What are the basic qualifies of any Fiction?
1) Intriguing story line
2) Characters with which you can relate. It can be a single character or traits in different characters.
3) justified timeline of the events
4) details about locations plotted succinctly from reality.
Recently after watching the seasons of game of thrones, I found all above mentioned qualities in the epic. The plot is so complex yet so well defined. The story starts in the middle of something, unlike other fictions. Let me keep Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings as the comparable epics (as I have read those alone.) The story starts when a rebellion is finished and new king sits on the iron throne. Lot of important things have happened and lot of them are happening when the story starts. Lot of characters have died and few of them have fled away. First impression I had when I started watching the show was just the sheer quantity of characters. It is overwhelming to remember the name of all of them, but as you get engrossed in the story, you choose few of them to be near and dear ones and detaste few others. This is the point where writer has done half of his job. Now as the story progresses, you eagerly wait to know what happens to them and writer make you dance your wishes from here to there. The minute details of geography and corresponding culture are written carefully. From north beyond wall to Red Sand, from iron gates to city of Meeren, from Dorne to Vale, areas are described beautifully. Each region has a strong fort, let it be Winterfell, Casterly Rock, Moat Cailin, Red Keep or Dreadfort. The different lands and their houses gave the impression that all of it was actual real some years back. How the small actions of less important characters impact drastically is shown very beautifully inside the story. Once you start biding on the characters, writer will crush down your hopes ruthlessly by killing the characters in most gross, unexpected ways. Many vulnerable characters still take a breath. May be having numerous characters help readers stick to multiple of them, hoping some might see the end.
Today is the era of Game of Thrones, reading it after 10 years may be fun but will not be as exciting as it is today. The online fan following of the fiction is biggest I have ever known. The speculations, the flaws, the hints which they discuss online on different forums is equally interesting. These online debates are the actual reason for me to decide to read the fiction some day.
Also, unlike any other fiction, this epic has reached a tedious complicated situation. The season 6 is about to release in April but the counter part of the book is yet to release. I am currently following the show but I can feel the pain of fans who are following both show and book. The author while confessing the delay assured that spoilers will be avoided in show. But this should not make show much digressed from the book. Nonetheless, I had been watching, rather rewatching season 4 from last few days and was so much into the show that I hardly used to care what is happening in my real life. I will not exaggerate if I say I stopped thinking about sleep, food, hygiene, office in these few days. If a person is so much involved in such imaginary world, I would say either the fiction so exceptionally good that it can't be missed or the person is insane. I have no doubt about my sanity.
What do you think?
