If you have thought about me, about where I have been for the whole of the August, you were probably thinking something like: ‘there he went, he stopped again.’ Well actually, it isn’t like that. I was at my girlfriends, and unfortunately they don’t have the internet yet. And even if they would have it, I probably wouldn’t have had any time to write. That’s because I had some student work to do. I had to earn some money for car registration. I was working for practically whole day, every day. And there was this other thing I was doing, which took my precious time. Of course, I gladly spent it doing that. I was reading.
By the title of this blog, you have probably already guessed, what I will write about. If not, let me tell you. I won’t be mistaken, if I say that you have all heard about the famous HBO series, 'The Game Of Thrones'. We are about to talk of that, just not of the TV series, but instead the book series, written by one (I only have two) of my favorite writers, Gorge R.R. Martin.
It all started in 2007, when some free book magazine jumped in my hands. While I was just flying through its pages, I automatically stopped, when I saw a picture of a front cover of the first of Martins books, translated in Slovenian language by Boštjan Gorenc. When I saw the title of that book I just knew (I hadn’t have known GRRM or any of his books from before) that is it / IT. So, I read the passage from the book, published in that magazine, and I fell in love. I ordered the book over the internet, that very day. It came to me in just a few days.
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| Book I: A Game of Thrones |
I was reading the first book for almost three months. But not because it wouldn’t be interesting, it was because it was so grand, and full of everything. I needed time, to just get to it, and maybe also because of Martins ways of writing. What I mean by that: Martin writes these books in his own way. It would be, like, when you are reading it, it’s day light, you have your favorite characters in the book, and you somehow see, how this should be going. But, yeah, this you can expect in normal books. Martin, in his books at least, in these series, makes things a little bit different. He kills your favorite characters, or does something horrible to them, and events in the book, which you would probably finish differently, usually as is finished in normal books, he twists them totally around, so that you, as a reader, really have no idea of, what had just hit you. Suddenly, it becomes totally dark, or better to say, night time. Everything is turned around, and you have to build the castles of imagination in your head again, and here is daylight again. This just happens again, and again, and again. So, by this shocking effect of Martins writing, I had to stop reading for a while, and then, when I started again, I was just swallowing it whole.
When I finished the first book, the hardest thing was waiting, and waiting for the next one. 'A Clash Of Kings' came out next year, in 2008, 10 years after the original was first published. And I must say, I was a little bit disappointed. This book wasn’t translated by Boštjan Gorenc. This guy, who translated the second book, hadn’t had such a good vocabulary, which in these kinds of books, is a 'must be'! But yes, all the other books are translated in Slovenian language by Boštjan, and I really have to say, that I don’t know if anyone else at all, is as capable to transte Martins books, as he is, for the way he does it.
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| Book II: A Clash Of Kings |
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| Book III: A Storm of Swords |
With the second, and the third, and now the fourth, I didn't have much 'problem' reading them, because I got adjusted to it (ali just got straight to it). So I was just reading, reading, and reading some more, and doing almost nothing else, until I finished the book.
Right now, I’m reading the fourth book, 'A Feast For Crows'. I have just a few chapters left now, but I’m trying to delay. I don’t want the story to end, because I’ll have to wait for the next book, 'A Dance With Dragons', for too long.
Anyway, for now my favorite two books from this series, are the first and the fourth. Why? Well they do say, that the first one, you never forget. And the fourth; although in this book, none of my favorite characters are there; because Cersei Lannister finally got what she deserved and because it’s signed by 'the' Gorge R.R. Martin himself. And it's also signed by Boštjan, with a dedication even.
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| Book IV: A Feast for Crows |
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| THE autograph of GRRM |
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| A dedication and autograph of Boštjan Gorenc |
Just three weeks, before I had to go to Scotland, for three months of practical internship, in Logan Botanical Garden, I had saw on a Facebook post, from Boštjan Gorenc, that GRRM is coming to Slovenia, on the 22nd of July. I cursed all gods, titans, and mythological creatures, from every culture that was known to me. 'Why, oh why, do I have to go to Scotland, just when he comes?!'
So, I called up my best friend, Polona, whom I had also infected with these books, and I said to her: 'Polona, if you want to give me anything for my birthday, take my books to be signed.' And she did. She was standing there, in the line for round 5 hours, just to get an autograph for me. Polona, I’m really grateful for that, thank you so much!
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| Polona next to the GRRM |
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| GRRM on signing in front and Boštjan Gorenc in the back |
The book was waiting for me on my bed, when I came home. I just sat down on bed, opened the book, and stared at the autograph, for 5 minutes or so.
Now, if you want to know how it was, on Martins visiting and signing the autographs, you can read Polonas blog. And I am also adding 'Not a blog', a blog, which isn't one, by GRRM, it will be right under the links on the right, 'Other bloggers'. And of course, I shouldn’t forget on Boštjan Gorenc's blog.
So, read you later.
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