August 19th: Here Be Dragons
We're back, baby.
If you had a conversation with me at any point between 2013-2019, chances are I talked about Game of Thrones. I’ve always been addicted to fantasy as a genre, but it was my discovery of the show my sophomore year that truly launched my fandom into the stratosphere. When the show was airing, I scheduled my life around it; when it wasn’t, I spent dozens of hours rereading the books, watching YouTube videos, and analyzing truly deranged Reddit theories (one, famously, including a time-traveling fetus - I almost believed it). I stuck with the show as it began to spiral, through all the ill-advised changes and idiotic inventions - I was too invested to quit, even as I watched it getting worse and worse. After the series finale, I was inconsolable. The friends who I watched it with told me I needed to chill out, but I couldn’t grasp why they weren’t similarly upset. Nothing made sense, everything was wrong, and I knew in my heart of hearts that the last book wasn’t coming - this was the only ending we were going to get. I walked away from that experience vowing to never devote myself that intensely to a piece of media again, and I didn’t think about the show at all for a number of years. But just when I thought I was out…
*furiously deletes old text messages* GAME OF THRONES IS BACK, BABY, AND I NEVER DOUBTED THEM. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I am ready to be hurt again. The production value, the political machinations, the epic battles - when everything is clicking, there’s nothing quite like Game of Thrones, and since this show is working from a completed story, I have more faith that the creative team can see it through. There’s a lot going on in this universe, so if you’re looking for help separating your Aegon's from your Aemon’s, this video from lore wizard Alt Shift X does a great job setting up the major players for the Dance of Dragons, the civil war this series will cover.
All that to say that in celebration of House of the Dragon’s premiere Sunday (and Rings of Power coming soon after, which I’m much more nervous about), this week I’m covering some of my favorite fantasy stories. There’s nothing quite like losing yourself in a new world, and though these are all fairly well-known, I hope reminding you of them brings a smile to your face, as writing about them did to mine.
The Things:
The first time I watched The Princess Bride (Disney+), I had nightmares for years afterwards. I didn’t watch it again until I was seventeen, but I’ve been making up for lost time since then. Rob Reiner’s masterpiece is one of the true timeless movies - no matter how many times you’ve seen it, it never loses its magic. There’s a sense of whimsy to it that is so, so hard to pull off without being too cheesy, but it straddles the line perfectly, even adding Fred Savage to poke fun at the silly parts. It’s outrageously funny, impossibly charming, relentlessly perfect - I know you’ve probably seen it already, but do yourself a favor and watch it again. You won’t regret it.
Watch if you’re in the mood for: The best things in life.
Few movies, animated or otherwise, explore the full extent of their medium like Coraline (free on Tubi). I watched it for the first time in a film class, where we analyzed its groundbreaking use of 3-D, but even without that set-up it’s a movie that jumps off the screen. The lovingly crafted stop-motion animation oozes with eerie atmosphere, and director Henry Selick ratchets up the tension at every opportunity, creating something that he described as “for brave children”, but with enough frights to startle even the most cynical of adults. It’s visually astounding and genuinely unsettling, with great voice performances across the board - a great watch on an overcast evening when you want to feel something looming over your shoulder.
Watch if you’re in the mood for: Mild psychological trauma, unique visuals, being hungry as a pumpkin.
Look, our generation is facing too many existential issues, but at least we can take comfort in the fact that we grew up with the greatest animated show ever made. Nearly twenty years after it aired, Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix) remains unparalleled in its complex themes, immersive world-building and narrative ambition. Over the course of its three perfect seasons, the show tackles genocide, imperialism, and discrimination while remaining joyous and radically optimistic, creating one of the greatest found families in the history of television. The impact it’s had on our generation is difficult to overstate - when it was added to Netflix in 2019, it set the record for longest time spent in the Top 10, speaking to its remarkable staying power. No matter where you are in life, it’s a show worth diving into - you’re never too old to take something away from a show this good.
Watch if you’re in the mood for: Kick-ass character arcs, the most adorable creatures, wishing you could move rocks with your mind.
The Book:
There are no fantasy books like N.K. Jemisin’s post-apocalyptic masterwork The Fifth Season (Orbit, 2016), a brilliantly written exploration of grief and loss in a world tearing itself asunder. The writing is intricate and the world is wonderfully conceived, with moments of sheer originality rivaling anything the genre has seen. It’s also the single greatest execution of multiple perspectives I’ve ever read - when the three stories finally link, they converge with jaw-dropping audacity, revealing a depth of authorial intention and narrative ingenuity that is rarely found in any genre. It’s the rare genre fiction book I’m comfortable recommending to skeptics, the perfect launching point into a series that aims for, and reaches, the stars.
The Tune:
Madison Cunningham is one of those rare artists you can compare to Joni Mitchell and the Beatles and actually mean it. In From Japan, the second single off her upcoming record, is one of my favorite songs she’s released yet, an infectious, dreamy meditation on fame and fortune. The imagery is dense and evocative, with lines like “it comes and goes/cosmic revelations and plateaus” capturing the rollercoaster ride of artistic vision, but it’s always her guitar playing that I come back to. She has an innate understanding of the connection between her voice and guitar that is breathtaking, and though it’s not fully on display in this song, I’d encourage checking out videos like this Willie Nelson cover to see what it looks like for an artist to be completely in sync with themselves. See her live if you can!
If you don’t hear from me next week, you’ll find me lost in a house-of-the-dragon-induced Reddit rabbit hole. But I’ll be back if I find my way out of it! Let me know if there’s any show you’re excited about this fall.
Love,
Nick