Things I'm Looking Forward To

There's a saying that goes "the person who waits for something good, never waits too long". Still, there are times when it seems like you've waited forever for the next installment of your favorite series/franchise. With that in mind, this post will focus on a few works of fiction that I'm eager to get my hands on. Here goes:

The Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin

I may have made the decision not to watch anymore of Game of Thrones, due to not appreciating the direction the show has taken, but I still remain a fan of the original books and am looking forward to the next installment in George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy saga. I want to see Sansa come into her own as master-manipulator under the tutelage of Littlefinger. I want to see what Tyrion's been up to and most of all, I want to see Stannis defeat Ramsay, completely and utterly. Whether or not any of these wishes will come true, I do not know, but I'm confident that whatever Martin chooses to do with his story and characters, it can't be worse than what Benioff & Weiss have done with them.


Duncan the Wonder-Dog Show Two by Adam Hines

I discovered Duncan the Wonder-Dog thanks to the excellent comic-review site Good OK Bad and since its definitely the most obscure out of the works mentioned here and I've never mentioned it on this blog before, a brief introduction might be in order. Duncan the Wonder-Dog is a comic which revolves around the simple concept: What if humans and animals could communicate? From this idea, Adam Hines has crafted a vast and ambitious tale. The first volume in the series, titled Show One, originally came out in 2010 and took Hines seven years to complete. No idea whether Show Two will take as long, but I have little doubt it will be worth it.

Note: Read the entirety of Show One for free, here.


Fargo Season 2

I was skeptical to the Fargo TV-Show going in, but the first season more than exceeded my expectations, being a truly excellent piece of television that captured the spirit of the original Cohen Brothers' movie, while also being its own thing. Plus, it featured some great performances from Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman and Martin Freeman. Season two is apparently going to take place in the 70's and focus on Lou Solverson, the father of Molly, the heroine of the first season. I liked Lou's appearances as a supporting character in season 1, so I'm looking forward to see how he does in the role of protagonist. The thing that has me the most excited about the second season, however, is that Nick Offerman is going to be in it. I only know him from comedic shows like Parks and Recreations, so it will be interesting to see how he does in a more dramatic series.

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

The final volume in Hilary Mantel's trilogy centered around Thomas Cromwell. The previous installments in the series; Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies are among my favorite  novels and the recent BBC mini-series was brilliant as well. Out of all the works listed here, this is the one I'm personally looking forward to the most.


Berlin: City of Light by Jason Lutes

The final installment in Lutes' trilogy about Berlin during the years of Weimar Republic, its downfall and the rise of the Nazis as seen through the eyes of various characters. Drawn & Quarterly have actually published the first three issues of this volume (though issue 17 the one that kicks it off is apparently out of stock), but I'd rather wait until I can read the whole thing in one sitting.