When I was a boy I used to love the stories of the old kings of England, devouring book after book on the subject until I could rather involuntarily memorise all the dates (which has stuck with me, useless though this knowledge is, and stretches back before the Conquest, although once we get to the Edwys and Edwigs it gets a bit blurry).
My fascination with this long, bloody tale was not just an early indicator that I was a massive social inadequate, although that may be part of it; I loved those stories because they were fantastic. And as Game of Thrones starts tonight I’m comforted by the fact that I am not alone – for Thrones is essentially the Our Island Story for the HBO generation.
If you’re already sick to death of hearing about Game of Thrones, look away now, and certainly don’t go and buy my new ebook The Realm, on the historical parallels in the show, in particular the medieval English history that inspired George R.R.
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