GIFTS OF THRONES -

HBO OFFERS GAME OF THRONES FANS GOODIES TO KEEP THEM HAPPY DURING THE LONG WAIT UNTIL SEASON SEVEN

The last time we saw Westeros, the Starks (or what was left of them) were once again ruling the North from Winterfell and the recently resurrected Jon Snow had been anointed the King of the North. Cersei Lannister had achieved her dream of becoming Queen of the Seven Kingdoms while King’s Landing burned beneath her vengeful ambition. Meanwhile Arya had returned to Westeros and was scratching names off her kill list (starting with Walder Frey after she fed him his sons). While, at long last and beneath the shadows of her dragons, Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen had finally set sail for the Seven Kingdoms, Tyrion Lannister at her side and her vast army at her back.

And, as long promised, winter had finally come.

And its because winter has arrived in the Seven Kingdoms that fans of HBO’s uber-popular Game of Thrones will have to wait a little longer for season seven. Production has to wait for actual winter to start in most of its shooting locales, though some scenes will be shot in Iceland to help hurry things along. GoT show runners also revealed this week that both season seven and eight would only be seven episodes long, a deviation from the usual ten-episode length (although the final one or two episodes of each season may run between ninety minutes to two hours depending on storytelling needs).

As for fans jonesing for their GoT fix, the digital download for the recently wrapped season six will be available starting August 1^st while a beautiful Blu-ray set will be released November 15^th (just in time to add to your Christmas list). The Blue-ray will include be a treasure trove of extras, including commentary, deleted scenes and behind the scenes production peeks. Perhaps most impressive will be an 18 part mini-series titled “History and Lore,” featuring cast members exploring some of the myths and legends of Westeros.

Hopefully the lavish box set will help tide fans over until the eventual arrival of season seven (no date has been set yet, though the buzz is early next summer). And who knows, perhaps by the time the season seven premier hits HBO’s waves, Winds of Winter, book six in the Fire and Ice saga, may finally be gracing book shelves.

Shayne Kempton