The Incomparable Podcast, number 35, late 2011.

We are back on the Incomparable podcast.

I am Jason Snell, your host.

Our topic today is the book series that has generated the buzzworthy HBO series Game of Thrones.

These are the books by George R.R. Martin called A Song of Ice and Fire, which is such a ridiculous

and pretentious title that if I've known that was the name of the series, I might not have

read the books. But instead, I've read four of them name of the series, I might not have read the books.

But instead, I've read four of them, and there's a fifth one coming out.

So we're going to talk about the books.

We will fire off spoiler horns in appropriate places.

But basically, if you don't want to know what happens in these books, you might not want to listen to this podcast because we are going to talk about it.

How can you not?

Everybody dies. There's your spoiler horn. Everybody dies and then he writes poetry for a thousand pages.

That's what happens. It's the opposite of that Doctor Who episode. Everybody lives.

Everybody dies. Everybody dies. In George R.R. Martin's series. So anyway, joining me to talk about George R. Martin's series of books, those voices you've

heard before and you just heard, and they're like ghosts.

You probably hear them when you're not even listening to the podcast at this point.

I know when I have nightmares, they're usually narrated by Dan Morin.

Hi, Dan.

Welcome to your life, Jason. There's no turning back.

The song can be sinister, see? Even while I sleep. You will follow. Very sinister.

Serenity Caldwell. Are you acting on your best behavior? I am.

...