this is the
the Iron Throne. Not to mention look a bit pathetic and second, nature of an adaptation. But here’s
every scene is wonderfully acted. who doesn’t like seeing a large- the real question: Are changes made
scale medieval battle? George R.R. while still staying true to the tone,
The only major disappointment Martin, who wrote Episode 8 this the characters, and the story?
so far is the direwolves. I expected season, is currently working on
CGI would be used to portray these the script for the major Battle of Where Game of Thrones is
massive beasts, but in the show they Blackwater Bay in Season Two. concerned, the answer is a
have chosen to use real wolves. In Martin has famously called his resounding yes.
the book, direwolves are described series “unfilmable” and said that he
as much larger and fiercer than
regular wolves, and in Episode One
the dead direwolf corpse shows
us what they look like full grown.
Sadly, the real wolves don’t match
up.

Because the show does not fully

stress the wolf/child bond, we don’t
feel as bad when Arya must drive-
off Nymeria or when Ned is forced
to kill Sansa’s wolf Lady. So while
the wolves are there, we miss the
importance of their relationships
with the children. I’m sure working
with real wolves isn’t easy, which is
probably one of the reasons they are
underutilized, but they continue to
play important roles in later books,
so it will be interesting to see how
the writers include them in future
seasons.
“The dark tone of the book is captured and the
Lastly, there is the handling of interweaving stories of deception and intrigue
the only large-scale battle in the
book. The series does a great job
remain intact.”
 NEIL GAIMAN’S LANDMARK SERIES ON DREAMS

Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman was attempted to end death by taking Death Will Dream choose mercy over
launched in 1989. This extremely captive, but captured Dream instead. responsibility? Or is there another way?
popular series was bound into ten When he finally escapes he must face
collections. Following Dream of the the changes that have gone on in his Dream Country is the first story
Endless, also known as Morpheus, realm, and the changes in himself. arc made up entirely of different tales.
Onieros and many other names, we We meet the mother of Morpheus’s
explore a magical world filled with Preludes and Nocturnes begins the son, and find out what cats dream
stories both horrific and beautiful. series. In it, Dream, escapes his prison. about. We also discover the origins
He must go on a quest to find the tools of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s
What do you need to know to of his office: his helm, pouch and ruby. Dream. (The latter issue, number 19,
enjoy the series? Only that there are The journey will take him - and us - is the only comic book ever to have
seven brothers and sisters who have through the gates of hell itself. It will won a World Fantasy Award.) Death
been since the beginning of time, the also teach Dream an important lesson has her own bittersweet story, as she
Endless. They are Destiny, Death, about relying on tools, and introduce attempts to help out an agoraphobic
Dream, Desire, Despair, Delirium who us to the other star of the series, Death. ex-superhero.
was once Delight, and Destruction who
turned his back on his duties. Their The Doll’s House shows us We return to the regular series
names describe their function and that the Dream King has not yet with Season of Mists. In it, Lucifer has
the realms that they are in charge of. resolved all of the problems caused grown tired of being the lord of hell.
Several years ago, a coven of wizards by his imprisonment. Three dreams He kicks everyone out and locks it up
have escaped The Dreaming, the solid, then gives the key to Dream.
villainous pair Brute and Glob, and Dream must decide who of the many
the kindlier Fiddler’s Green. This story supplicants will get the key. This is
is intertwined with another considered the most popular story arc,
about a young woman named filled with a cast of thousands as beings
Rose Walker and her search from many pantheons and myths vie
for her little brother. As for this instrument of power.
the characters are drawn
together, a vortex is In A Game of You, old witchcraft
discovered, a force and fantasy mix together to create
that could destroy an adventure featuring Barbie from
all dreamers The Doll’s House. She discovers that
and, therefore, her vivid dreams are truly a gate to
the world. another world, where she is a princess
trying to save her subjects from the
clutches of the Cuckoo. Her unlikely
and wonderful cast of friends, both
in the world of her dreams and in
the real world, are highlights of
characterization, a group of people you
can truly feel a connection to.

Fables and Reflections is another

story collection. We meet many
extraordinary characters, including
The Emperor of America, a director
who must choose whether to fly or fall,
 a werewolf in search of his dreams, Joanna Constantine in
search of Dream’s son, Marco Polo, Caesar Augustus and
many more.

In Brief Lives, Dream’s little sister Delirium

convinces Morpheus to go on a quest for their
missing brother, Destruction, but the price
of finding the prodigal may be more than
Dream can bear.

In World’s End, the characters are

drawn together by a reality storm,
caused by dramatic changes
rippling across reality. They find
shelter in a tavern, where they
pass the time with their own tales,
both wondrous and mysterious.
We find ourselves in many places:
in the dreams of a city, discovering
the secrets of Necropolis where burial
is a way of life, joining Cluracan on
a swashbuckling adventure, running
away to sea. The tales never focus on the
Sandman himself, but tell us about the
nature of tales and dreams just as keenly as
the ones where he is in the center.

In The Kindly Ones, Dream is faced with the

repercussions from his actions in Brief Lives and The
Doll’s House. Lyta Hall’s son is kidnapped and perhaps
killed, and she blames Dream for his death. She goes
insane, calling on The Kindly Ones, also known as
The Furies, for revenge. They enter his realm
and force Morpheus to make a sacrifice that
will change The Dreaming forever.

The Wake is the final chapter

of this landmark series. Whenever
someone we care about, as we learn
to care about so many of these characters, dies, we must mourn,
have a funeral and a wake. This final book ties up some loose ends, and
leaves us with the message that dreams never really die.

This description fails to describe the intricate twinings of story, the

threads that run through each book as we revisit past characters, as past
events blossom into new ones. It also does not give credit to the magnificent
collection of artists that lent their talent, their own distinctive voices and
styles, to Neil Gaiman’s words. The scope of this series is broad, touching
on aspects of our own brief lives. To read this series is not to curl up with a
simple comic book, but to take a journey beyond the shores of reality and
into a world we may only visit when we close our eyes.

“The scope of this series is broad,

touching on aspects of our own brief
lives. To read this series is not to curl up
with a simple comic book”