The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones

Insider entertainment correspondent Renfro has something for both serious and casual fans of the blockbuster HBO series Game of Thrones in this intriguing compendium. From the beginning, she warns that spoilers will be endemic as she explores some of the more dramatic twists and reveals from all eight seasons, including the truth about Jon Snow’s parentage from the penultimate season. Renfro covers a lot of ground—how George R.R. Martin came to write the A Song of Ice and Fire series; the bumps along the road for the TV adaptation, which included a poorly received pilot that almost doomed the endeavor; how key roles were cast; and the ways in which the books and show differed. She is particularly effective in analyzing the notorious Red Wedding scene, a shockingly violent one that has become a frequent popular cultural reference. Her assessment includes the ways in which the massacre was foreshadowed for the viewer, and a description of the phenomenon of those who’d seen the episode recording (and then sharing on YouTube) the reactions of those experiencing it for the first time. While devotees will have encountered some of this content elsewhere (on Martin’s blog, or in the first volumes of Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones), this remains an enjoyable and thought-provoking overview of a landmark television series. (Oct.)