The Lions of Al-Rassan Movie

nikolai · Jan 22, 2005

Another! fantasy movie is in production, this one is The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay.

http://www.empireonline.co.uk/site/news/newsstory.asp?news_id=16495

Has anyone read this? I'm currently working my way through Tigana, and I'm finding it slow, full of introspection, and not particularly fantastic (though I concede the prose is well written and the central premise - slaying two sorcerers - is interesting).

JoeBlank · Jan 22, 2005

This is fantastic news. Lions is on my "to read" list, but I have not reached it yet. Gaming material keeps pushing my fiction selections further down the list.

Now I don't know whether to bump it up and get it read before the movie, or wait until after. I find that if I have not read a book before I see a movie then I enjoy the movie more, and don't nit pick as much. Of course, the movie can color my impression of the book, such as being unable to avoid picturing the actors from the movie.

You can read our story hour discussion of Tigana using the link in my sig.

drothgery · Jan 23, 2005

nikolai said:
Another! fantasy movie is in production, this one is The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay.

http://www.empireonline.co.uk/site/news/newsstory.asp?news_id=16495

Has anyone read this? I'm currently working my way through Tigana, and I'm finding it slow, full of introspection, and not particularly fantastic (though I concede the prose is well written and the central premise - slaying two sorcerers - is interesting).

My general commentary on Kay is that his prose is often so good that you tend to ignore how utterly stupid his supposedly brilliant protagonists act at times.

Look_a_Unicorn · Jan 23, 2005

Awesome- I love that book
(and most of G.G.Kay's stuff)

A bit worried that the movie won't be "true" to the book- but then I remembered that movies never are, and can't be because it's an entirely different medium

So now I just hope that I enjoy it.

Prince of Happiness · Jan 24, 2005

Awwww hell, I'm gonna be all over this!

And for Tigana, keep reading...it gets absolutely...awesome.

Aulayan · Jan 24, 2005

I loved the book, but there is so much worry over the movie. Things'll have to be cut, and I have a feeling that they'll make Ammar into a token villain instead of what he is in the books...

So my suggestion to those of you who are wondering if you should wait or not, read the book first. The movie, if it's bad, can kill the interest in ever reading the book. If the movie is good, then there's less to fear, of course. I'm just pessimistic by nature.

Wombat · Jan 24, 2005

**shudder**

Oh, let it be right!

This is such a fantastic book, but I am not sure if it will translate as well to the screen (I have seen perfectly wonderful books mangled on the way...).

I shall remain hopeful, at least until I see the first trailer

Turanil · Jan 24, 2005

Based on a bestseller by Guy Gavriel Kay, the story follows a Christian soldier, a (female) Jewish doctor and a Muslim poet and warrior while the Reconquista rages around them.

Sounds like a typical D&D party to me!

FraserRonald · Jan 25, 2005

drothgery said:
My general commentary on Kay is that his prose is often so good that you tend to ignore how utterly stupid his supposedly brilliant protagonists act at times.

Do you mean how they act like real people? Very troubling.

Warrior Poet · Jan 25, 2005

nikolai said:
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay.

I wish they wouldn't.

And I say that as someone who feels like Jackson did a terrific job translating The Lord of the Rings to the screen, films about which I was initially very, very dubious.

Warrior Poet